"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry served in the Pacific theatre.Courtesy: Roddenberry Foundation
Key Takeaways:
Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's extensive aviation background as a WWII combat pilot and commercial pilot profoundly influenced the franchise's design, themes, and various in-universe references.
The Star Trek universe incorporates numerous direct and indirect aviation connections, from the design inspirations for starships and insignias to characters using real-world flight instruments.
Star Trek has a significant real-world impact on aviation and space exploration, exemplified by the Space Shuttle Enterprise being named after the fictional vessel, actors having pilot licenses, and astronauts paying homage to the series in space.
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.
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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.
