Celebrate 50 Years of Star Trek with a Live Orchestra

Photo by Christie Goodwin

Star Trek is turning 50 this year and the folks behind the popular sci-fi franchise have plenty of big celebrations planned.

Not only is there a new film and television series on the horizon, but Star Trek will be hitting the road with its “Ultimate Voyage” concert series, which stops at the Wang Theatre in Boston on Friday, March 4. The event will feature clips and music from the various iterations of the franchise, as well as a live symphony orchestra.

Rod Roddenberry, son of creator Gene Roddenberry, is excited for fans to experience Star Trek music in a live setting and praised all of the talented composers who have contributed to the various films and shows over the last half decade.

“Those who have done Star Trek [music] have really done an amazing job,” Rod said. “I love what they’re doing by having this traveling symphony and sharing Star Trek music with everyone around the U.S. and hopefully the world, eventually.”

While the Roddenberry family hasn’t had much a say over the franchise since Gene passed away, they’ve started to play a bigger role in recent years, especially since director J.J. Abrams asked for their blessing when he helmed the 2009 movie reboot.

In honor of the 50th anniversary, Roddenberry Entertainment is posting never-before-seen Star Trek images and content to its social media channels every day this year for a campaign called the 366 Project. Rod also hopes that his family will be more involved with the new TV series, which is expected to hit airwaves in 2017.

“The people involved really seem to know what their doing and they really seem to get Star Trek,” Rod said. “Hopefully we can share and participate and help bring a little bit of that Roddenberry influence.”

Rod hopes that the upcoming series will get back to the roots of Star Trek and once again push the boundaries of science and diversity.

“For me, the backbone of Star Trek and my father’s philosophy has always been the IDIC philosophy: infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” Rod said. “I think the core of Star Trek was thirsting for diversity in thought and idea, and not being afraid of that.”

Even though the utopian future featured in Star Trek seems like it may never come true, Rod believes that we can achieve his father’s dream, as long as we don’t let fear get in the way.

“Our fear of change, our fear of new things is our hinderance,” Rod said. “If we’re willing to think about it a bit, analyze the good and bad, and take a leap, I think it will be better in the end.”

“Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage” comes to the Wang Theatre on Friday, March 4. For more information, check out citicenter.org.