This week, one of the longest running television shows in pop culture history turned 50. Star Trek, the socially conscious space opera created by former LA police officer Gene Roddenberry, debuted on NBC in 1966. The series followed the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise. A cult phenomenon was born, and fans of the series, known affectionately as Trekkies, have been a central part of the show’s popularity for decades.
Photographer Shalmon Bernstein, who we first learned about on So Bad So Good, captured the beginnings of Star Trek fan culture during the 1970s at New York conventions. “At that time, mostly young people went to them [conventions] to be part of a community,” Bernstein told the website.
See more intergalactic meets hippie Star Trek style in our gallery.
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein
Photo credit: Shalmon Bernstein