September 8 is officially Star Trek Day, as it is the anniversary date of the original series premiere in 1966. However, this year’s Star Trek Day is celebrating another milestone for the venerable franchise, as it marks 50 years since Star Trek: The Animated Series hit the Saturday morning airwaves. To celebrate, Paramount is releasing a series of animated very Short Treks. The very first comes from critically acclaimed writer and director Casper Kelly, who folks might remember from the viral internet phenomenon Too Many Cooks. He’s also worked on the live-action Short Treks.
In the first very Short Treks, “Skin A Cat,” poor word choice complicates a dire Klingon attack. To see what that actually means, watch the full Star Trek: very Short Trek episode down below:
The first very Short Trek features Ethan Peck (Spock), Pete Holmes (Captain), Cristina Milizia (Knickersonian, Dream Woman, and M’Ress), Bonnie Gordon (Computer), and Eric Bauza (Antedian, Ass Face, Screwhead).But the episode isn’t all we’re getting to honor this iconic series. There’s also a new Star Trek: The Animated Series web comic, also from writer Casper Kelly. This one’s called “The Scheimer Barrier,” no doubt an homage to Filmation Studios founder Lou Scheimer, producers of the classic animated series. He also produced shows like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Hopefully, thanks to these new shorts, people will rediscover the classic cartoon show. Although the animation was rudimentary—and that’s being generous—the classic Star Trek cartoon ran for two seasons. And it reunited much of the original voice cast, and they had some impressive stories to boot. Star Trek: The Animated Series was the first official “revival” of Star Trek. It kept the Trek fires burning during the decade between the original show and 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. So today, let’s raise a glass of Romulan Ale to the ever-groovy Star Trek: The Animated Series.