This week in Star Trek history: Star Trek Night (2001)

Logo art from Star Trek Night (2001). Image BBC

So here’s a weird thing: this week’s Star Trek history is a double history lesson. Let’s start with the history history and say that it was today, September 16th, 2001, that Star Trek Night aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom.

Sound familiar? That’s because just last month, August 26th was also the anniversary of a Star Trek Night in the U.K….but a different one!

What’s Star Trek Night? Both events (which took place on August 26, 1996 and September 16, 2001) were televised celebrations of Star Trek. The first celebrated Trek’s 30th anniversary, as well as the U.K. premiere of Star Trek: Voyager.

Then on September 16th, 2001, Star Trek Night celebrated the 35th anniversary of the franchise, as well as the introduction of Enterprise, which would premiere just a few weeks later. While the 2001 Star Trek Night didn’t feature celebrities professing their love for the franchise, it was hosted by the rather famous floppy-haired Jonathan Ross, and included a variety of fan-favorite episodes and moments, along with a full showing of Star Trek IV: The One with the Whales. Overall the event ran for three and a half hours.

Tune in again next Wednesday for more Star Trek history.