Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which originated with the series of the same name and evolved into a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. Since its inception, the franchise has expanded into films, television series, video games, novels, and comic books, becoming one of the most recognizable and highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The franchise portrays humanity as part of a federation of worlds, the United Federation of Planets (UFP), where many sentient species coexist in relative harmony. The UFP is depicted as engaging in collective defense, with its core worlds portrayed as being post-scarce.
The franchise began with *Star Trek* (The Original Series), which premiered on September 6, 1966, on Canada's CTV network and debuted in the United States on September 8, 1966, on NBC. The series followed the crew of the starship USS Enterprise, a 23rd-century exploration vessel built by the UFP, on its mission "to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." Roddenberry drew inspiration from C. S. Forester's *Horatio Hornblower* novels, Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels* (1726), the 1956 film *Forbidden Planet*, and television westerns such as *Wagon Train*.
The franchise has produced 11 spin-off television series and a film franchise, with further adaptations across multiple media. Today, *Star Trek* is broadly divided into "Old Trek" (pre-1990s) and "New Trek" (post-1990s), with fans often debating which era is superior. While *Star Trek* has historically been progressive for its time, "New Trek" is widely regarded by some fans as woke.
Following the conclusion of *The Original Series*, its characters' adventures continued in *The Animated Series* and six feature films. A television revival in the late 1980s through the mid-2000s produced four spin-off series: *The Next Generation*, which followed a new Enterprise crew a century after the original series; *Deep Space Nine* and *Voyager*, set in the same era as *The Next Generation*; and *Enterprise*, set a century before the original series in the early days of human interstellar travel. The *Next Generation* crew's stories continued in four additional films.
In 2009, the film franchise underwent a reboot, introducing an alternate continuity known as the Kelvin timeline, with three films set in this continuity. The most recent television revival, beginning in 2017, was initially thought to be set in the original continuity but has since been established as a distinct timeline. This continuity includes the series *Picard*, *Discovery*, *Short Treks*, *Lower Decks*, *Prodigy*, and *Strange New Worlds*, all streaming on digital platforms.
Star Trek has maintained a cult following for decades. Fans are often referred to as "Trekkies" or "Trekkers," and the franchise spans a wide range of spin-offs, including games, figurines, novels, toys, and comics. From 1998 to 2008, a *Star Trek*-themed attraction existed in Las Vegas. At least two museum exhibits featuring props tour the world. The constructed language Klingon was created for the franchise, and numerous parodies and fan productions have been produced by viewers.
During the first two episodes of *The Original Series*, female crew members wore slacks. The often-mentioned miniskirts were introduced at the request of Grace Lee Whitney, who expressed that the slacks obscured her dancer's legs. This change was not imposed by men.
Historical Context and Cultural Impact
Star Trek has long been celebrated for its progressive themes, addressing issues such as racial equality, gender roles, and social justice. Its influence extends beyond entertainment, inspiring advancements in science and technology. For example, the franchise's depiction of communicators predated mobile phones, and its use of a universal translator has influenced research in language processing.
Majel Barrett
Star Trek actor Majel Barrett, known for her role as Nurse Chapel and later as the voice of the computer, was a significant figure in the franchise. Her contributions to the series and its legacy are widely recognized.
Post-Scarcity
The Federation, particularly in its core worlds, is depicted as post-scarce. While some commentators have interpreted this as an allegory for socialism or communism, the franchise does not explicitly endorse any specific economic system.
Post scarcity is not Socialist or Communist because socialism and communism both involve redistribution of wealth and this is unnecessary in a post-scarce society. The redistribution of wealth is post-scarce society wouldn't even be meaningful. In a post-scarce society everyone has as much as they need. If wealth was redistributed in a manner which resulted in individuals or groups no longer having as much as they need then the society would no longer be post-scarce by definition.
A proponent of "New Trek" passing judgment over others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPSh-V4tedI https://youtube.com/watch?v=l5MLUWMD1HM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWUmZy9nCSU&lc=Ugz4AD7Zmbpm8cRZ4Y14AaABAg.9UwxwYxmZML9V1x1xYtxHG
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Wikipedia
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Wikipedia shows a strong woke bias. Text copied over from Wikipedia can be corrected and improved.
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