【Girls in the Night Traffic】

In the 50 years since Star Trekfirst aired on Girls in the Night TrafficNBC, there have only been five captains. But they have worn a dizzying array of uniforms, each, in their own way, hearkening back to the original swashbuckler-esque suits we first saw on September 8, 1968.

Actor, author and raconteur William Shatner, who played James T. Kirk for a quarter of a century, may have worn the most electric variety -- though, based on our research, it's Patrick Stewart who probably wore the widest array of styles as Captain Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generationfrom 1987 to 1994 (the original series only ran three years) and in a series of movies up until 2002.

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Star Trekcaptain fashion is a product of its time. The mod looks of the late 1960s clearly influenced the original series fashion, just as 1980s new wave style and shoulder pads showed up in the captain's wear of The Next Generation.

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Since today is the official 50-year anniversary of the premier episode (but not the first pilot ... look it up), we thought we'd take a look back at some of the best, most interesting, iconic and wacky captain's uniforms. And, yes, we included the animated series.

The Original Series (1966-1969)

William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Credit: CBS /Getty Images

The Animated Series (1973–1974)

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The Motion Picture (1979)

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The Wrath of Khan (1982)

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The Search for Spock (1984)

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The Voyage Home (1986)

William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Credit: ullstein bild/ Getty Images

The Next Generation (1987–1994)

Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Credit: CBS/Getty Images

The Final Frontier (1989)

William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Credit: ullstein bild/Getty Images

The Undiscovered Country (1991)

William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. Credit: Sygma/ Getty Images

Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

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Generations (1994)

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Voyager (1995–2001)

Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway. Credit: CBS/Getty Images

First Contact (1996)

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Insurrection (1998)

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Enterprise (2001–2005)

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Nemesis (2002)

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Star Trek (2009)

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Into Darkness (2013)

Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk. Credit: CBS/ Getty Images

Beyond (2016)

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