BBC America's Star Trek Marathon Is the Perfect Introduction for New Fans

Hey you! What are you doing September 8? Do you have something big planned? Well that's too bad, because you have new plans as of this moment.

To commemorate the 50th (yes, 50th!) anniversary of Star Trek, BBC America will air an uncut, digitally remastered HD marathon of the beloved sci-fi series' first and second seasons starting Thursday, Sept. 8 at 8:30/7:30c and running through Sunday, Sept. 11.

This news is important for two reasons.

The first being, holy moley, 50 years is a long time! Of course that's worth celebrating! Whatever you previously had planned is probably not the same as celebrating five decades of going where no one has gone before!

Star Trek: Discovery: Everything we know about the new series

The second reason, of course, is that in January 2017, CBS will debut a new chapter of the Star Trek franchise, a new drama titled Star Trek: Discovery that will be headlined by a woman. The new arm of the franchise, ushered in by Hannibal's Bryan Fuller, will debut on CBS before moving exclusively to CBS' digital subscription service CBS All Access.

This marathon is a perfect introduction to the franchise for Star Trek virgins (or for folks who've only seen the J.J. Abrams films starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock). And for those of us who've already been indoctrinated into the ways of the Trek (that's a thing, right?), the marathon gives you an excuse to lounge on the couch and eat potato chips for days.

It's a win-win situation!

Star Trek: Discovery is slated to debut January 2017 on CBS All Access.