"It offers hope for our future and invites us to live by its cherished ideals."
-Sherry Anne Newell
It is obvious that something about Star Trek captured people’s imaginations in a way that TV shows rarely do.
There are many different explanations as to why the show became so popular. Everyone who participated in the making
of the series has his or her own personal theory as to why Trek is so very successful. In my questionnaire, I asked
the fans
a) what it was about the series that changed them from a casual viewer into a “fan”
b) why they thought Star Trek has become such a phenomenon.
Interestingly, their answer to the question as to what turned them into a fan usually was not what they thought was the reason for Trek’s popularity.
Very often, they started watching because their parents or older brothers/ sisters did, showing that Trek is very much a family program. Many watched it because they liked science fiction, and it was the only good sci-fi on TV, and others liked the idea of space travel, starships, and aliens.
Some of the more original answers as to why they started watching were:
“I was young and I liked it and my parents did not”
“I played Star Trek with my brothers long before I could ever understand what went on in the shows”
“My name is Scott. All my childhood I got “Beam me up, Scotty”, so I decided I needed to see what they were talking
about”
“Captain Kirk and Spock rocked when I was a kid. Spaceships and Klingons!”
“I was 11. It was sci-fi. I had a crush on Mr. Spock :-)”
But people became fans when they realized that there’s more to the series than meets the eye.
Says Alex Rosenzweig: “The minute I realised it wasn’t just a show about a spaceship, but it also said something
about who we are and what we can be, I was hooked.”
Dallas Vinson wrote that what turned him into a fan was “the realization that they [the makers] were taking current
world situations and putting them into a format that allowed us to step back and take a look at these events from
an outsider’s perspective, and show us possible ways to resolve our own problems and work towards a better future.”
The answers to the second question can be divided into three groups:
>Message of a positive future
>Discussion of today’s issues
>Other.
Roughly half the people interviewed said they believed Trek’s ongoing popularity is due to its hopeful view of the
future. This was very important to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
The Original Series was shown from 1966 to 1969, during the time of the cold war
between America and Russia, a time when many Americans were wondering if they were going to survive the next few
years. They couldn’t see an end to the hostility between the two superpowers, which meant constantly living in
fear of an atomic war. The television series of the time reflected this by not showing the future at all - there
was hardly any science fiction on TV, instead mainly sitcoms and adventure series. The few sci-fi series that
there were (“The Outer Limits”, “The Twilight Zone”) were often dark and pessimistic in tone, and they only
occasionally dealt with the future. 
Trek broke through the mind-set of Americans, and helped them to see beyond the depressing present, to a time when
humanity would not only overcome war, racism, hunger, and poverty, but could start to explore space in peace.
The future Star Trek showed was by no means perfect; the “United Federation of Planets”, an interstellar alliance
of which Earth is a prominent member, gets involved in a number of wars and conflicts, but humanity’s attitudes
have changed. They are no longer fighting among themselves. In Star Trek, tolerance was very important, and the
Enterprise officers tried their best to resolve conflicts without violence, using diplomacy to solve problems and
weapons only as a last resort.
Another aspect of this future was the series’ attitude towards other races. In television and movies of the 60s,
each race was portrayed in a very stereotyped manner. The Russians, Asians and Germans were shown, without
exception, as the enemies, while native Americans were shown as a violent and barbaric people, and blacks were
generally servants. This view wasn’t limited to television and movies; this was how many Americans saw the world.
However, it wasn’t how Gene Roddenberry saw it. He cast a black woman, a Japanese and a Russian, not to mention an
alien, as part of the command crew of the Starship Enterprise. This reflected Roddenberry’s philosophy that “…We’re
not only going to have to love each other as Catholics and Jews, blacks and whites, but if we go into space, we’re
going to have to learn to relate to things that may look like giant slugs”. The series made a statement simply by
putting many nationalities on the Enterprise's bridge without a comment.
In Star Trek, racism had been overcome, and all humans (and all other lifeforms!) were equal. That a television 
show promoted this was revolutionary, and it had an enormous impact on people.
The character of Uhura, the black communications officer, made a big impression on actress Whoopie Goldberg, who
once told how as a child, she came across Star Trek on TV, and exclaimed: “Mom, there’s a black lady on TV, and
she ain’t no maid!” When Star Trek: The Next Generation went into production some 20 years later, Goldberg insisted
on having a small role: “I just wanted to be a part of what this [Star Trek] is doing for people.”
When Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Uhura, was thinking of leaving the series during its first season
because she felt her part was too small, Martin Luther King JR. revealed himself as a fan of Star Trek. He advised
her not to leave, because even if her role was small, just by being on the show she was an inspiration to black
children, showing them that they, too, had a future. It also can’t be a coincidence that Star Trek was the first
television programme to show an interracial kiss, something, which, on other TV series, would have been impossible
due to the uptight attitudes of the time -, and there was only one complaint.
Alex Rosenzweig writes: “I think Star Trek’s humanistic, optimistic message touches a chord with people on a very
deep level, and its portrayal of the future is one they can identify with. This has drawn people in, and inspires
a kind of loyalty to which few shows can aspire.” Something in Star Trek taps into our dreams, and hopes, hinting
that they may just be possible.
“Star Trek had a lifestyle that society could relate to and desired, Star Trek did
things that were familiar…yet different from real life at that time, and it addressed many problems and issues
while avoiding many of real life’s problems. It was that paradox that probably attracted many fans.” presumes
Another reason people gave for Star Trek’s continuing popularity is the fact that it tackled the issues of the
day. In many ways, The Original Series reflected the tensions of the cold war. The ”United Federation of Planets”
clearly represented the United States of America, while the aggressive warrior race the Klingons were modelled on
the Russians. The Romulans, a mysterious race that hides behind the so-called Neutral Zone, a demilitarised area of
space, reflected the Chinese. The relationships between the fictional interstellar superpowers in Star Trek
mirrored those of the real ones, and Trek could act as a critic of society, its problems, hopes and fears.
The show also tackled topics such as the Vietnam War, racism, duty, drugs, society, and even beauty culture. In
the 60’s, television networks were afraid to make such radical statements as saying that all humans are equal, for
fear of losing sponsors. But Trek used science fiction stories as a background for morality plays which said
exactly this - and because it was disguised as a story about alien races, the censors didn't object.
In various episodes, it discussed such topics, as whether interfering in someone else’s war is wise - a thinly
disguised parable on the controversial Vietnam war.
In “The Way to Eden”, Star Trek pointed out that drugs and irresponsibility aren’t the way to lead a better life
- a critical comment on the Hippie scene of the 60s.
Gene Roddenberry said of the creation of Trek: “Now I’d be able to talk about love, war, nature, God, sex…and
maybe the TV censors would let it pass because it all seemed so make-believe.”
People appreciated the fact that the show treated viewers as intelligent people, and “…most importantly, it makes
you think, which may be considered punishment for some people out there…”(Carlos Maldonado). Star Trek presented
intelligent stories that made people think about important issues, whereas in the 60s especially, TV tended to be 
very light entertainment that needed no thinking and definitely did not present any social criticisms!
Mica Coleston wrote: “If the writer of a TV show can make you think how you would react to a life and death problem
in a way you never would think of, then that’s what makes you tune in the next week. For example: on Deep Space
Nine [in the episode “Body Parts”], the character Quark must kill himself so that his body can be sold to pay off
his debts.
Being the member of a species that values dying with enough money to be allowed to enter the “Great Treasury” in
the afterlife is such a foreign concept to me that I couldn’t help being hooked on the plot.”
These were the main reasons given by people for Star Trek’s phenomenal popularity. I’ll go into the others more
briefly.
One was the moral code that Trek set up. The fictional Federation and Starfleet have high moral standards that
Starfleet officers live up to. There is the Vulcan philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”
(IDIC) which, in the tradition of Star Trek, teaches acceptance of all humans - and other lifeforms.
Starfleet always tries to solve conflicts using diplomacy instead of weapons, and officers feel obliged to help
anyone in need.
The main characters on the show display many other noble characteristics, such as teamwork, friendship, getting
along, never leaving a friend in need, making personal sacrifices to help others, and honour. Several people
said that the Trek characters therefore make good role models for young people. Bud Cullum, for example, wrote:
”As I look back now, as a youth, I suppose I was looking for positive role models and characteristics that I wanted
in my life. And the Original Series crew members portrayed those characteristics.”
However, many remarked that the ideals presented in Star Trek were not very different from the ideals of most
cultures and religions: “IDIC? Sure, but isn’t that what we’re supposed to believe and live by? That’s really
nothing new, just better promoted.” (Robb Jackson)
Although Star Trek fans by no means model their whole lives on the series, some do try to incorporate the best
of its ideals into everyday life.
Tolerance, one of the things Trek has advocated since day one, was also the thing most of the fans had taken into
their own lives.
As I discussed earlier on, many fans have been inspired to do community work.
Some fans came up with rather original ideas as to how to apply Trek ideals to life:
“From Will Riker [First Officer in The Next Generation] specifically I learnt diplomacy…even when I know that I’m
right and whomever I’m discussing with is wrong” (“Yar Raimi”)
“I would be careful with saying things like “everyone’s so accepting in the future!” Well: No, they aren’t. The
future [in Star Trek] isn’t so “perfect”, and problems still exist. If they didn’t, wouldn’t it be a lame show?
Truly the best thing Trekdom teaches us is flexibility and the benefits of being able to adapt. I think that gets
lost in the “everyone’s so accepting” glimmer that people tend to over dramatise.” (Mike Wilkerson)
The more technically inclined love to examine the futuristic technology shown in Trek, much of which is based on
real science. Warp speed - faster than light propulsion, beaming, and other Trek trademark technologies have been
discussed by scientists, and some are considered theoretically possible, if not very realistic.
But some things that The Original Series showed as science fiction have now become true. A few examples are the
communicator, a device very like today’s modern mobile phone or the tricorder, a sophisticated scanning device
that is closely associated with Trek. It is not as highly developed in real life as the fictional one, but it is
something scientists are working on.
People also like the fictional universe that Trek has created. With over 430 hours of the show filmed, it has
built up an amazingly comprehensive and detailed universe that reaches from the beginning of time into the 29th
century. What is astounding is that the producers have done their very best to keep this all continuous and
logical, while incorporating Earth’s real history. People have compared the Trek chronology with books like the 
People enjoy “playing” in this universe, be it by just watching the show or being actively involved in fandom. In
fact, some people wrote that they only became fans of the show when they discovered the fan scene. A fan joked:
“Honestly, some people have nothing better to do than organize the fandom!” Fans also enjoy the companionship of
other fans, and that enhances their interest in the series. So certainly, the fan scene that has developed has
helped attract more fans!
There is also something else that was never mentioned, but which I think boosted Trek's appeal: timing. Trek hit
the market during the cold war, when people needed hope. Also, John F. Kennedy had promised to land a man on the
moon by the end of the decade, thus creating an interest in space, from which Trek profited. It provided
intelligent entertainment that wasn’t lecturing, but was a lot of fun. And at the time, Trek was unique.
Nowadays, Trek faces stiff competition from so many sci-fi and fantasy series: Farscape, Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Andromeda, to name a few of the more popular ones. But back then it was the only space series of its
kind. The only sci-fi shows on TV were children’s series such as Lost in Space - hardly intelligent science
fiction!
James Sharman says: “It has universal appeal…it calls to all cultures and races…it knows no bounds. It’s
timeless. It’s a show about humans and aliens co-existing - it’s almost a message like: Hey! If the Klingons
and Humans can have peace, why the smeg can’t we have peace in Ireland/ Middle East/ wherever?”
One thing that became clear to me is that Trek appeals to different people for different reasons. Although it
certainly had a positive message, ultimately it was just another TV show, and, like every TV show, it is about
entertainment and getting good ratings. And entertain it did and continues to do. The format of the show is such
that it allows a huge variety of stories to be told. Over the years, we’ve seen westerns, comedies, detective
stories, love stories, war tales, thrillers, soap operas, and stories set in various eras of Earth’s history from
the 18th to the 24th century - and beyond.
And of course, there have been excellent science-fiction stories and adventures on many strange new worlds and
with countless alien civilisations. In short, there are stories for every taste. Woven through these tales are the
principles of tolerance, friendship, peace, honour, and a sense of wonder for the universe we live in. The stories
are often challenging, always entertaining, and are brought to life by excellent actors and stunning visual
effects. And at the very core, despite the theme of exploring new worlds and civilisations, the series is about
us, about humanity. It is about what humans aspire to be.
Many of the enthusiasts who I questioned started watching Trek because they liked the starships or the visual
effects. But what kept them tuning in was the quality of the stories and the characters, and the fact that the
show dealt with the issues of the time, as well as timeless themes. Situations in the episodes were very real to
some people, making it easy for them to identify with the program. And by giving alien races human traits, Trek
lets us look at our own lives from another perspective.
In conclusion, I believe all of these reasons are true, and it is a combination of all of them that made Trek the
success it is. The show is so diverse, and has so many facets, that there is something in it for everyone - any of
the things I just discussed - that touches them and appeals to them. Everyone takes something different out of it,
and therefore it appeals to so very many people.
The sets and visual effects of The Original Series may look ridiculous by today’s standards, and The Next
Generation is also no longer the cutting edge of modern television. But the adventures of the crews of the
Enterprise, and more recently of Deep Space Nine and Voyager, continue to fascinate people, and draw in new
fans all the time, proving that something about Star Trek is truly timeless. James Sharman says: “Some of the
scenes in The Original Series were enough to make you cry - say whatever you like about them, they had something
powerful that I have never seen anywhere else!”
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