Still boldly going — meet the Irish 'trekkies' celebrating 60 years of Star Trek

On the anniversary of its first episode, Jonathan deBurca Butler talks to Irish 'trekkies' about the enduring success of the sci-fi show

STARRY-EYED FANS: From left, Gary Reynolds, Cíarán McNulty, Ronan Healy, and Shane Collier, from Star Trek Eire, with actress Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager). Photo taken at Dublin Comic Con

It’s been 60 years since Star Trek boldly went where no show had gone before, causing a sensation on NBC and giving birth to a legion of dedicated fans who later became known as ‘Trekkies’.

While that first episode, The Man Trap, aired in the US on September 8, 1966, might be viewed today as quaint, it sparked a sci-fi franchise that was groundbreaking for its time. It took four years before it was broadcast in Ireland, and it has remained part of the culture ever since, through various iterations on TV and the big screen.