This Week in Star Trek History: November 7-12

November 7 – Hilary Bader, an Emmy Award-winning writer, died on this day in 2002. She was 50 years old when she lost her battle with breast cancer. A lifelong Star Trek fan, she emerged as a Trek freelance writer success story, selling story ideas and scripts to the franchise’s producers. Among her Trek credits were the TNG episodes “The Loss,” “Hero Worship” and “Dark Page,” the Voyager hour “Eye of the Needle,” and the DS9 installments “Battle Lines,” “Rules of Acquisition,” “Meridian” and “Explorers.” She also wrote the Star Trek video games “Klingon” and “Borg.”

November 7 – J.J. Abrams kicks off principal photography on the Star Trek reboot feature on this day in 2007. The film was ultimately released in May 2009 and went on to gross more than $356 million worldwide.

November 8 – Alfre Woodard was born on this day in 1952. The award-winning actress is remembered by Star Trek fans for her portrayal of Lily Sloane in Star Trek: First Contact. Woodard is still very active and currently co-stars on the series Memphis Beat.

November 8 – The aforementioned Woodward shares her birthday with actor Norman Lloyd, who was born on this day in 1914, and with whom she shared the screen in the long-running TV drama St. Elsewhere. Lloyd, post-St. Elsewhere, guest starred as Professor Richard Galen, an old mentor of Captain Picard’s (Patrick Stewart), in the sixth-season TNG episode “The Chase.” Even at 96, Lloyd remains active, having just filmed an episode of Modern Family that will air in early 2011.

November 9 – C. Marie Davis, a veteran visual effects editor and producer, died on this day in 2005. Davis counted among her credits Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis. In fact, Nemesis would be the last film on which she worked before succumbing to breast cancer. She was only 46.

November 10 – Season two of the original Star Trek aired on a new night, Fridays, and on this day in 1967, NBC premiered the episode “Metamorphosis.” This hour gave viewers their first glimpse of the character Zefram Cochrane (the late Glenn Corbett), creator of warp drive.

November 10 – Star Trek fans could never get enough of Harry Mudd during the run of TOS, and on this day in 1973, several years after TOS ended its run, Star Trek fans got another helping of Harry when the character stood front and center of the Animated Series episode, “Mudd’s Passion.” The episode, written by Stephen Kandel and directed by Hal Sutherland, featured Roger C. Carmel reprising his role as the rascally Mudd. Carmel died on November 11, 1986.

November 11 – Mack Reynolds was born on this day in 1917. Reynolds was a popular author who holds the distinction of penning the first original Star Trek novel, “Mission to Horatius,” which was published in 1968.

November 11 – The Voyager episode “Once Upon a Time” premiered on this day in 1998. The episode centers on Neelix (Ethan Phillips), who tries to keep his goddaughter Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) busy when her mother, Samantha (Nancy Hower),  Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) go missing in a shuttle.

November 12 – Two Ferengi faves were born today. Wallace Shawn, who played Grand Nagus Zek on DS9, came into this world in 1943, while Max Grodenchik, who portrayed Rom, arrived in 1966. Grodenchik is still a popular figure on the convention circuit, while Shawn was most recently seen on Gossip Girl and heard in Toy Story 3, in which he reprised his role as Rex.

November 12 – The Enterprise episode “The Augments” premiered on this day in 2004. Brent Spiner guest starred as Dr. Arik Soong and calling the shots as director was none other than Spiner’s longtime TNG co-star, LeVar Burton.