Fact #84232

Filming begins on The Cage [aka Menagerie], the pilot show for the sci-fi series Star Trek. The show will not only become hugely popular, but will inspire numerous songwriters to compose songs based on the series. Among the most memorable are Where's Captain Kirk?, a 1979 UK hit by punk band SpizzEnergi [covered by R.E.M. in 1992] and Star Trekkin', a UK chart-topping single in 1987 by The Firm. The 1977 album Future Games by Californian psychedelic rockers Spirit is peppered with Star Trek references and audio samples. Even the so-called spokesman of his generation, known to have adapted lines from an episode of Star Trek for his song All Along The Watchtower.