Star Trek is a science fiction franchise comprising six television series, ten films, and numerous books, comics, games, and collectibles. If you’ve enjoyed this series in the past, you should enjoy the fact that the franchise has been reinvigorated by the newest movie in theaters now.
In fact, the popularity of this sci-fi phenomenon has been very high since the advent of The Next Generation (ST:TNG), and connecting Star Trek to a search engine yields over 3 million matches. More than 63 million books are in print and have been translated into dozens of languages, including Chinese, Norwegian, Hungarian, and Hebrew. The show, in one form or another, is seen in more than 100 countries around the world and has sold more than 10 million videos. More than thirty million fans watch Star Trek programming around the world each week.
Whether you’re a Harry Potter geek or a Star Trek geek, the word “geek” is no longer the insult it used to be. It can even be considered a compliment depending on your circle of friends! The fact is that we geeks are happily absorbed in intellectual pursuits (I think our friends are jealous!). “Trekkies” (obsessed) and “Trekkers” (less obsessed) are the only fans listed by name in the Oxford English Dictionary.
The future world of Star Trek is presented as a universe where poverty, misery and disease have been eliminated. There is no need for money, no sickness, no hunger, no curses, no paper, no messy houses. There is only the search for self-improvement and personal growth. There is structure and protocol in a fantastical futuristic setting that is filled with great vocabulary and scripts, as well as villains and aliens, some good, some bad. There is fun and humor – escapism at its finest!
Considering the current state of this world, it’s very appealing to imagine a future like the one depicted in Star Trek. Eventually, even NASA got involved! The franchise has undoubtedly influenced the design of many modern technologies, such as the cell phone, MRI (from Dr. McCoy’s diagnostic chart), and the new Kindle.
Like the John Wayne movies and the James Bond movies, Star Trek is a mainstay in our lives, despite how many movie critics and just plain evil spoilers have tried to kill it over the years. If you give any series a chance, I think you’ll find out why there are so many millions of fans, maybe you’ll become one yourself!
Long life and prosperity…