The appeal of Star Trek: as enduring as the ongoing voyages

Despite being somewhat unrealistic, Star Trek’s premise of an optimistic future plays a large part in the long lived popularity of the franchise.

Of all science-fiction drama in the past half-century, Star Trek was based on a hopeful view of the future – one where the “infinite possibilities of existence”, as the character Q said in The Next Generation series, could be exploited for the benefit of humankind and aliens alike. A future where science and reason would prevail over superstition, religious fundamentalism and petty myopic rivalries, and where technology could be developed to address almost any challenge. Many aspects of this vision were and still are unrealistic. Nevertheless, it has obvious appeal in times of uncertainty.