On This Day In 2228 Something Insane Will Happen in Iowa

On March 22, 2228 – exactly 212 years from now – Captain James T. Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Star Trek, Captain Kirk is the legendary starship pilot of the USS Enterprise.

As the captain of the Enterprise, Kirk (most famously played by William Shatner) leads his crew as they explore "where no man has gone before."

It all started with the 1986 film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," where someone assumes Kirk is from outer space. To this, he famously replied: "No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space."

As legend has it, Riverside city councilman (and trekkie) Steve Miller proposed a proclamation that the town be named the future birthplace of Kirk, based on Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry establishing Iowa as the state of our captain’s birth in his 1968 book “The Making of Star Trek.”

The council voted unanimously for it, they eventually got the endorsement from Roddenberry, and the town renamed their Riverside Festival “TrekFest.” Then, they changed their town slogan to “Where the Trek Begins.” TrekFest celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2014.

Miller’s inspiration became official in May of 2009, when Riverside was identified as Kirk’s hometown in the Star Trek reboot movie. A day before the film was released, the entire town was invited to Iowa City to watch a special secret preview screening of the new film.

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On This Day In 2228 Something Extraordinary Will Happen in Iowa

Michaela Kendall

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