WATCH: Welcome to the New StarTrek.com

Gene Roddenberry said, “The human race is a remarkable creature, one with great potential, and I hope that Star Trek has helped to show us what we can be if we believe in ourselves and our abilities.” In the 53 years since Star Trek first premiered on television on this day in 1966, the franchise continues to find meaningful ways to show what it is to be human in an ever-changing universe.

The world we live in has changed, but Star Trek remains a very steady starship in the media landscape, forever championing its core tenants of love, family, friendship, courage, sacrifice, and above all — grand, limitless optimism.

The chance to play a part in shaping what Trek will become is an extraordinary gift and once-in-a-lifetime challenge, and we had to approach its future with the same limitless optimism.

Indulge me, for a second, with one more quote; this one from season two of Discovery. Our Captain Pike, Anson Mount, tells his crew, ”Starfleet... is a promise. I give my life for you, you give your life for me, and no one gets left behind.”

That’s what Star Trek is: a promise. And it’s a promise we intend on following through with StarTrek.com. You may have noticed some changes to StarTrek.com over the past few months. The most obvious is probably the new layout, placing more Trek content immediately at your fingertips. And maybe, if you’ve been clicking around, you’ll have noticed that the content’s changed too. Now, because Star Trek is a promise, whether you’re a fan who watched episodes that aired after nightly broadcasts filled with news out of Vietnam, or someone who came to Trek in 2017 because you love Michelle Yeoh as much as I do, Star Trek is for you.  And we want to make sure you don’t feel left behind.

We’ll continue to be the first to bring you breaking news out of the Star Trek Universe; exclusive reports for fans who can’t be with us at events like San Diego Comic Con or Star Trek Las Vegas. With four new shows on the horizon and more on the way, StarTrek.com should always be your daily first visit for casting updates, new behind the scenes footage, one of a kind images from upcoming episodes, and more.

But, much like the crews on our series who become family on screen and off, we’re keenly aware that the Trek fandom community is a uniquely close and protective one. And so, aside from news and updates, our goal is to have something for every member of our family on StarTrek.com — from the queer scientists who took inspiration from George Takei; to the women who found, in Trek, the role models that were lacking in other media; to the people of color who found their cultures represented — period — in science fiction television; to the fans who’ve managed to arrive at careers where Star Trekinfluences them every single day.

There is no barrier to entry on the new StarTrek.com.  Not knowing who Jeffrey Combs is doesn’t make you any less of a fan than the person who’s been with us for fifty-three years and counting. But if you’re interested in learning more about the seven-time guest star — or even just debating his best role with other fans — we’ve got that story for you. Taking the FUBU approach, we’re committed to publishing quality Star Trek content for fans, by fans.

And if you aren’t a fan yet, that’s ok too. In fact, it’s great. I love it when someone says “My partner/ my friend/ my mom was never into Star Trek until your show... now she’s a total geek,” because through that’s the goal. That’s Star Trek. That’s StarTrek.com.

It brings people together.

So let’s move forward together into this amazing, inspiring, ever-growing universe that you’ve all played such a huge part in building. Thank you all, and welcome home.

Happy Star Trek Day,Alex