Cultural impact of Star Trek

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Star Trek is one of the most culturally influential television shows^{[citation needed]}. The original series, which aired in the late sixties, has since spawned five successor series, ten movies, a plethora of merchandise, and a multibillion dollar industry collectively known as the Star Trek franchise (owned by CBS Paramount Television). Arguably, only George Lucas' Star Wars has had comparable cultural impact as a science fiction and pop culture phenomenon.

[edit] Star Trek, the original series

The diverse main cast (command crew) of Star Trek, the original series.

Gene Roddenberry sold the original series, Star Trek (TOS), to NBC as a classic adventure drama, calling it a "Wagon Train to the Stars" and "Horatio Hornblower in Space." Set aboard the starship Enterprise (NCC-1701), the format of the TV show borrowed heavily from the 1955 movie Forbidden Planet. In reality, Roddenberry wanted to tell more sophisticated stories, using futuristic situations as analogies for current problems on Earth and rectifying them through humanism and optimism. The show's writers frequently addressed moral and social issues in the episodes by tackling topics such as slavery, warfare, and discrimination. The opening line "to boldly go where no man has gone before" was taken almost verbatim from a US White House booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957. The line is based on the phrase "...where no one has gone before." (For the syndicated TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Roddenberry reverts the wording to "where no one has gone before")

The central trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was modelled on classical mythological storytelling. Harking of human diversity and unity, Roddenberry included a multiethnic crew including a Sub-Saharan African woman (who later partook in the first multiracial kiss, with Kirk, on TV), a Scotsman, a Japanese American, and – most notably – an alien, the half-Vulcan Spock. In the second season, reflecting the contemporaneous Cold War, Roddenberry added a Russian crewmember.

Although the show is often chided today for cheesy effects and campy acting, TOS was a groundbreaking show which garnered multiple Emmy award nominations during its run, setting standards for shows that followed it. While there were other successful science fiction TV shows like The Twilight Zone, TOS was the first futuristic series with continuing characters aimed at adults that told morality tales with complex narratives. Despite a limited budget, the show's special effects were superior to contemporary TV shows, its stories were often written by notable science fiction authors, and many of its production values – particularly costuming – were of high calibre.It is also frequently referred to as "the first show to televise an interracial kiss" between the characters Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) and Lt. Uhura (played by Nichelle Nichols) in the series episode Plato's Stepchildren. This was done despite objections made by many television people that the scene may not be well received in racially divisive parts of the United States. The claim of being the first show to televise an interracial kiss is debatable (for details see Plato's Stepchildren).

During its initial run from 1966 to 1969, TOS did not garner substantial TV ratings and was almost cancelled after its second season. A letter-writing campaign by fans, unprecedented in television, prompted network executives to reverse their decision and renew the series for a third season. NBC put the show in a timeslot when it was watched by few, and TOS was finally cancelled after its third season. However soon after cancellation, the marketing personnel of the network complained to the management that the cancellation was premature. It turned out that after using the new demographic profiling techniques of the viewing audience, they found the Star Trek audience was highly desirable for advertisers to the point where they considered the series a highly profitable property. Unfortunately, that revelation came too late to resume production of the series.

[edit] Cancellation and aftermath

In 1976, a letter-writing campaign compelled NASA to name the inaugural (and test) space shuttle Enterprise after the fictional titular starship.

Enterprise rolls out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities with Star Trek television cast members.

After its cancellation, Star Trek took on a life of its own, becoming more popular and reaching a much wider audience than when it had originally aired. In the early seventies, a group of fans decided to hold a convention featuring the original actors: hundreds were expected, but surprisingly, thousands arrived.

In 1976, following another fan-organized letter-writing campaign, NASA named its first space shuttle orbiter, Enterprise (OV-101), after the fictional starship. The Enterprise was used in a number of flight tests, but NASA's plans to make it spaceworthy were canceled as impractical. Enterprise was occasionally used for engineering tests, including pieces from Enterprise used as recently as 2003 to help investigate the Space Shuttle Columbia accident,^[1] but has spent much of its life in storage and is now displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center outside Washington, DC. The opening sequence of the later series Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) features a shot of this real-life space shuttle in homage, intending to show it as a namesake for other titular ships in the Star Trek universe.

NASA also employed Nichelle Nichols to attempt recruiting African-Americans and women to become astronauts. During her work on the show, Nichols became frustrated at her relative lack of lines and was considering quitting. She was talked out of this decision by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., who told her that a show that depicted a black woman working alongside whites in a position of importance helped further the goal of racial equality.

[edit] Waxing and waning

Underlying the influence of Star Trek, a commemorative postage stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service.

In the mid seventies, encouraged by the burgeoning fan base for the show, Roddenberry sought to start a second television series (Star Trek: Phase II); this abortive attempt morphed into Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. The movie did sufficiently well at the box office, grossing more than $80 million, and spawned several more movies during the eighties. In 1987, Roddenberry created a second TV show, Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), which was set aboard the fifth Federation starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) more than seventy years after events in the earlier series and related movies. Unlike TOS – which often reflected a bold, interventionist American philosophy – TNG had a less aggressive and more socially liberal message. This show, unlike its progenitor, was syndicated and sold to individual local TV stations rather than a nationwide network. It became the number one syndicated TV show, lasting seven seasons, and spawned two sequels, a prequel, four movies, and a vast marketing business.

Star Trek and its spinoffs have proved highly popular in television repeats, shown endlessly on TV stations in the US and worldwide. The Star Trek franchise is similarly prolific: arguably, only Star Wars has had as significant an impact as a science fiction and pop culture phenomenon. According to Forbes magazine:

• the five live-action Star Trek series have garnered 31 Emmys and 140 nominations, and at least nine specials have been produced
• the ten movies have cumulatively grossed $1.76 billion at the box office: the most successful movie was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) grossing $133 million worldwide ($235 million in 2005 terms); however, none has garnered Oscar wins, in spite of a combined nine nominations for four films.
• at least 120 compact discs and 40 video games contain "Star Trek" in their titles, mostly soundtracks (with no Grammy nominations) and audio books but also Klingon language instruction
• about 70 million books are in print
• the franchise entails a merchandising business with a total lifetime gross of about $4 billion from companies including Playmates Toys, Hallmark, and Hasbro
• resorts include rides and attractions at Paramount-owned amusement parks as well as Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton

Star Trek conventions have become popular, though waning and now often meshed with conventions of other genres. There was even an attempt to produce a big-budget live arena event based on Star Trek called The Ultimate Fantasy, which took place in Houston in 1982, involving all the major cast members of the original series except Nimoy; however, organizational problems and high ticket prices resulted in a spectacular failure: fewer than 2,000 people attended, and the event organizers suffered heavy financial losses. Fans coined the term "Trekkies" to describe themselves, or "Trekkers" to address the pejorative nature of the term to some fans, and produce an abundance of fanon material like fanzines with fiction, art, and songs.

The show’s cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. An entire subculture grew up around the show and, anecdotally, there are indications that Star Trek has influenced many peoples' lives. This is apparent from the reported testimonials of people, such as scientists and engineers, who claim that their professional and life choices were influenced by Star Trek. Whoopi Goldberg, harking of Nichols' portrayal, was compelled to act and would later appear on TNG regularly. In addition, phrases like "Beam me up, Scotty", "Shields up!" (referring to the ship's defensive deflector shields), "Resistance is futile" (from the iconic Borg), and Treknobabble have entered vernacular, and "Trekkie" is the only fan label listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. Fictional devices in the show have also been claimed as inspirations for actual devices like mobile phones (communicator), medical technology (hypospray and diagnostic imaging), and even circular designs of modern command centers (main bridge). A common device in the Original Series was the tricorder (Mark 7 model) - a tricorder (the Mark 1) became commercially available in the 1990s.

Many fans^{[citation needed]} contend that the Star Trek franchise, particularly after the death of Roddenberry in 1991 (during TNG’s run), is in decline and has reached a nadir. Reduced viewership of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, lackluster performance of Star Trek: Nemesis, and the short tenure of Star Trek: Enterprise connote decreased popularity. Some assert^{[citation needed]} that the many incarnations are formulaic, repetitive, mediocre, and sometimes discontinuous. Others ascribe^{[citation needed]} this decline to static leadership at Paramount, which has been exploiting the phenomenon as a cash cow and asserting copyright at the expense of fandom.

[edit] Parodies

Star Trek has held the record of the most parodies of a franchise.^{[citation needed]} Starting with Mad Magazine, a whole genre of parody has followed, for example:

• Saturday Night Live:
  • A skit entitled, "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" explains why Star Trek was really cancelled. John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Mr. Spock, and Dan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy, along with two extras portraying Sulu and Uhura, encounter an intruder who came out of nowhere. The intruder, played by Elliot Gould, happens to be an executive from NBC explaining that Star Trek was immediately cancelled, and all the props were slowly being dismantled. All but Kirk leave, leaving him to enter his final "Captain's Log".
  • Fifteen years later, Shatner hosted SNL and played Kirk as captain of an Enterprise that had been purchased by Marriott International and transformed into a revolving restaurant. Khan (played by Dana Carvey) arrives to menace Kirk with a dreaded health inspector (played by Jon Lovitz). (The same actor as in the earlier skit again portrayed Sulu, resulting in an ad-lib joke from Shatner about Sulu's having gained weight since the last time he saw him.)
  • Years after Shatner's appearance, Patrick Stewart, as SNL's host, parodied his own show with a skit titled "The Love Boat: The Next Generation." The skit, which mashed The Love Boat with TNG, included Stewart as Capt. Picard, Rob Schneider as Data, Chris Farley as Riker, Tim Meadows as Geordi La Forge, and Ellen Cleghorne doing her impression of Whoopi Goldberg playing Guinan. In addition, Love Boat cast member Bernie Kopell reprised his role as Dr. Adam Bricker in a cameo.
• In Living Color:
  • In one skit entitled, "The Wrath of Farrakhan", a parody of The Wrath of Khan, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farakhan, played by Damon Wayans, convinces crewmembers to rebel against Captain Kirk, played by Jim Carrey.
  • Another skit, entitled, "Star Trek VII: The REALLY Last Voyage", shows the final voyage of an aging Enterprise Crew, including Captain Kirk losing his toupee, Mr. Spock (played by David Alan Grier), having drooping ears, explaining that his Pon Farr is days away and was starting to find Kirk attractive.
• The Simpsons:
  • In "Deep Space Homer", Homer Simpson is competing against Barney Gumble to be the next civilian into outer space. One of the competitions was to have a brawl in a ring. During this event, the competitors are dressed in Star Trek-like outfits and the infamous track, better known as the "Fight Song," from Amok Time is played.
  • In another episode of The Simpsons, Grandpa Simpson, Bart Simpson and Lisa Simpson are watching TV when a commercial for "Star Trek XII: So Very Tired" comes on. Featuring a heavily aged crew, Captain Kirk complains of his Hiatal Hernia, that the ship is "drafty and damp" and notes how he complains, "but nobody listens." Sulu then reports Klingons off the starboard bow, to which Kirk responds with a sigh of frustration "again with the Klingons" before calling for "Full Power" from Mister Scott. The scene then changes to an overweight Scotty, whose girth prevents him from reaching the control panel, which he informs Kirk in reply to his request.
  • In the Itchy & Scratchy segment in the Simpsons episode Bart of Darkness the Star Trek episode The Cage is parodied.
  • In the Simpsons episode "A Star is Burns", William Shatner, dressed as Kirk, auditions (in the much ridiculed Kirk speak) for the part of Mr. Burns.
  • Several jokes about Star Trek in The Simpsons resolve around Comic Book Guy. In the episode I'm Goin' to Praiseland he hallucinates himself to be as a member of the starship "Enterprise".
• In 2005, shortly after its return to the Fox network, Family Guy paid tribute to Star Trek: The Next Generation with a parody skit featuring the voices of Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn as their famed characters. In the parody, Picard asks Riker if he would join him in a laugh if he whispered in his ear that "Commander Worf's head looks like a fanny" to which Riker replies in the affirmative. When Picard does say such, rather than whisper it, he shouts it, causing the animated bridge crew to laugh, and irriating Worf who tells them both to "suck my ridges" to which Picard replies, "Oh get a sense of humor, Rocky Dennis."
• In 2007, Family Guy parodied Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - specifically, Spock's funeral and Kirk's eulogy at the end of the film in a day-dream of Baby Stewie, worried over his missing teddy bear, Rupert. Stewie became Admiral Kirk, while Rupert became Spock. Stewie offered the exact same euology, word-for-word, including the momentary emotional pause as portrayed by William Shatner in the film. In near-exact duplication of the actual scene, Amazing Grace was then played on bag-pipes, as Rupert was shot out into space, with the music transitioning into standard instrumental as Rupert is short into Genesis orbit. Cartoon equivilants of Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, DeForest Kelley as McCoy, Kirstie Alley as Saavik, and Merrit Buttrick as David where also included.
• When Joey from Friends was asked what he knew about "Vulcanized Rubber" he immediately responded "Spock's birth control!"
• The skit show Sitz had a skit featuring a space faring hospital called the "Crown Health Enterprise". It was crewed by a Kirk look-alike in a Starfleet uniform commanding, bizarrely, sergeant shultz (from Hogan heroes), as well as several characters from Thunderbirds and "Journey to the bottom of the sea". It was eventually commandeered by a bald character in a red and black jumpsuit whose accent repeatedly changed from English to French.
• Boston Legal: William Shatner's character, Denny Crane, makes occasional Star Trek references.
• Several characters in the comic strip Bloom County use the wheelchair of Cutter John as the starship "Enterpoop" during Star Trek roleplaying.
• On an episode of Drake and Josh, they get the geek boys, Craig and Aaron to stay with their Papa Nickels by giving them the first season of "Space Trek", an obvious reference to Star Trek.
• In an episode of Full House, the character Joey Gladstone lifts up the family's dog Comet's ears, saying, "Look, it's Spock, the Vulcan retriever. Live long and slobber."
• In the made-for-TV Disney Channel original movie "The Luck Of The Irish," a half-leprechaun boy, discovering that his ears have just become pointed, cries out, "Oh, no! I'm turning into a Vulcan!" in reference to the famous pointy-eared Star Trek species.
• The film Galaxy Quest parodies the original Star Trek series, elements of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the Trekkie phenomenon.
• Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide:
  • In the Guide to: Secrets and School Car Wash episode Ned and Cookie were getting chased by Billy "Bully" Loomer and later ran into Moze, who one second later said "You guys look like you've seen a ghost" in a similar way Captain James T. Kirk told Captain Spock in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
  • Another "Star Trek" reference occured in the "Guide to Fundraising & Competition" episode when Vice Principal Crubbs, Mr. Sweeney, and Coach Dirga told Ned and Cookie "You're the worst fundraisers ever!", Cookie responded "We're students, not salesmen!" A reference to the Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy "I'm a doctor, not a(n)..." catchphrase.
• Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis make multiple references to the franchise, most notably Dr. McKay's frequent comparisons of Col. Sheppard to Kirk, and Colonel O'Neill's repeated attempts to name a new ship the Enterprise.
• The episode of Futurama titled Where No Fan Has Gone Before, a reference to the Star Trek episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before", is entirely devoted to the Star Trek Crew.
• In the 1998 film "Free Enterprise," two young filmmakers (Rafer Weigel, Eric McCormack) meet their screen idol, William Shatner. Shatner, appearing as himself, has fun poking fun at his own image. The two young men, who idolize him and in their fantasies have seen him as a shadowy fairy godfather figure, are alarmed at the reality of the middle-aged non-Captain Kirk man that they meet.
• In a 2005 episode of the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who titled The Empty Child the character Rose Tyler introduces the Ninth Doctor to Jack Harkness as "Mr. Spock". According to episode writer Steven Moffat in the episodes subsequent DVD commentary The Doctor was going reply to Rose's enquiry of "What am I supposed to call you? Doctor who?" with the statement "I'd rather have Doctor Who than Star Trek" but the line was cut.
• On the internet:
  • A website called You Can't do that on Star Trek[1] features doctored photos of Star Trek scenes. Many contributors would combine scenes from other television shows or movies like Star Wars or Sesame Street and portray interaction. This was a play on the children's television show You Can't Do That on Television.

[edit] Sources

• Nygard, Roger, director; Crosby, Denise, host. 1997. Trekkies (film documentary: official website). Los Angeles: Neo Motion Pictures.
• "Star Trek as a Cultural Phenomenon", US Centennial of Flight Commission
• "Star Wars Vs. Star Trek", Forbes.com — see also Star Trek versus Star Wars
• Whitfield, Stephen E. & Roddenberry, Gene. 1968 (27th printing, 1991). The making of Star Trek. (ISBN 4-501-62109-5; ISBN 0-345-34019-1 (27th pr.)). New York City: Ballantine Books.