Smithsonian Channel Celebrating Star Trek Anniversary with New Special

NEW YORK: Smithsonian Channel is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek with a two-hour special on the show’s lasting influence, slated for a September premiere.

Building Star Trek, due out September 4, will follow the conservation team from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum as they attempt to restore and conserve the original 11-foot, 250-pound model of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the original series. The special also will track the effort to rebuild a model of the original U.S.S. Enterprise bridge by using authentic set pieces and props, which recently went on display at Seattle’s EMP Museum.

Additionally, the special will profile a new generation of engineers and scientists who are making Star Trek’s visionary technology real, pushing the boundaries of physics with inventions first conceived on the iconic series: warp drives, medical tricorders, cloaking devices and tractor beams.

The program is being produced by Yap Films for Smithsonian Channel and Discovery Canada. Executive producers for Yap Films are Elliott Halpern and Elizabeth Trojian. The writer and director is Mick Grogan. Executive producers for Smithsonian Channel are David Royle, Charles Poe and Tim Evans.