‘Star Trek' is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Why its optimistic vision of the future endures

LOS ANGELES - If you ask George Takei whether he ever thought he'd still be talking about " Star Trek" 60 years after its debut, he will respond with a smile and a shrug. "I'm not a visionary," the actor and activist said during an interview on a scorching July afternoon. "Otherwise, I'd be able to tell you what's going to be happening 60 years from now. I don't know where we're going, but life has a way of constantly changing and transforming - hopefully for the better, sometimes for the worse." But just as quickly as he is to turn philosophical, he also expresses his appreciation for the platform and "fantastically devoted following" that being a part of the beloved sci-fi series has brought him over the years, describing it as "a wonderful gift." "The show has been popular and the show did have a message that people embraced, so talking with [fans] is wonderful," Takei said. This year has been a celebration for the show and enduring franchise. "Star Trek" kicked off 2026 with a 60th anniversary float at the Rose Parade, and festivities since have included special screening events, a generations-spanning panel at San Diego Comic-Con and TV specials. Still upcoming is recognition as franchise of the year at the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame gala. Not too shabby for a series that premiered to mixed reviews and was canceled after just three seasons. Created by Gene Roddenberry, "Star Trek" launched on Sept. 8, 1966. Now also referred to as "Star Trek: The Original Series," the show followed Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise as they voyaged through space. Their mission, as Kirk would reiterate at the top of each episode, was "to explore strange new worlds," "seek out new life and new civilizations" and "boldly go where no man has gone before." "It's wonderful and amazing that 60 years on, people are still celebrating ['Star Trek']," said Akiva Goldsman, an executive producer and co-creator of ongoing spinoff "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." He first encountered the original series as a child in the 1970s, watching reruns in syndication. " 'Star Trek' is almost as old as my imagination … I watched it every night, and it was a refuge for me." But despite the franchise's enduring cultural impact and current scale, for a long time, Goldsman and fellow fans weren't sure there ever would be more than 79 episodes of "Star Trek." When the original "Star Trek" premiered, Times writer Don Page noted the show was "one of the most expensive and elaborate productions in the history of television" but seemed unsure about its potential longevity. "If the show happens to fail on television, they could easily turn the set into a tourist attraction," he wrote. "Star Trek" was both a product of and ahead of its time. Roddenberry told the Times in 1966 that he'd first come up with the idea for "Star Trek" six years prior, when "television had no interest in science fiction." "Science fiction became a dirty word because of cheap B movies," he said. But "Science fiction is very popular now because of our space program and moon rockets." The show famously had an early ally in Lucille Ball, who, through her Desilu Productions, helped usher "Star Trek" through two pilots before NBC picked it up. The show was born during a period of turbulence, with societal friction over the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the LGBTQ+ community and more. But "Star Trek" did not shy away from political themes - it embraced them - and also featured a notably diverse cast. Takei, who portrayed Enterprise helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu on the show, attributes "Star Trek's" core values to Roddenberry's beliefs and ideals. "We had this acronym, IDIC. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations," Takei previously told The Times. "Gene Roddenberry felt that our strength was in that diversity. Not just physical and racial diversity, but diversity of viewpoints, diversity of experience and background, diversity of personal passions." Alex Kurtzman, the veteran showrunner and producer that has helped usher "Star Trek" into the streaming era, reaffirms that the original series was political since its inception. " 'Star Trek' was designed to be a series of allegories about things that our country was dealing with at the time," Kurtzman said. "The great miracle of 'Star Trek' is that it allows us to talk about the current state of humanity through the prism of science fiction." Among the core tenants that have been associated with "Star Trek" since the beginning are its inclusivity, optimism and hope for the future. Decades later, fans still cite these elements as part of "Star Trek's" appeal. "Star Trek" may not have the biggest fandom, but it is a deeply committed one. Sometimes referred to as "Trekkies" or "Trekkers," the show's fans have long been credited with helping save the original series from cancellation through letter-writing campaigns. Were it not for these efforts that helped extend the show's run to a third season, "Star Trek" likely would not have made it to syndication, where it soared. Eventually, "Star Trek" conventions would form. The initial gathering in 1972 is said to have drawn around 3,500 people. A year later, attendance was estimated to be around 10,000 - and it's only grown from there. Goldsman went to his first "Star Trek" convention in New York in 1974 when he was 12, accompanied by his mother and three friends. "There's almost no resemblance between my first 'Star Trek' conventions and Comic-Con [a few] weeks ago," Goldsman said. "They have similar names, and there are comic books available, but that's really about it.… Going to a 'Star Trek' convention then … was a pilgrimage." It was there that fans could celebrate a show that they loved and find community - sometimes for the first time. "There was nothing to promote" back then, Goldsman said. But "you'd sit there in this auditorium with all these like-minded humans - and remember, there was no way to reach each other then. There's no internet - and suddenly you weren't alone." It was that love and enthusiasm that encouraged Roddenberry to make more "Star Trek." In 1973 came "Star Trek: The Animated Series," a Saturday morning cartoon featuring several cast members from the original series. Later, a series of films arrived, starting with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979. In 1987, the franchise finally returned with a new live-action television series with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," starring a new cast. Now the franchise boasts numerous prequel and sequel series, an adult animated comedy and even children's shows. "Star Trek" fans have influenced the trajectory of the franchise, just as it has influenced the lives of fans. For Rod Roddenberry, the son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry and actor Majel Barrett, hearing about how the series affected fans is what helped him connect with his father's work after his death in 1991. "When my father passed away, it was a very real and raw moment," Roddenberry said. "I started to hear stories about how 'Star Trek' had touched people and influenced people - some very powerful stories. I had no idea that 'Star Trek' was like that." Kurtzman, whose resume includes co-creating "Trek" series "Discovery," " Picard" and "Strange New Worlds," said that it is rare to work on a franchise that has been as meaningful to countless people. "I've spent the last 17 years having people come up to me and tell me that 'Star Trek' changed their lives," Kurtzman said. "That they saw a particular episode, or just 'Star Trek' in general, [and] they felt seen in a way that nothing else allowed them to feel seen as children, and they went off and they did great things." This includes fans like Pooja Sheevam, 30, who attended San Diego Comic-Con in July dressed in a Starfleet uniform. Her earliest memories of "Star Trek" are from her childhood watching reruns with her dad - "Voyager" was her favorite. Though he was strict about what she watched, "Star Trek" was allowed - and Sheevam was drawn to it. "Early on, I kind of recognized the diversity of the crew and the diversity of the show's commentary ... it was very advanced," Sheevam said. "As someone that resonated with futuristic ideals and what the world could be, I really attached to that." It even influenced her career; Sheevam works in New Mexico as a geologist. "When I was young, I really just wanted to work in a starship or a spaceship and look at other planets and explore other planets," she said. "And I kind of chased that high until I got my doctorate." For Waddell Herron, the works of authors like Octavia Butler introduced him to science fiction, which led him to "Star Trek." Traveling the halls of Comic-Con dressed as a Starfleet captain, the former associate director of analytic studies at California State University said he was drawn to the show because of "the human aspect of it." "They all kind of dealt with different characters trying to address the unknown or people or instances they're not familiar with," he said. "But the whole point was this whole idea of accepting the differences among people." For Herron, that is one of the franchise's most significant legacies. "[The show] doesn't discredit or run away from diversity," he said. "There's a concept of making peace among different nations, among different entities, but if there's no basic respect for communication, [success is] not going to happen." "Star Trek" fans have also joined the universe both in front of and behind the camera. Michael Dorn, who, as the Klingon Starfleet officer Worf, has more screen time than any other "Star Trek" actor, was first a fan and he recognizes how the show was more than just sci-fi. "I love the original, watched it when it first came out," Dorn said. "My brother and I were kids and so it meant a lot because though it was '60s television, it was that sci-fi television that really spoke to a lot of things that were happening." Rebecca Romijn, who plays Number One aka Una Chin-Riley in "Strange New Worlds," was introduced to the original series by her mother. She's now ushering in the next generation of Trekkies, including her children and a 5-year-old niece, who she says became enthralled with "Strange New Worlds." "The reason that I feel that it has been so beloved for so many generations [is because] it's something that families can watch together," Romijn said. "We go to conventions and we meet families where grandparents and parents and kids and grandkids are all watching our shows together." Michelle Hurd, who played Raffi Musiker on "Picard," was similarly introduced to the series by family. Her father, actor Hugh Hurd, would show her and her sisters images of Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura so they could see how Black women were being represented on television. "I'm blown away that Gene Roddenberry somehow knew 60 years ago to make some kind of entertainment that we were all going to need now," Hurd said. "And that storytelling was going to create a world where people were included, where the marginalized were part of the world, where diversity was the normal, not the abnormal." Much has changed in the world in the 60 years since "Star Trek" premiered, but its core messages and ideals remain as vital as ever, particularly during these uncertain times. "I think 'Star Trek' becomes most important when our nation is at its most divided," Romijn said. "We are [once again] in a point where our nation could not be more divisive and 'Star Trek' shows all people from all these different backgrounds coming together and collaborating and working together for the greater good. That's what people connect with." Robert Picardo, who has played the holographic Doctor in multiple "Star Trek" installments, reflected on the show's anniversary after the franchise's Comic-Con panel. "When you have an anniversary like this, you think about why something has stuck around that many years. And the most often heard answer is 'Star Trek's' optimism," Picardo said. "Even after 9/11, when a lot of science fiction became very dark and dystopian, ["Trek"] ... was fundamentally optimistic. Starfleet's core values ... will outlive the current backlash against diversity." Picardo says that the cast and crew, especially of "Voyager," talked a lot about the future, artificial intelligence, politically charged fiction and nonfiction and the franchise's legacy. "My hope is that any future 'Star Trek' show will always be a group of space-capable planets that are cooperating because they have a common set of ethics. It will never become America first in space," he said. Indeed, in a politically divided America with increasingly fractured international relationships, the aspirational future that Roddenberry envisioned - a future defined by collaboration, inclusivity, diplomacy and hope - can feel out of reach. "I think there has been no greater salve to the daily pain of all the division in our world than to work on 'Star Trek,'" said Kurtzman. "Because we get to imagine a future every day that's better than the present that we have." But along with the uncertainties of the world, "Star Trek" is facing its own uncertain future. The current "Star Trek" shows, "Strange New Worlds" and " Starfleet Academy," are set to conclude after their next seasons. No new series have been announced, though a new film is reportedly on the way. The newly merged Paramount Skydance, which owns the franchise, is currently facing a legal battle over its attempted merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. And that's on top of the ongoing erosion of the Hollywood industry. Still, what "Star Trek" is never short on is hope. "My favorite Gene Roddenberry quote is … and I'm paraphrasing, but he said that there is some basic human need in that there is a tomorrow," said Anson Mount, who stars in "Strange New Worlds." "I think there's something about that that is fueling our joy of 'Star Trek.' " Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 9:51 AM.