The China Mail - 'Star Trek' celebrates 60th anniversary at Comic-Con

The 89-year-old Takei -- who played the helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the original series and in multiple movies -- earned a standing ovation from fans in a packed Hall H at the four-day pop culture extravaganza in San Diego, California.

The actor joked about how young he felt marking such a milestone in television history, before turning more serious in talking about what he called an "extraordinary phenomenon" -- from its initial low ratings to its near-mythical status.

He said that the franchise's longevity was due to "all the people like you and your parents and your grandparents, because of their intelligence and their sensitivity and their vision" in supporting Gene Roddenberry's concept.

"We have lived long and endured for 60 years and going," he said, evoking the famous motto of Leonard Nimoy's Mr Spock.

The first episode of "Star Trek" aired in September 1966. It depicted the voyages of the Enterprise captained by James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his multiracial crew, taking on major moral and social issues against the backdrop of outer space.

Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, a Black actress who played Lieutenant Uhura, made history in 1968 with one of the first interracial kisses ever seen on US television.

Since then, the original series and its more than a dozen spin-offs have generated nearly 1,000 episodes.

It has a major presence at Comic-Con, both with panels devoted to the series and the many fans who roam the halls dressed as their favorite characters.

The panel also featured Michael Dorn ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Jerry O'Connell (the animated "Star Trek: Lower Decks"), Robert Picardo ("Star Trek: Voyager") and Karim Diane, who plays the franchise's first openly gay Klingon in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy."

The tribute began with comments from Roddenberry's son Rod, who heads the production and distribution company Roddenberry Entertainment.

"It had spaceships. It had a laser gun, had strange planets, even had weird-looking aliens. But that was never really the point, was it? This show wasn't about science fiction. This show was about us," he told the audience.

"'Star Trek' is not just science fiction entertainment. It's a show that makes people believe in a better future."

Comic-Con runs through Sunday.

B.Clarke--ThChM