‘Star Trek™’ Forever Stamps Boldly Launched

Nearly 50 years to the day of the original airing of “Star Trek,” the U.S. Postal Service dedicated the Star Trek Forever stamps today at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The first-day-of-issue ceremony launched Star Trek:  Mission New York, a three-day celebration that is expected to draw thousands of Star Trek fans.

These stamps will “live long and prosper,” because as Forever stamps they are good for mailing a 1-ounce First-Class letter anytime in the future — regardless of star date. “Star Trek” fans are asked to share the news on social media using the hashtag #StarTrekForever.

“The Postal Service is proud to commemorate ‘Star Trek’ on the eve of its 50th anniversary,” said Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan referring to the iconic television program’s Sept. 8, 1966, debut. “Star Trek’s intricate futuristic setting, multicultural cast and story lines touched on social issues and pushed past the boundaries of popular science fiction becoming a worldwide phenomenon.”

Joining Brennan in dedicating the stamps were actor and humanitarian Walter Koenig, who portrayed U.S.S. Enterprise’s navigation officer Pavel Chekov in the series; NASA Deputy Director of Science for Communication Michelle Thaller; CBS Consumer Products Executive Vice President and General Manager Liz Kaloduer; and, U.S. Postal Service Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell.

“With the chaos in today’s world, hopefully the stamps and what they signify can inspire a better future for us all,” said Koenig.

“’Star Trek’ gave us a universe that we could explore in our imagination,” said Thaller. “In this universe we pioneered not only new technology and new worlds, but — more importantly — new social rules and new definitions of tolerance and diversity. In Star Trek’s universe, we found better ways to be human.”