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    Convention attendees gather around a model of "Star Trek" starship USS Reliant at a previous Comic-Con International in San Diego.

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    A cutout of Capt. James T. Kirk greets guests at a special Star Trek exhibit at the University of Iowa's Main Library in Iowa City, Iowa.

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    A Starfleet insignia appears on the original tunic worn by Capt. James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, in the exhibit "Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds," in Seattle.

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    "Star Trek" memorabilia are displayed at a special exhibit at the University of Iowa's Main Library in Iowa City, Iowa.

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    Sulu (George Takei) in "Star Trek." On Aug. 4, Takei will take part in a "Zero-G Experience" with a select group of fans in Las Vegas.

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On a fall Thursday evening in 1966, kids dodging bedtime saw something quite different on NBC: the birth of a pop culture phenomenon.

Sept. 8 marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of the original “Star Trek,” which hatched a galaxy of spinoffs and knockoffs despite Jupiter-size odds. Its 1960s soundstages were cheesy and often populated by wooden actors dressed in glorified PJs. Never too popular with critics or the general public, the series ran for just three seasons — 79 episodes. It required hardcore, letter-writing fans to keep the starship Enterprise active that long (and longer). And they were out there.

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What set “Star Trek” apart from other sci-fi programs was that creator Gene Roddenberry’s plots were cloned to larger issues, like racism and militarism. Adding to its enduring appeal were the tension and affinity among this “space opera’s” main characters, including Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), his logic-driven first officer Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy played the half-Vulcan) and the feisty doctor, Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley).

The golden anniversary — plus a new movie in July and TV series in 2017 — makes this a banner year for all generations of “Star Trek” fans. Here’s where to beam down and celebrate.

Enterprise in Emerald City

Through Feb. 27, 2017: EMP Museum, Seattle

This pop culture museum in downtown Seattle has gone all out for the anniversary with “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds,” an exhibition that examines the impact the long-running franchise has had on everything from culture to fashion.

A Borg regeneration chamber at the “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” exhibit in Seattle.

The showcase, which debuted in May, includes production materials — original scripts, storyboards and drawings — as well as rare items seen in the original series, spinoffs and movies.

From the 1960s “Star Trek,” you can see Kirk’s command chair and the navigation console, a tricorder, a tunic sported by Spock, a dress worn by Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Enterprise miniatures used in filming. All told, more than 100 items.

EMP is a tech-savvy place. Among the coolest interactive stops is a transporter simulator where you can create a film that shows you being beamed to another location. Also popular: a Khan recording booth, where visitors can re-create a scene from the second movie, 1982’s “The Wrath of Khan.”

Selfie opps abound. So far, the museum says, the most popular pose is alongside a costume of the Gorn, a reptilian species from the original series. www.empmuseum.org/startrek

Kirk’s hometown in Iowa

June 24-25: Trek Fest, Riverside, Iowa

Roddenberry once wrote that Kirk hailed from a small town in Iowa. In 1985, tiny Riverside proclaimed itself the captain’s future birthplace — reportedly with Roddenberry’s OK. So began the annual festival that includes a Friday trivia contest, Saturday parade and fireworks and such small-town staples as a carnival, talent show and kickball tourney. New this year: a 5K run, costumes encouraged.

The annual Trek Fest parade in Riverside, Iowa.
The annual Trek Fest parade in Riverside, Iowa.

At 10 a.m. the hourlong parade proceeds to the homespun Voyage Home Riverside History Center, 361 E. First St., stocked with Enterprise models, show photos and costumes worn in various “Star Trek” episodes. Part of one room is given over to Shatner’s prank visit to Riverside in 2004 for Spike TV’s “Invasion Iowa,” a cable show that chronicled when the actor came to town to make a fake sci-fi movie. The display includes several of Shatner’s unfinished cigars. Speaking of butts, the loo in the museum’s restroom is designed to mimic the Enterprise’s bridge, so you are, essentially, doing your business in the captain’s chair.

Nearby is a marker noting the “Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, March 22, 2228.” A waggish plaque on the wall of Murphy’s Bar & Grill downtown says Kirk will be conceived there. www.trekfest.com

The celebration continues in Iowa City, where University of Iowa Libraries is hosting a 50th anniversary exhibit focused on the early years of the franchise and the show’s rabid fandom. On display are a program from the first “Star Trek” convention and the first “Star Trek” fanzine, as well as a section dedicated to “Star Trek” movies from the ’80s. The exhibit runs through Aug. 5. www.lib.uiowa.edu/gallery

Enroll in Starfleet Academy

Through Sept. 5 in Ottawa, Canada, and July 9 to Oct. 31 in New York, “Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience.”

EMS — a producer of traveling edu-tainment spectacles — is staging the immersive “Starfleet Academy Experience” at two STEM museums: the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa (www.casmuseum.techno-science.ca/en) and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan (www.intrepidmuseum.org).

The Starship Enterprise model prior to renovation, in its old display case at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The Starship Enterprise model prior to renovation, in its old display case at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Become a cadet going through training, and experience situations from various “Trek” incarnations — and learn some real-life science and technology in the process. Think you’re savvy enough to be a Starfleet commander? You’ll find out.

Interactive and tech-driven touches include trying a target game that uses phasers and holograms. www.StarfleetAcademyTour.com

Starship returns to Smithsonian

Starting July 1: National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

The as-seen-on-TV model of the starship Enterprise from the original series has been newly renovated, and the 11-by-5-foot model will be back on display July 1 in the museum’s flagship building, the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.

The museum notes that “the fictional ship grossed 190,000 tons, and measured 947 feet long and 417 feet in diameter. The saucer-shaped hull included 11 decks, and had a crew complement of 430.” A spokeswoman said the museum also plans to celebrate “Star Trek’s” 50th anniversary with special programs (details not available at press time) in September. www.airandspace.si.edu

Comic-Con

July 21-24: Comic-Con International: San Diego

The upside of becoming stereotyped as a “Trek” star or bit player is earning easy money attending fan conventions.

“Like ‘Star Wars,’ it’s like a religion,” said Gary Sohmers, a fan-fest promoter who is also a pop artifact appraiser on PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow.” Devotees buy wholeheartedly into these events. “They save money to see the same celebs they’ve seen 15 times before,” he said. The shows include merchandise vendors, panels and screenings.

The San Diego event isn’t “Trek”-only, but Sohmers said, “It’s so big and only two hours from Hollywood. Everyone from every version of ‘Star Trek’ will be there.”

Shatner’s website states he’ll be there July 23.

Bad news: Admission badges were all scooped up in less than an hour when they went on sale in February.

Mitigating news from promoter Sohmers: “There’s a wide landscape of Comic-Con events across the country.”

For info on “Trek”-related shows and conventions, monitor the “Events” tab at www.startrek.com.

Sulu in Sin City

Aug. 3-7: “Star Trek Las Vegas”

This is the fan fest that focuses entirely on the “Star Trek” world, and, Sohmers said, “It’s great for newbies and core groups, true believers as well as occasional fans.”

Actors from the various “Star Trek” series and films will be at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino event. Biggies from the original include Shatner, Nichols, George Takei (Sulu) and Walter Koenig (Chekov). There will be appearances by bit characters in the original series who were or became celebrities in their own right; they include Elinor Donahue (Betty Anderson on “Father Knows Best”), Sally Kellerman (“Hot Lips” Houlihan in the movie version of “M*A*S*H”) and Gary Lockwood (“2001: A Space Odyssey”).

Shatner will be there Aug. 4, according to his website.

Photos? Autographs? Remember: These actors don’t do that for free. Sohmers said to expect a sliding scale at such meet-and-greet events. The “Star Trek Las Vegas” website indicates a $30-$150 range per signing; $40-$150 for a shared, 15-second pose for an 8-by-10-inch glossy.

This event has sold out, but the website has a page for online ticket auctions. www.creationent.com/cal/st_lasvegas.html

Want something out of this world? Here’s your chance to go gravity-free with Sulu. On Aug. 4, Takei will take part in an off-site “Zero-G Experience” on a modified Boeing 727 for 20 passengers over Vegas airspace. It comes with a lofty price tag: $6,500. www.gozerog.com

Trek to the Big Apple

Sept, 2-4: “Star Trek: Mission New York”

Interactive exhibits, exclusive merchandise, panels and screenings are on tap at this event, held in the Javits Center. Basic per-day tickets, three-day passes and VIP passes are still available. Shatner, Koenig and many more are scheduled to appear. www.startrekmissions.com

John Bordsen is a freelance writer.

Chicago’s “Star Trek” ties

The city lays claim to several “Star Trek” connections — and not just the Sept. 9-11 fan fest at the Westin O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont (tickets available; www.creationent.com/cal/stchi.htm).

*Walter Koenig — Chekov on the original “Star Trek” — was raised in New York but was born in Chicago in 1936.

*”Trek” actress Nichelle Nichols was born in 1932 in south suburban Robbins (her father, Samuel, was mayor) and raised in Chicago. Before playing Uhura, one of the groundbreaking roles for African-American women on TV, she honed her theatrical skills in Chicago in Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Kicks and Co.,” a 1961 musical that made fun of Playboy magazine. Though the show flopped, Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner was impressed enough to book her at the Chicago Playboy Club. That led to roles in “Carmen Jones” in Chicago, “Porgy and Bess” in New York and — eventually — “Star Trek.”

*The late Grace Lee Whitney — Janice Rand, an aide to Kirk — got her theatrical chops in Chicago opening for Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich. She was a member of the all-girl Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators band in the famous Chicago-driven comedy “Some Like It Hot.”

*The late Chicago-born actor Mark Lenard played Spock’s father, Sarek, on the 1960s series. He also was the first Romulan viewers ever saw. Lenard appeared in “Star Trek” films and spinoffs into the 1990s.

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