Space: The Final Frontier:

Star Trek, over the last century, has embedded itself in many different generations. My mother watched The Original Series (TOS) when she was a seven year old with her dad and I watched Star Trek: 2009 film when I was fourteen with my friends. In between my generation and my mother's generation there has been Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise as well as movies, comics, books and video games.

'Beam me up Scotty!'

Star Trek has basically integrated itself into society. I say that and you reply 'Ok, yeah. I agree with that. I mean who doesn't know "Beam me up Scotty"?' But I actually mean that in more than one way. 

  

Star Trek was revolutionary at the time it was produced. It was first aired in 1966 on September the eight. It was aired during the Space Race as the Soviet Union and the USA frantically tried to get to the moon first as the Cold War raged on. Star Trek was first aired about five years into the Apollo Missions which aimed to get man to the moon, an aim which was achieved in 1969 with the famous words 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind'.

The first televised interracial kiss

It captured the excitement which was felt for space travel at the time. The ideas surrounding how man could survive in space multiplied exponentially as Star Trek appeared on TV. It presented the idea that humanity could survive and, in fact, prosper in space and could coexist with other species happily and fairly. Through Star Trek opinions on war, feminism, religion, sexism, racism and the role of technology in life, among many other subjects, were explored. Star Trek: The Original Series featured the on-television interracial kiss, between the dashing Captain Kirk and the gorgeous Lieutenant Uhura.

Star Trek made space accessible to those who found the idea of space travel, of humanity's actual insignificance or of reaching out into the stars scary. It opened up the idea and presented a vision where humanity had a place among the stars. It idealised a future full of hope and love and the hunger for knowledge which us humans so often feel. It may have been slightly dramatised. Just ever so slightly.

The Starship Enterprise

Not only did Star Trek inspire people to care even more about the Apollo Missions and about space travel, it also predicted technology which we use everyday. Tricorders, PAADs, communicators and transporters were all part of the Star Trek persona and made the show feel futuristic. PAADs have taken form as tablets; we can write on them, send messages on them, read on them. Communicators have become your average mobile phone, even if it is not socially acceptable to phone someone and open the conversation with 'Sophie to Enterprise'. Tricorders, normally handled by a grumpy Bones, measured things such as heart rate, blood pressure, brain function. We now have portable devices which measure heart rate and blood pressure and portable MRI devices are being developed right now!

And last but not least, transporters... If the rest of it can happen maybe even transporters can happen.

For me, Star Trek: The Original Series is iconic. Full of bad special effects to ridicule, filled with moments in which Spock and Kirk contemplate the universe and it's inner workings and with highlight episodes such as The Trouble With Tribbles and Amok Time. Full of interesting ideas and inspiring ideals.

So, to end this post properly:

Space: The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, to boldy go where no one has gone before...