Sixty years after Star Trek first took audiences where no one had gone before, the science fiction franchise remains as popular as ever. Although newer series may not strike the same note as earlier in the franchise, Gene Roddenberry's vision fo the future continues to resonate with audiences all these years later.
Asked why Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future continues to resonate with audiences after all these years, William Shatner, who famously portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, admits he doesn't have a definitive answer.
"Every year that goes by enriches the history of 'Star Trek.' So I think if you say, 'Hey, it's been 60 years, what's the answer to that?,' nobody really has the answer," Shatner told /Film. "It is a wonderful mystery of show business. Why has 'Star Trek' been sustained and grown? It hasn't just stood still, it has grown in popularity. Why? I don't know."
While Shatner may not have a definitive explanation for the franchise's enduring popularity, he does have an interesting theory, and it has less to do with starships, alien civilizations, or exploring strange new worlds than you might expect. At a time when concerns about artificial intelligence, climate change, and humanity's potential extinction dominate conversations about the future, Shatner believes Star Trek offers something increasingly valuable.
"I think as that permeates the civilization, as that permeates America's consciousness, that it's possible that mankind could be wiped out [...] [that explains] why 'Star Trek,' with its emphasis on positive thinking, is relished," Shatner explained. "Because 400 years from now, 'Star Trek' posits that we're alive and functioning. That's really encouraging against so many of the dire predictions."
From the The Terminator and The Matrix to The Last of Us and Fallout, plenty of sci-fi franchises love to imagine society's downfall where humanity is fighting for its survival. Star Trek has always gone a different way. Instead of a world where everything has fallen apart and people are just trying to survive, it gives us a future that’s actually hopeful.
That doesn’t mean Gene Roddenberry’s universe is all sunshine. Star Trek’s history has its share of war and suffering, including global conflicts that almost wiped out civilization. But humanity pulls through those dark times and comes out the other side building something better, a future built around exploring, working together, and discovering new things.
Star Trek might be stuck in a bit of a creative rut right now. But the ideas that made people fall in love with it still matter just as much today. Maybe the key for modern Star Trek isn't to reinvent the franchise, but remember why fans bought into Roddenberry's vision.