"The Man Trap" was the first episode to be broadcast in the American science fiction television series Star Trek, but the sixth to be filmed. It aired on NBC on September 8, 1966. The story was assigned to George Clayton Johnson; his first draft was entitled "Damsel With a Dulcimer", incorporating elements from his Twilight Zone episode "The Four of Us Are Dying". Series creator Gene Roddenberry, producer Robert H. Justman and story editor John D. F. Black all tweaked elements of the episode. The story, part of Roddenberry's original Star Trek pitch to the studio, was chosen for the first broadcast episode because the studio liked its horror-based plot. "The Man Trap" placed first in the timeslot with a Nielsen rating of 25.2 percent for the first half-hour and 24.2 for the remainder. After broadcast, reviewers criticized the violent scenes but praised the acting. More recent appraisals have been mixed; praise has been given to the plot and diverse cast, but Hollywood.com listed it among the worst episodes of the series. The creature, created by Wah Chang and William Ware Theiss, has been dubbed the "salt vampire" by fans. (Full article...)

• ... that during the development of Spock, both DeForest Kelley and Martin Landau were offered the role before Leonard Nimoy (pictured)?
• ... that Ronald B. Moore won five Emmy Awards for his work on the Star Trek franchise?
• ... that the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Family" was the first episode of the franchise not to have any scene set on the bridge?
• ... that Michael Piller felt that the mention of Spock in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Sarek" opened the doors to further references to The Original Series?
• ... that Star Trek: Starship Creator allowed players to import photographs of themselves into the game?
• ... that after Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett transported some old Star Trek footage from a film vault, it was sold as film clips by Lincoln Enterprises?
• ... that prior to casting Andrea Martin as the female Ferengi Ishka on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, David Livingston suggested Wallace Shawn in drag?
• ... that Gene Roddenberry pranked Steven W. Carabatsos on his first day on Star Trek by inflating a weather balloon in his office?

• The IUCN reclassifies the giant panda as a vulnerable species, and the eastern gorilla (example pictured) as critically endangered.
• Mother Teresa is officially declared a saint by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church.
• A bombing at a market in Davao City, Southern Philippines, kills 14 people and injures 70 others.
• Islam Karimov, the President of Uzbekistan since 1991, dies in office at the age of 78.
• An explosion during preparations for a static fire test results in the loss of the Amos-6 communications satellite and its launch vehicle, Falcon 9 Full Thrust.

September 8

• 1566 – Ottoman–Habsburg wars: Although Ottoman forces led by Suleiman the Magnificent captured the fortress of Szigetvár, Hungary, they were forced to end their campaign to capture Vienna.
• 1755 – French and Indian War: British and French forces and their respective Indian allies fought to a draw in the Battle of Lake George.
• 1941 – World War II: German forces severed the last land connection to Leningrad, beginning a 28-month siege that would result in the deaths of over 1 million of the city's civilians from starvation, making it one of the most lethal battles in world history.
• 1966 – Queen Elizabeth II opened the Severn Bridge (pictured), hailing it as the dawn of a new economic era for South Wales.
• 1978 – Iranian Revolution: After the government of the Shah of Iran declared martial law in response to protests, the Iranian Army shot and killed at least 88 demonstrators in Tehran on Black Friday.

The NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Palmdale manufacturing facilities with cast members from Star Trek and NASA staff. Shown, from left to right, are: James C. Fletcher (NASA Administrator), DeForest Kelley (Dr. "Bones" McCoy), George Takei (Hikaru Sulu), James Doohan (Montgomery Scott), Nichelle Nichols (Nyota Uhura), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek creator), an unnamed official, and Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov). The naming of the space shuttle after Star Trek's lead ship is only part of the series' extensive cultural influence. The first American series to feature an interracial cast, it drew public interest to space travel, birthed a new language, and spawned five successor series, thirteen movies, a plethora of merchandise, and a multi-billion dollar industry. Photograph: NASA Recently featured: Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection Viborg Katedralskole Plum Park in Kameido Archive More featured pictures...