A Star Trek Day event was held at a coffee shop in Odesa

Star Trek Day was held at the Odessa Bookstore-Café (77 Evropeyskaya St.). At the event, attendees reminisced about their favorite characters, watched, and discussed their favorite scenes and moments from various stories in the franchise.

Attendees could also browse themed books and collectible items at the gathering.

Valery Bolgan, editor-in-chief of Intent, spoke about how director Gene Roddenberry created this space opera nearly 10 years before the release of *Star Wars*. This was a time when most science fiction universes were at a very primitive stage, especially in terms of visuals. At the same time, the budget for making the film was very small. Despite this, Gene Roddenberry was thinking decades ahead.

In particular, he paid a lot of attention to technology. The director envisioned what size a communicator should be. Tricorders were also invented. Later, flip phones—known as “frogs”—became copies of these tricorders and communicators. Similarly, prototypes of many other technologies first appeared in this series.

Valery Bolgan shared how, after watching *The Big Bang Theory*, his family decided to rewatch *Star Trek* as well. They started with *The Next Generation* and then watched the entire *Star Trek* universe.

The series features very unconventional characters and entire fictional races.

During the themed evening, a special menu featuring drinks inspired by the Star Trek universe was prepared for guests.

Star Trek Day is celebrated annually on September 8. The date was chosen to honor the premiere of the very first episode of Gene Roddenberry’s original series. It aired on American television in 1966. It was this event that launched the iconic sci-fi universe, which later expanded into dozens of TV series, movies, and books.

The main idea behind the holiday is to highlight the values of theStar Trek universe: scientific progress, space exploration, humanism, and peace among different peoples. Fans appreciate the franchise for its vision of a future where humanity has overcome war and united to explore the world. On this day, fans around the world organize themed gatherings, costume parties, and screenings of their favorite episodes.

Also, in early August, Ukrainian archaeologist and historian Yaroslav Chentsov, a member of the NGO “Arhaika,” Yaroslav Chentsov, gave a lecture at the Odesa Bookstore-Café on the project “Crimea Beyond Empires: A 3D Collection of Materials from the Medieval Peninsula.” He explained where the artifacts from Crimea came from in Odesa and what challenges researchers face when studying the material.

Юлія Калабайда

A themed Star Trek Day was held at the Bookstore-Café in Odesa

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