Fans of the original Star Trek series get a special treat this weekend when WBNX airs the first half of an unusual episode, The Menagerie.  This Season One two-parter includes extensive footage from the unaired 1966 pilot—back when enigmatic Jeffrey Hunter was Captain of the Enterprise.  The story begins with Mr. Spock inexplicably hijacking the starship, which leads to his eventual court-martial.  His only trial defense is the video stream of former Capt. Pike’s alien imprisonment that occurred “13 years earlier.”  The flashbacks are lifted from the pilot initially rejected by NBC, and Hunter, a matinee-idol at the time, declined involvement in the sci-fi remake.  William Shatner assumed the now-legendary lead role as Capt. Kirk.  The Menagerie is so revered among Trekkies, it was shown in sold-out theatres across the country last summer as part of regional fan-gatherings.  Combined with the breathtaking series premiere of Legend of the Seeker, this Saturday is a milestone night for the sci-fi /fantasy community.    

What became of the Star Trek crew when their original five-year mission was short-circuited after three seasons?  We’re about to find out, as one of the sci-fi classic’s top writers, 69-year-old D.C. Fontana, maps out the “missing years” in a new comic book series hitting the stands this week, Star Trek Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment.  Though she began her career as a secretary to Gene Roddenberry, Ms. Fontana later wrote or story-consulted on nearly half of William Shatner’s 79 voyages.  It would be hard to find anyone who knows the show’s characters and settings more intimately.  The comic series kicks off with a sequel to one of Star Trek’s most-celebrated TV adventures, season three’s “The Enterprise Incident,” which happens to air next Saturday night (April 5) on WBNX.  Fans will recall that Capt. Kirk disguised himself with Spock-like pointy ears to capture a new state-of-the-art Romulan cloaking device.  Now, Federation attempts to use the technology go awry, with both the Romulans and the Klingon Empire closing in to cause havoc for our starship heroes—an intergalactic joyride for Trekkies.

The Trekkies have spoken, and their one-night event has multiplied! Tickets are already on sale for Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock’s newest frontier: over 300 movie screens across the U.S. On Nov. 13 and 15, one of the most famous episodes of the original Star Trek series, The Menagerie, will be shown on the big-screen, digitally remastered in high-def and surround-sound. This two-part classic from Season One features the court martial of Mr. Spock and some rare “flashback” trial footage from the unaired series pilot—in which Jeffrey Hunter, not William Shatner, was flying the Enterprise. Thirteen Ohio theatres, including screens in Cleveland, Akron, Medina and Elyria, are taking part in this epic event. We can only imagine the costumes that area sci-fi fans will show up in! Of all the various generations, the original series is still my favorite, and it would be cool to see this vintage episode on the silver screen, along with the video extras that are planned. For more details, visit our Star Trek show-page here! And unless you’re a nightowl, set your DVRs for more remastered episodes of the 1966-69 classic show, which air overnight Saturdays on WBNX.