'Star Trek' Celebrates Its 46th Anniversary With New Google Doodle

The doodle depicts the all the Google letters as different characters from "Star Trek," namely, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Capt. James T. Kirk, Uhura, Chekov, and an unnamed ensign all aboard the Starship Enterprise.

The doodle is filled with interactive pieces, allowing users to light up the Enterprise control board and open the sliding doors, leading to another drawing of the transporter room. The transporter room features Scotty as another Google letter.

"Star Trek" starred William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, and DeForest Kelley, among others. Its first episode, "The Man Trap," premiered Sept. 8, 1966. The series quickly gained a cult following. Shatner, Nimoy, Nichols, and the rest of the crew all went on to reprise their roles in several movies after the show was canceled in its third season.

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Ryan Germick, the head designer of the "Star Trek" doodle. Germick described the doodle as a loving tribute to one of his favorite science-fiction shows growing up, and he praised the program for its progressive views and messages of tolerance.

"For me, [the legacy of 'Star Trek'] was a vision for the future," Germick said. "I think it was also that it was multicultural, pro-science, and full of curiosity and passion. I think like a lot of good science-fiction, it sort of says a lot about its present era. We can really appreciate what 'Star Trek' did in its time. As an adult, you can appreciate how progressive it was. You learned to be compassionate toward all kinds of people -- even alien creatures. Also, the style is just incredible: retro-futuristic. There's so much to love."

And, Germick added: "As a person that loves technology, there is so much to be inspired by. Being able to get the answers right away -- that was from a crazy, far-flung era where computers were the size of refrigerators. And now, I'm so happy to work in the industry I'm in. So some of the realities from the vision of 'Star Trek' are coming true. To be part of a company that makes it happen is really exciting."