‘Star Trek’ wins high praise from Television Academy for its ‘legacy’
NORTH HOLLYWOOD — “Star Trek” has been chosen as the 2018 Governors Award recipient, the Television Academy announced last week.
The academy said in a statement that “Star Trek” is a “visionary science-fiction television franchise” with a “legacy of boldly propelling science, society and culture where no one has gone before.”
The franchise was chosen by the Television Academy board of governors, and the honor will be presented to CBS Television Studios during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 8.
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The Governors Award, which debuted in 1978, honors an individual or organizational achievement in the television arts and sciences that is exceptional and universal in nature and goes beyond the scope of annual Emmy Awards recognition, the statement said.
Created in 1966 by visionary writer-producer Gene Roddenberry, the original “Star Trek” series sparked a cultural phenomenon, which has extended over 50 years on-air, with more than 700 episodes and 13 movie franchises. “Star Trek’s” multiple television series have garnered 30 Emmy Awards.
“What began as a television show grew into an entertainment franchise that has consistently depicted humanity’s greatest hopes for a better tomorrow,” according to the academy statement. “Throughout ‘Star Trek’s’ multiple series, viewers were exposed to a world where technology and science helped improve the human condition. Futuristic technological advancements featured in the show bear striking resemblances to the cell phones and virtual reality systems in use today.”
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Mark Spatny is the chair of the Governors Award committee.
” ‘Star Trek’ is the first television program I can remember watching as a child and has always been ahead of its time,” he said. “Not only have all the franchises promoted inclusiveness and acceptance of all people and inspired creative thought about space exploration and our future, but the technical innovations sparked by the franchise are incredibly significant to the evolution of television production and also to the communication and computer tools we use in our daily life. We are honored to present this award to a franchise that has made such a lasting contribution to both television and our society.”