'Star Trek' premieres

"Star Trek" premieres September 8, 1966 on NBC, launching what would become the most "successful failure" in television history. While the series lasts for only three seasons due to low ratings, it eventually finds new life in syndication, growing into one of the longest-running and highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

The show's creator, Gene Roddenberry, a decorated B-17 World War II and Pan American World Airways pilot, traded the cockpit for a badge with the Los Angeles Police Department—an unlikely springboard to Hollywood. Providing technical advice to the popular crime series "Dragnet," he leveraged his role into a screenwriting career by penning episodes for "Dragnet" and various other shows. In April 1964, Roddenberry submitted a 16-page outline and a $2 check to register a new show idea with the Writers Guild of America West. It was called "Star Trek."