An Andy Griffith-Star Trek link? Not once, but twice!

Happy Independence Day, y'all...

And while all of America joins in to mourn and remember the great Andy Griffith, who died Tuesday at the age of 86, it took a Facebook poke from Dan Madsen to remind me of a site that actually has a great Andy-Star Trek connection: a study of the commonly seen Mayberry small town exteriors at the Desilu "Forty Acres" lot in Culver City that Desilu-produced Star Trek redressed and shot wider, in "Miri," "The Return of the Archons," "Errand of Mercy," and "The City on the Edge of Forever": with an even greater link here.  "Forty Acres" (actually 29) was also the home of the Hogan Heroes' "Stalag 13" POW camp set, with "Mayberry" serving earlier for both the Superman TV series and even as Atlanta in Gone With the Wind. The large outdoor set complex was sold, bulldozed and developed more industrially in 1976.

But Mayberry-Trek lives on in film: Not Andy per se, but the iconic "Goodnight, Sweetheart" Kirk-Edith scene in "City" actually includes a stroll past the iconic "Floyd's Barber Shop" (above), whose sign is left uncovered across the whole frame as the two tragic lovers walk by, on what is of course ostensibly a 1930 New York City street.

If you want to go one more Andy-Trek connection, don't forget the yes-they-really-aired-this-concept Salvage 1 (left), which starred Andy and was executive produced by none other than ... Harve Bennett! For all its glorious 19 episodes in 1979, over a half and a quarter season—this was Harve's TV follow-up to The SIx Million Dollar Man and his last series prior to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

What's more, guess who got her first writing credits ever on that Andy-starring series in its dying weeks? None other than future TNG executive producer and Voyager co-creator Jeri Taylor!