4 Visionaries Who Changed Sci-Fi Television Forever

Three years before William Shatner became a major household name in Star Trek, he appeared on Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone in 1963, starring in one of the best sci-fi TV episodes to ever air, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” The Season 5 episode told the story of a man who is convinced there’s a hideous creature riding on the wings of the aircraft he’s flying on, but none of the other passengers can see it.

This is just one of many beloved and classic Twilight Zone episodes, which begs the question: What is it about Twilight Zone that still has us celebrating it over 60 years after its creation? Certainly, the show is timeless, and no two episodes were ever the same, but it’s the genius behind the show that we explore here. And, while Shatner is forever linked to Star Trek, who actually created that iconic series? Gene Roddenberry taught generations about tolerance, compassion, and hope through the journeys of Star Trek.