"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry served in the Pacific theatre.Courtesy: Roddenberry Foundation
Key Takeaways:
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's extensive background as a pilot and his experiences in military and commercial aviation profoundly influenced the franchise's themes and many specific elements.
Numerous aspects of the Star Trek universe, including ship designs, insignias, props, and even in-universe tools, have direct origins or inspirations from terrestrial aviation.
Beyond Roddenberry, several Star Trek actors were accomplished pilots in real life, and the franchise has inspired actual space exploration, evidenced by the Space Shuttle Enterprise's naming and astronauts referencing Star Trek from orbit.
If you are a “Star Trek” fan, you probably remember where you were on September 28, 1987, when “Star Trek: The Next Generation” premiered. STNG, as it is known among the fans, was the second live-action series created by Gene Roddenberry.
Roddenberry was a pilot, and as such the “Star Trek” franchise is peppered with references to terrestrial aviation.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
