Star Trek Legacy Lives On in Space Exploration [Video]

A film director, a rocket scientist and two physicists discuss how the television series influenced culture and inspired a generation of scientists

By Leslie Nemo

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Fifty years ago Star Trek beamed into television sets for the first time, igniting an international passion for an imagined future that has played out in movies, books and conventions ever since. Today devoted fans speak the Klingon language and the residents of Riverside, Iowa, claim dibs on the future birthplace of Capt. James Tiberius Kirk—and many scientists trace their spacefaring curiosities back to this fantasy. The show’s impact on the breadth of scientific imagination has proved as fathomless as space itself. Director Craig Thompson takes on the challenge of exploring Star Trek’svast web of influence in the upcoming documentary The Truth Is in the Stars. Thompson discussed Star Trek’s influence on culture and scientific advancement in a live Webcast Wednesday night. He was joined by three other panelists from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario. Perimeter director Neil Turok, Perimeter researcher Avery Broderick and rocket scientist Natalie Panek expounded on the lasting impact Star Trek has made on them and on society.

Watch the video to hear what insights this collaboration of scientific and artistic minds has on an iconic fiction fixture that continues to inspire science. The discussion is part of Perimeter’s public lecture series presented by BMO Financial.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American