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Star Trek: A Cultural Legacy

Written by: Lyla Sebeck


My desk. Quite an odd place to start, but sitting upon a mountain of space books are two action figures. Staring at me while I work through a variety of physics problems are Gwyn and Dal from Star Trek: Prodigy, a series I hold dear to my own heart. Star Trek, as a collection of shows, movies, books, and other assorted media, spans a wide range, but it started one faithful day in 1966.


September 8th marked the day the original Star Trek series first aired, forever changing science fiction. It also happens to be my birthday. While I reflect on this very important day for a multitude of reasons, I think about how much Star Trek has changed the lives of many people, influenced culture, and changed me. 


Star Trek was initially pitched as a Western in space, but quickly utilized its setting aboard the starship Enterprise to tell a variety of tales. Roddenberry was interested in applying current problems to a futuristic world, creating strong social commentary that holds up today. The show prioritized empathy and understanding when encountering strange situations, something which we all need a reminder of sometimes. 


The original series was one of the first to feature a multiethnic cast that was non-stereotypical and allowed its members to excel in their respective roles, even including a Russian character (and this was at the height of the Cold War, mind you). This served as a bonus for NASA when they employed Nichelle Nichols (who played the communications officer Uhura) to create a film in 1977 to encourage everyone, no matter race or gender, to apply to be an astronaut. The test space shuttle (shown in the film) was named Enterprise after a long writing campaign by Trekkies (Fans of Star Trek). 


And what about the word Trekkie? It happens to be the only term referring to a fan of a TV show in the Oxford English Dictionary (It used to be the only fan term, but Swiftie has since been added (I happen to be both)). Along with this, many other words and phrases originate from Trek, such as “Beam me up, Scotty” and “Resistance is Futile.” Star Trek’s reach on linguistics goes further than you may think. The language Klingon (coming from the antagonistic Star Trek species, the Klingon) is a learnable language, which is even featured on Duolingo! 


Beyond simply the word, Trekkies shaped much of fan culture as we know it. Fan zines and conventions helped pave the way for nerd culture as we know it, and even “Slash Fiction” is thought to have come from the pairing of K/S (Kirk and Spock). Star Trek is seen as such a proxy for nerd culture that it is often employed by shows such as The Big Bang Theory as an “uncool” interest to give their characters. To that point, many (admittedly nerdy) engineers and scientists attribute their careers to Star Trek. While I was already interested in space by the time I sat down to watch Star Trek (The Original Series, Voyager, or Prodigy), it simply made me wish I were born at a time when I could attend Starfleet Academy instead of my local public school. 


The ideas and identity of Star Trek expand outside of Starfleet. The movie Galaxy Quest served as not only a Star Trek parody, but a loving homage to both Trek and fan culture, as a group of aliens think a science fiction TV show is a real documentary. Interestingly, it was rated the 7th best Star Trek film. It is not the only parody of Trek, as more recently, a newcomer has stepped out onto the stage. 


While you may know Seth MacFarlane from Family Guy, American Dad, or his remarkable singing voice, he is the creator and lead actor of The Orville, a science fiction TV show that is clearly a love letter to Trek. Seth MacFarlane plays Ed Mercer, a captain who (after a messy divorce) serves with his ex-wife as his First Officer. The crew of the ship Orville gets into all sorts of wacky adventures with a lot of heart. I could wax poetic about the show for many years, as it was a fundamental part of my tweenhood (and teenhood), but it is clear that this show is another love letter to Trek and the cultural legacy it leaves.


But what of my connection? While Star Trek and I share the same birthday, I haven’t always been acquainted with it. Sure, I was aware, as many people are, but I had never watched. What inspired me to watch Trek was, oddly enough, The Orville?! I fell in love with the characters and story while watching with my mother; a couple of years after I had watched the series for maybe the 4th time, I decided to give Trek a try. I started with the original series, but arguably did not get through that much of it. That was until I was at an antique store and saw this show that looked like Trek, but was animated. I had found the show–Star Trek: Prodigy–and my love for Trek had been rekindled! 


You may have noticed, but Trek is everywhere. Even shows like VeggieTales and Futurama end up referencing it eventually, as it has become a cornerstone of nerd culture and popular culture. While Star Wars also holds a similar cultural grip on the masses, maybe even more so (I mean, who doesn’t know May the Fourth as Star Wars Day?), Trek brings hope to Earth and the future of humans. It is not a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but it is us, fairly soon from an astronomical standpoint, with hope. 


Why does Trek occupy the space it does in the world? Because Trek tells us there is hope. We can abandon senseless divisions and infighting, and we can help others do the same. While there may be problems (there will always be problems), we can wake every day with the hope of being better. No matter if we are on the Enterprise, the Voyager, the Protostar, the Cerritos, on Deep Space Nine, or even on the Orville, we can look at this day, and not only admire what Trek has given us in the way of names and entertainment and technology, but we can admire what it shows us we can become. 


About the author: Lyla is a high school student currently residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Besides being a space and science fiction fan, she enjoys writing, dancing, making music, and learning of all kinds. One day, she hopes to be an engineer, astrophysicist, or serving as captain of the starship Enterprise.

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