Happy 50th Anniversary Star Trek!

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. Gene Roddenberry created the now classic sci fi series as sort of a "Wagon Train in the stars."

In the early 1990's, the Jim Henson Company released this "Swine Trek II: The Bath of Pig" image as a poster:

Of course this wasn't the first time The Muppets had spoofed the series - most notably in The Muppet Show's Pigs In Space segments:

These segments were so popular, they received their own book and lunch box!

Star Trek: The Next Generation was later spoofed as Pigs In Space: Deep Dish Nine on Muppets Tonight!

Which featured Leonard Nimoy:

William Shatner:

Next Generation star Whoopi Goldberg:

and Beaker taking a Star Trek inspired cruise with George Takei:

There have been many other Henson/ Star Trek connections over the years as well.

Muppet Babies had a few episodes were the characters imagined themselves as the crew of both the classic and Next Generation Enterprises:

Sesame Street, Farscape, and even Fraggle Rock had references to the final frontier too:

For a full list of Muppet spoofs and references check out the Muppet Wiki's Star Trek page.

One of the mostly unknown connections is that in the late 50's/early 60's, Sir Lew Grade wanted Roddenberry to develop a series and set up his own production company in England. If that sounds familiar, it's almost exactly what happened to Jim Henson almost a decade and a half later!

Live Long and Prosper Star Trek, one of science fictions greatest franchises!