Star Trek

Star Trek is a science fiction television series created by [Gene Roddenberry]? in 1966 that tells the tale of the crew of the starship Enterprise? and of their adventures in the "final frontier". Initially, the series didn't have much success, but after the original series was cancelled, it turned out that Star Trek had very devoted and active fans, calling themselves Trekkies or Trekkers, who made reruns of the show popular and created a market for later series and movies based on Roddenberry's work. These are now part of American culture, and are gaining in international popularity as well. It is due in part to lobbying from fans of the series that NASA agreed to name the prototype Space shuttle Enterprise.

In 1987 a new series launched, Star Trek: The Next Generation, which featured a new crew and a new plotline. While in the classic series the captain ([James Kirk]? , played by William Shatner) often used "cowboy diplomacy", in The Next Generation (TNG) the [Prime Directive]?, which states that the Federation shouldn't get involved in less evolved species' business, is given greater importance. This leads to a far more pacifist approach, which was gradually abandoned after Roddenberry's death. The other spin-off series rely heavily on action and warfare, much like the original series. An exception, of course, is the episode about tribbles.

Roddenberry was a proponent of egalitarian politics, and frequently used the shows to showcase his vision of a utopian future society basedn those principles. The original series, for example, had a prominent black female crew member ([Lt. Uhura]?, played by [Nichelle Nichols]?), one of the first black women to hold any major role on American television. It also had a Russian character ([Mr. Chekov]?, played by [Walter Koenig]?) at a time when the United States was engaged in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Viewers of today who watch the old series may find its portrayals of minorities and especially women somewhat backward, but they were actually quite progressive and daring for the time.

Television series:

Star Trek (the original series)

Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Voyager

Enterprise (premiered on Sep 26, 2001)

Movies based on the original series:

[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]?

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]?

[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]?

[Star Trek V: The Final Frontier]?

[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]?

Movies based on The Next Generation:

Star Trek: Generations

Star Trek: First Contact

[Star Trek: Insurrection]?

[Star Trek: X]? Forthcoming code name Star Trek X

Video Games:

Star Trek Voyager Elite Force

[Star Trek Away Team]?

Computer Games (By Microprose, Interplay and Paramount):

[Star Trek 25th Anniversary]?

[Star Trek The Next Generation A Final Unity]?

[Star Trek Klingon]?

[Starfleet Academy]?

[Star Trek Generations]?

[Star Trek Federation Compilation]?

(This is an incomplete list)

The Star Trek universe in general:

Tribbles

Official website: http://www.startrek.com/ For Recent News: http://www.trektoday.com/

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