It’s hard to believe that Star Trek and the crew of the Enterprise have been with us for over 40 years. The original series ran for just three seasons on NBC before being cancelled. From those humble beginnings, no one could ever have predicted the size of the show’s impact; culturally and as an entertainment franchise — inspiring an animated series (and possibly a new one), 10 movies (with another on the way), four other live-action series (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) and an almost infinite number of books, magazines and collectibles.

No one is more surprised than original Trek crewmember Mr. Spock, or as he’s lesser known here on Earth, Leonard Nimoy. Next month, Nimoy will host a History Channel special celebrating the Star Trek phenomenon. In addition to documenting conventions from Las Vegas to Europe, the special will go behind-the-scenes to look at the franchise with the Star Trek writers, prop makers, costume and set designers, technicians and directors. There will also be new interviews with Trek Captains Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew and Avery Brooks, as well as many other actors who have gone where no one has gone before. (William Shatner was supposed to appear but ended up being unavailable for the taping.)

Of particular interest to fans will be footage from the recent Christies Star Trek auction entitled 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection. The auction was the first-ever of its kind by CBS Paramount in which original costumes, props, set pieces and models from the various Trek incarnations were sold. The History Channel’s website streamed the auction live back in October 2006.

Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier will air Monday, February 19, 2007 at 9pm. Times may vary in other quadrants. Beam me outta here!