A Sense of Doubt blog post #4222 - STAR TREK DAY - 60th Anniversary of the Best Show Ever!

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4222 - STAR TREK DAY - 60th Anniversary of the Best Show Ever!

I love STAR TREK.

No surprise for people who know me.

I actually do not rate it as the best TV show ever. That's the latest Battlestar Galactia as well as Chernobyl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Lost. Others might say Breaking Bad or Six Under, but I have not watched those series in their entirety.

Long before Star Wars came out, there was Star Trek.

I was kind of young for the original broadcasts. I saw most if not all of it in re-runs in the after school two hours of Bugs Bunny, Gilligan's Island, and then Star Trek.

Though there was a lot of Brady Bunch and Partridge Family mixed in there, too.

Star Trek has been a great love that has carried through my whole life.

I bonded with college friends watching the original series.

I bonded with post-college friends and collabortaed on a novel with the original cast (never published).

I found a Star Trek fan group in my new home out west here, and though I do not attend often enough, I am glad that they exist.

Cheers to Star Trek.

Thanks for tuning in.

https://www.paramount.com/news/celebrating-60-years-of-star-trek-around-the-globe

On September 8, 1966, Star Trek: The Original Series made its television debut, introducing audiences to Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a future built around exploration, optimism and discovery. Six decades later, that vision has grown into one of entertainment’s most enduring franchises, spanning 11 television series, 14 films and more than 900 episodes.

For John Van Citters, VP of Brand Development for Star Trek, the franchise’s longevity comes back to what has been at its core from the beginning. “What really separates Star Trek and has given it enduring appeal across generations is that it’s a brand of values,” he says. “Gene Roddenberry’s original construct has shown itself time and again to be malleable across different shows and characters to remain relevant to new generations of viewers.”

This year, the franchise’s annual Star Trek Day on September 8 takes on added significance as Star Trek marks its 60th anniversary. Paramount is commemorating the milestone with screenings, fan experiences, television specials, theatrical events and partnerships stretching from Hollywood to London and all the way to the International Space Station.

“Star Trek Day is an opportunity to make more noise about Star Trek. To remind people that it’s not just a great show and great storytelling, but it’s a part of our larger world and culture,” Van Citters says. “I think Star Trek Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate a rare piece of popular culture and remind people that in a world that can seem harsh, there is always room for the optimism that Star Trek represents.”

 

 

A Global Salute to 60 Years

At the center of the September 8 festivities is one of Star Trek’s most recognizable gestures: the Vulcan Salute. Fans around the world are invited to participate in a global digital Vulcan Salute celebrating connection, community and optimism. The initiative will culminate at London’s Science Museum, where fans will gather for an official Guinness World Records™ attempt for the Most People Performing the Vulcan Salute Simultaneously as part of the museum’s free, adults-only Star Trek Lates event.

Across London, King’s Cross St Pancras and South Kensington Underground stations will feature Star Trek-themed takeovers from September 7-8 as part of a four-destination fan trail, while Samsung’s King’s Cross flagship store will host screenings and activations in partnership with Paramount+.

In Los Angeles, fans can celebrate “under the stars” at the Autry Museum on September 8 with a free outdoor screening of Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Man Trap” and an advance screening of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds episode “Orders of Magnitude,” in addition to talent appearances, food trucks and giveaways. Hollywood will also honor Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry with the restoration of his “Star” plaque on Hollywood Boulevard, which was first introduced in 1985.

In Germany, Movie Park Germany will mark Star Trek Day with live entertainment, cosplay, special guests, fan activities and participation in the global Vulcan Salute attempt.

 

Star Trek Goes to Space — For Real

For a franchise that has spent 60 years imagining humanity among the stars, one of the anniversary’s most fitting tributes will happen in orbit. European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot will wear the Captain’s Delta badge from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds aboard the International Space Station, with special content from orbit premiering across Star Trek social channels September 8.
 

The Final Frontier Returns to the Big Screen

Additionally, from September 4-8, more than 750 theaters across the U.S. will present restored 4K screenings of classic Star Trek films paired with episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series making their theatrical debut. Participating theaters will also offer limited-edition Enterprise popcorn vessels and commemorative drink cups while supplies last.

Limited-edition Enterprise popcorn vessel

In the UK and Republic of Ireland, Star Trek’s largest market outside the U.S., Paramount is celebrating another milestone: the 40th anniversary of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. A theatrical re-release will mark the first time the digital 4K version has been widely available in cinemas across the market and will feature all-new artwork from acclaimed artist and frequent Paramount collaborator Matt Ferguson (Transformers One, The Running Man). Released in 1986, The Voyage Home became the most commercially successful of the classic Star Trek films, earning $110 million at the domestic box office.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home commemorative artwork by Matt Ferguson

Products and Partnerships Celebrate 60 Years

The 60th anniversary is also extending beyond the screen through partnerships and products that tap into Star Trek’s legacy of exploration, imagination and fandom.

Star Trek is partnering with DarkSky International to encourage fans to explore, protect and appreciate night skies and natural landscapes for future generations. The franchise is also teaming with the National Park Foundation on digital content encouraging fans to discover national parks and places that inspire exploration.

Fans can bring the anniversary home through a lineup of new products and collaborations. The LEGO Group and Paramount Products & Experiences are releasing the 1,701-piece LEGO Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge set, recreating the original series bridge and transporter room with eight Starfleet minifigures.

LEGO Icons Star Trek: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Bridge set

Additional collaborations include Magic: The Gathering x Star Trek, launching November 13; DK Publishing’s Star Trek Timelines, arriving November 17; commemorative 60th anniversary coins from The Royal Mint and Agoro; and the first officially realized Original Saurian Brandy, inspired by the iconic bottle first seen in “The Man Trap” in 1966.

 

Paramount Brands Join the Celebration

The anniversary will also reach across Paramount’s brands and platforms. The celebration begins on September 7 with an Entertainment Tonight: ET Vault Unlocked special featuring archival interviews with Gene Roddenberry and cast members from across the franchise, along with behind-the-scenes footage.

On September 8, The Price Is Right and Let’s Make a Deal will celebrate Star Trek with themed episodes airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck will join Drew Carey on The Price Is Right, where an audience of superfans will compete for Star Trek-inspired prizes. On Let’s Make a Deal, “Captain” Wayne Brady, “Commander” Jonathan Mangum and “First Officer” Tiffany Coyne will welcome Star Trek fans competing for vacations, franchise memorabilia and more.

Superfans compete on The Price Is Right for Star Trek-inspired prizes

Also on September 8, season two of Star Trek: Scouts launches on YouTube, and Nick at Nite will present a four-hour marathon of memorable Star Trek-themed episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

 

Celebrating the Past and Looking Ahead

The 60th anniversary comes as the Star Trek universe continues to evolve. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will conclude its fourth season on September 24 on Paramount+, before returning for its fifth and final season in 2027. At New York Comic Con on October 10, the Star Trek Universe panel will preview Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, dive into its second season and welcome surprise guests to celebrate the anniversary.

Star Trek will also receive the Franchise of the Year Award at the 2026 Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame ceremony on September 29 in recognition of six decades of storytelling and cultural influence.

What began with one television series in 1966 has grown into a global universe spanning television, film, animation, games, publishing and experiences. Six decades later, Star Trek continues to look toward what might come next.

For Van Citters, that sense of possibility is exactly what makes the franchise’s future so compelling. “The universe is limitless,” he said. “What excites me the most about Star Trek is what we haven’t seen yet.”

For full details of all Star Trek 60th events, activations and partnerships, visit StarTrek.com.

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2609.08 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4086 days ago & DAD = 740 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4128 - Anthony Stewart Head RIP

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4128 - Anthony Stewart Head RIP


Another actor from Buffy the Vampire Slayer has died. What's going on?

Thanks for tuning in.

LOW POWER MODE: I sometimes put the blog in what I call LOW POWER MODE. If you see this note, the blog is operating like a sleeping computer, maintaining static memory, but making no new computations. If I am in low power mode, it's because I do not have time to do much that's inventive, original, or even substantive on the blog. This means I am posting straight shares, limited content posts, reprints, often something qualifying for the THAT ONE THING category and other easy to make posts to keep me daily. That's the deal. Thanks for reading.

BLOG VACATION #1 - 2026 - Taking a blog vacation for a couple of weeks, until at least June 26th, 2026. Mostly reprints. A few simple shares (not that simple shares are out of the norm) and THAT ONE THING. Need time for other things.

https://ew.com/anthony-head-dies-buffy-ted-lasso-star-11991985

Anthony Head, Buffy and Ted Lasso star, dies at 72

The actor died due to complications from pnemonia, according to his daughters.

By Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is a staff editor at Entertainment Weekly. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, GQ, and Ars Technica.

June 5, 2026 12:06 p.m. ET

Anthony Head, known for playing Rupert Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has died at 72. The news was confirmed by his family members, who shared a statement to media outlets.

"He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family," Head's daughters, Emily and Daisy, said in a statement shared with the BBC.

"It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many," they added.

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Head's reps for additional comment.

Born on Feb. 20, 1954, in Camden Town, London, Head grew up in a family that worked in the entertainment industry. His father, Seafield Laurence Stewart Murray Head, was a documentary filmmaker, and his mother, Helen Shingler, was a film and TV actress. His brother, Murray Head, is also an actor and singer. Head began his career by acting in several musicals, including a West End revival of The Rocky Horror Show in 1990, in which he played Frank N. Furter.

His big break came in 1997 when he took on the role of Rupert Giles on Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, which is based on Whedon's 1992 film of the same name. While working as the librarian at her school, Giles becomes a mentor to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) as her Watcher. The show ran for seven seasons, but Head was only a guest star in the last two seasons.

In 2020, Head started recurring on Apple TV's Ted Lasso, as Rupert Mannion, the ex-husband of Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). Bill Lawrence told EW at the time that naming the character Rupert, like his Buffy character, was a coincidence.

"We thought he would be great, playing a little against type as a truly villainous, reprehensible character that you would still believe could charm people," Lawrence said.

Head also appeared on several other TV shows throughout his career, including Merlin, Motherland, and Jack Ryan. His last credited film role was in the 2024 Prime Video rom-com Upgraded.

Sarah Fisher, Head's longtime partner and the mother of the couple's daughters, died in December 2025.

The Buffy cast has been hit with a wave of tragedies over the past couple of years. Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander on the supernatural drama, died in March at 54. Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's sister Dawn, died in February 2025 at 39.

"This business is very tough, and we've had — it feels like we've had more tragedy than other shows," Gellar said at an event earlier this year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/arts/television/anthony-head-dead.html

Anthony Head, Buffy’s Watcher and a ‘Ted Lasso’ Heel, Dies at 72

The British actor was a mainstay of influential television shows who first found fame as a Nescafe pitchman.

By Sopan Deb

June 5, 2026

Anthony Head, the British actor who rose from the smooth 1980s pitchman for Nescafe Gold Blend instant coffee to become a mainstay performer on influential television shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” has died. He was 72.

The cause was “complications due to pneumonia,” his daughters, the actresses Emily Head and Daisy Head, said in a statement released to the BBC on Friday. The statement did not say where or when he died.

Mr. Head’s breakout came when he was cast as Rupert Giles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the unexpected supernatural hit starring Sarah Michelle Gellar that ran from 1997 to 2003.

 

In the show, Giles was the fussy librarian at Sunnydale High School. But his real job was as Buffy’s “watcher,” appointed by a mysterious council to guide the young vampire slayer.

 

While auditioning for “Buffy,” Mr. Head pitched playing the role with the persona of Hugh Grant’s character in “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” Prince Charles or as Alan Rickman “in his more decisive moments,” Mr. Head said in a 2001 interview with The Evening Standard. Joss Whedon, the show’s creator, liked all of the ideas — so Giles became a combination of the three.

The nebbishy charm of the performance endeared Mr. Head to audiences.

“It opened the door to work internationally,” Mr. Head told the British tabloid Metro in 2013.

The coming decades would allow Mr. Head to show a wide range of performing abilities. That included a Tony Blair-inspired prime minister on the comedy series “Little Britain.” In one episode, Mr. Head wore a black pouch and wielded a feather duster.

“I did feel sorry for my children because they had to go into school the next day,” Mr. Head said in an interview with The Guardian in 2008.

 

Mr. Head noted the difference between the parts to Metro.

“They couldn’t be more different but it kept people guessing,” he said. “You can very easily get pigeonholed in this business. It afforded me massive amounts of choice in terms of what I’m asked to do.”

Additional roles included Uther Pendragon on “Merlin,” David Whele in the science fiction show “Dominion” and Lord Sheffield on an episode of “Bridgerton.”

The most high profile recent role came when he landed a part on “Ted Lasso,” the Apple TV comedy that won legions of fans during the height of the pandemic. Mr. Head played the recurring character of Rupert Mannion, the smarmy former owner of A.F.C. Richmond, who lost the team to his ex-wife in a divorce.

 

Late in his career, Mr. Head played Rupert Mannion, the smarmy former owner of the fictional English professional soccer team AFC Richmond, in the series “Ted Lasso.”Credit...Colin Hutton/Apple TV

“He’s a particularly unpleasant character and a complete narcissist, but you know where he’s coming from,” Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2021. “To make somebody believable, you have to see their point of view. You don’t need to like them, but you have to be on board with what’s driving them.”

Anthony Stewart Head was born on Feb. 20, 1954, in London. His mother, Helen Shingler, was best known for portraying Madame Maigret in the BBC detective series “Maigret” from 1960 to 1963. His father, Seafield Head, was a documentary filmmaker.

“People think that must have made it easier for me to become an actor, but actually, that’s nonsense,” Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2016. “My mother said, ‘Well, if you must.’ And my father said I needed to have a second string to my bow, so if I didn’t succeed at acting, I’d have something else I could do. Bless his heart, he was fairly controlling.”

His father did hire him to be an assistant editor on some projects as a teenager. Working in cutting rooms, Mr. Head recalled to The Guardian in 2021, “was fascinating.”

This is partly what led Mr. Head to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. One of his most formative experiences, he said, was seeing Tim Curry in the musical “The Rocky Horror Show” while in drama school as a teenager. He told The Guardian that it “ignited something in my core.”

“I knew I had acting in my blood because of my mother. Now I couldn’t wait to finish drama school and try to make it in the real world,” Mr. Head recalled.

Early in his career, Mr. Head starred in a West End revival of the musical “Godspell” in 1978, which led to bit parts in television shows.

But in the mid-1980s Mr. Head won fans for several years as the centerpiece of a campaign by the instant coffee brand Nescafe, alongside the actress Sharon Maughan. He recalled that role, at first, may have stopped him getting more satisfying acting parts.

 

“I don’t think I was tainted by it but my agent did say someone had said: ‘This is a serious drama. We don’t want people reaching for their coffee jars,’” Mr. Head told The Guardian in 2001. “But America is less snobbish about commercials.”

His brother is the actor Murray Head, who played Bob Elkin in the 1971 Oscar-nominated film “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

Mr. Head’s longtime partner, Sarah Fisher, an animal-rights activist, died last year. Both of their daughters, Emily Head and Daisy Head, are also actors. In the 2008 mini-series “The Invisibles,” Mr. Head performed alongside Emily, his eldest daughter.

“For an actor it’s a real joy for the emotions you are feeling to be real. You are not having to think,” Mr. Head recalled to The Guardian in the 2008 interview. “I’ve got these great scenes when Emily starts to twig who I am. I’d look into her eyes and I’d start to well up.”

 Gold Blend compilation

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2606.06 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 3992 days ago & DAD = 646 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.