# Star Trek Star Trek is Gene Roddenberry's science fiction franchise that started on NBC in 1966, nearly died after two seasons, and got a second life thanks to a fan letter-writing campaign. From that near-cancellation grew one of the internet's oldest organized fan communities, complete with dedicated fanfiction archives, sci-fi dating sites, and reaction images pulled straight from the Enterprise bridge. ## Origin The original Star Trek premiered on NBC in September 1966, created by Gene Roddenberry, and followed the crew of the USS Enterprise on a mission to explore new worlds[3]. William Shatner played Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy played the half-Vulcan Spock, and George Takei played helmsman Hikaru Sulu[7]. Episodes were often allegorical, using space adventures to poke at sexuality, politics, religion and war[3]. Ratings were shaky, and NBC planned to cancel the show during its second season. Two Los Angeles fans, Bjo Trimble and her husband John, ran a grassroots letter-writing campaign in late 1968 that pushed NBC to renew the show for a third season[1]. NBC dropped Star Trek after that year, but the extra episodes pushed the total high enough for syndication, which is where the fandom actually took off[1]. Star Trek was resurrected as an animated series in 1973 and then as a feature film in 1979, and Bjo Trimble is still credited by StarTrek.com as 'the woman who saved Star Trek'[1]. - **Platform:** NBC (television) / online fan communities (viral spread) - **Creator:** Gene Roddenberry - **Date:** 1966 ## Overview Star Trek's online footprint is one of the older organized fan communities on the internet, with roots in mail-in fanzines that predate the web itself[1]. Catchphrases from the show, especially Spock's 'live long and prosper' and the opening 'to boldly go where no man has gone before,' turned into shorthand quoted across countless posts and t-shirts[3]. Fans call themselves Trekkies or Trekkers, and they built dedicated hubs like TrekFanFiction.net for original stories set in the Federation universe[4] and Trek Passions, a free niche dating and social site aimed at sci-fi fans[5]. The meme side of the franchise leans on specific images and lines from the shows. Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard facepalm, Kirk yelling 'KHAAAN,' Spock's raised eyebrow, and Riker's beard all get pulled into reaction posts[3]. Urban Dictionary entries frame the show as the cerebral, problem-solving counterweight to Star Wars, and that Trek vs. Wars rivalry is itself a running online joke[6]. Casting news still moves the fandom in real time, as when Patrick Stewart's 2018 tweet announcing his return as Picard passed 42,000 retweets and 158,000 likes within two days[2]. ## How to Use Star Trek reaction images work as shorthand for specific feelings. The Picard facepalm gets used for exasperation, Kirk's screaming 'KHAAAN' works for over-the-top rage, and Spock's raised eyebrow reads as skeptical disbelief[3]. Fans quote 'live long and prosper' with the split-finger Vulcan salute, and the phrase 'to boldly go' is a common template for captions about doing something new[6]. Trekkies and Trekkers also use the /Star Wars rivalry as a running joke, with Urban Dictionary entries themselves openly favoring Trek's cerebral approach over Star Wars' 'shoot, shoot again' style[6]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Star Trek? Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise created by Gene Roddenberry that began with a 1966 NBC television series and grew into films, spin-off shows, and a large online fandom[3]. ### Where did Star Trek come from? It started as an NBC show in September 1966 following the USS Enterprise and its crew, with Captain Kirk played by William Shatner and Spock played by Leonard Nimoy[7]. ### What does Star Trek mean? The name refers to the show's premise of 'trekking' among the stars, captured by the opening line about going 'to boldly go where no man has gone before'[6]. ### How do you use Star Trek in memes? Fans commonly pull screencaps like the Picard facepalm, Spock's raised eyebrow, and Kirk screaming 'KHAAAN' as reaction images, plus quotes like 'live long and prosper'[3]. ### Is Star Trek still popular? Yes. Patrick Stewart's 2018 tweet announcing his return as Picard pulled more than 158,000 likes in two days, and the franchise still runs new shows and films[2]. ### Who saved Star Trek from cancellation? Fans Bjo and John Trimble organized a grassroots letter-writing campaign in 1968 that pushed NBC to renew the show for a third season, enough episodes to reach syndication[1]. ### What are Trekkies and Trekkers? They are the two labels Star Trek fans use for themselves, and Urban Dictionary notes the community still numbers in the millions across forums and fan sites[6]. ### Are there Star Trek dating sites? Yes. Trek Passions is a free sci-fi dating and social networking site aimed at Trek and other sci-fi fans, and it is part of a larger niche dating network dating back to the early 2000s[5]. ### Where do fans post Star Trek fan fiction? Sites like TrekFanFiction.net host fan-written stories set in the Federation universe, with a disclaimer that they are not endorsed by CBS Studios or Paramount[4]. ### What is the Star Trek vs. Star Wars rivalry? It is a long-running online joke that frames Star Trek as the cerebral, problem-solving sci-fi and Star Wars as the shoot-first space adventure, and Urban Dictionary entries openly take sides[6]. ## References 1. [https://intl.startrek.com/article/bjo-trimble-the-woman-who-saved-star-trek-part-1]() 2. [https://twitter.com/SirPatStew/status/1025840545216823296]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/star-trek]() 4. [https://trekfanfiction.net/]() 5. [https://trekpassions.com/]() 6. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Star%20Trek]() 7. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shatner]() 8. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_(film)]() 9. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_into_Darkness]() 10. [https://x.com/i/status/1025877905564348416]() 11. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjL8WXjlGI]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/star-trek Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library