The History of Star Trek: From 1960s Television to a Sci-Fi Phenomenon

(Photo by Stefan Cosma)

Few science-fiction franchises have had the cultural impact or longevity of Star Trek. What began as a television series in the 1960s developed into a vast fictional universe encompassing television, cinema, books, comics, games and an enormous world of collectibles.

With instantly recognisable spacecraft, characters and imagery, Star Trek has influenced generations of science-fiction fans while creating one of popular culture's most dedicated collecting communities.

The Birth of Star Trek

Star Trek was created by American television writer and producer Gene Roddenberry during the 1960s. Roddenberry imagined a science-fiction series that would use adventures in space to explore contemporary ideas about society, politics, humanity and the future.

The original Star Trek television series premiered in the United States in 1966.

Set in the 23rd century, the series followed the crew of the USS Enterprise as they travelled through space on a mission of exploration.

Led by Captain James T. Kirk, alongside characters including Spock, Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Uhura, Scotty and Sulu, the Enterprise encountered alien civilisations, unexplored planets and numerous threats during its voyages.

The concept was encapsulated by one of television's most famous introductions: the Enterprise's mission to explore strange new worlds and venture into previously unexplored space.

The Original Series

Despite eventually becoming one of the world's best-known science-fiction franchises, Star Trek wasn't initially a huge television success.

The original series ran for three seasons between 1966 and 1969 before being cancelled.

That could easily have been the end of Star Trek.

Instead, something unusual happened.

Reruns introduced the programme to new audiences during the 1970s, helping the series develop an increasingly enthusiastic fanbase. Fans organised conventions, produced newsletters and formed communities dedicated to discussing the characters and fictional universe.

Star Trek was beginning to develop a life far beyond its original television run.

Star Trek Returns

Growing interest in the franchise eventually resulted in further productions.

Star Trek: The Animated Series arrived in 1973 and featured many members of the original cast providing voices for their characters.

But the biggest step towards transforming Star Trek into a major franchise came at the end of the decade.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in 1979, bringing Kirk, Spock and the crew of the Enterprise to the cinema.

Several more films followed featuring the original cast, including the highly regarded Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982.

Star Trek was no longer simply a cancelled television programme with a loyal following. It had become a major science-fiction franchise.

The Next Generation

Another defining moment came in 1987 with the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Set decades after the adventures of Kirk and his crew, the programme introduced a new USS Enterprise and a new captain: Jean-Luc Picard.

Alongside Picard were characters including William Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi La Forge, Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi.

The Next Generation became enormously successful and introduced Star Trek to another generation of viewers.

Its seven-season run between 1987 and 1994 was followed by several feature films featuring the Next Generation crew.

The Star Trek Universe Expands

The success of The Next Generation allowed the Star Trek universe to expand considerably during the 1990s.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began in 1993 and moved much of the action away from the traditional starship setting to a space station.

Star Trek: Voyager followed in 1995, telling the story of a Starfleet vessel stranded tens of thousands of light-years from Earth and attempting to make the long journey home.

By this point, Star Trek had become a major part of international popular culture.

The franchise continued with Star Trek: Enterprise, which debuted in 2001 and explored an earlier period in humanity's journey into deep space.

Star Trek on the Big Screen

Cinema has also played an important role in the history of Star Trek.

The original cast appeared in six feature films, while the Next Generation crew subsequently moved from television to cinema.

In 2009, director J. J. Abrams introduced a new film series featuring younger versions of characters from the original Enterprise crew.

The film was followed by Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and Star Trek Beyond in 2016.

These films introduced Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise to yet another generation of moviegoers.

A New Era of Star Trek

Star Trek returned prominently to television with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.

It was followed by a new wave of productions including Star Trek: Picard, which brought Patrick Stewart back to one of his most famous roles, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, centred around the USS Enterprise in the period before Kirk became its captain.

Animated productions including Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy further expanded the franchise.

Nearly six decades after the original programme first appeared, the Star Trek universe continues to evolve.

The Starships of Star Trek

Few fictional spacecraft are as recognisable as the USS Enterprise.

The original Enterprise's distinctive saucer, engineering hull and twin nacelles established a design language that would influence countless later spacecraft within the franchise.

As Star Trek expanded, many other ships became favourites among fans.

Different versions of the Enterprise appeared throughout the films and television series, alongside spacecraft including the USS Voyager, USS Defiant and numerous Klingon, Romulan and alien vessels.

The visual appeal of these ships has also made them particularly popular with collectors.

Die-cast models and replica spacecraft allow fans to build collections featuring vessels from different Star Trek series, films and eras.

Star Trek Collecting

Star Trek's long history has produced an enormous variety of collectible material.

Over the decades, fans have collected everything from books, comics and magazines to posters, trading cards, action figures and model spacecraft.

Older merchandise can be particularly interesting because it provides a snapshot of how the franchise was presented during different periods.

Books and magazines document the evolving Star Trek universe, while posters preserve the artwork used to promote television series and films.

Model spacecraft have become another major part of Star Trek collecting, allowing fans to display some of the franchise's most recognisable ships.

Original merchandise, discontinued models and unusual pieces can become especially desirable among collectors.

The Star Trek Fan Community

Star Trek also played an important role in the development of modern fan culture.

Dedicated fans — often known as Trekkies or Trekkers — organised some of the earliest large science-fiction conventions devoted to a television franchise.

Fans exchanged newsletters, collected merchandise, discussed episodes and created their own artwork and stories long before online fandom became commonplace.

That community helped keep Star Trek alive following the cancellation of the original series and ultimately contributed to the franchise's remarkable longevity.

Why Star Trek Still Matters

Part of Star Trek's enduring appeal comes from the optimistic future it imagines.

While many science-fiction stories depict the future as dystopian, Star Trek frequently presents humanity as having overcome many of its historical divisions and turned its attention towards exploration and discovery.

At the same time, its stories have explored subjects ranging from technology and artificial intelligence to prejudice, war, diplomacy and the consequences of scientific progress.

Combined with memorable characters, distinctive spacecraft and decades of storytelling, those ideas have helped Star Trek remain relevant to successive generations.

Almost 60 Years of Star Trek

From a television programme that lasted just three seasons to one of the largest science-fiction franchises in history, Star Trek has had an extraordinary journey.

Its universe now stretches across decades of television, films, novels, artwork and merchandise — providing collectors with an equally enormous range of material to discover.

For those interested in owning a piece of that history, explore our Star Trek Collectibles collection, including die-cast spacecraft models, books, posters and other pieces from across the Star Trek universe.