Being First Officer of the USS Enterprise isn't always a fast track to the Captain's chair. Here's why only 3 Number Ones have done it.

I retired from a long teaching career a few years ago, but during my later years in the classroom, I offered a course on the Cold War and American pop culture, to try to help younger students understand the fears that dominated so much of American life in the 20th century.

Space, the final frontier…” These words always carry great weight, whether spoken by Captain Kirk, Pike, or Picard. That opening narration sets the tone for the franchise, preparing the reader for stories about exploration,