Part of it's nostalgia, I'm sure, but the main reason is that it gives me hope for the future of our species and our planet. It's kind of hard to find that in other places nowadays. Star Trek is one of the few parts of modern culture that doesn't make me think that Mike Judge was a prophet when he made Idiocracy.
I suspect that people's reasons for liking TREK change and evolve over time. I'd like to say that my seven-year-old self got hooked on STAR TREK because of its sophisticated topical commentary and progressive vision of the future, but let's be honest . . . I was in it for the monsters and spaceships. Nowadays, of course, STAR TREK has been a part of my life for so long that I can't imagine not being a Trekkie . . . .
I'm sure it has as much to do with nostalgic connections as its positive view of the future, plus fascinating storytelling with good camaraderie between the characters. My initial awareness was kids swapping "Star Trek" gum cards in the 60s but it was a show that aired after 8.30pm on a weeknight in Australia, so I was in bed. I remember loving TAS in b/w on Saturday mornings in the 70s - and some eps of TOS that were specially selected to celebrate the arrival of colour TV in Australia in 1975. One of those eps I caught was definitely "The Devil in the Dark" - very memorable for so many reasons. I wish I could recall exactly which others, but possibly "Miri", "Arena", "The City on the Edge of Forever", "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "Spectre of the Gun". Certainly, McCoy's blue eyes were riveting; my whole family was fascinated with them. Then I managed to avoid totally the huge "Star Wars" phenomenon of '77. I'm not sure why I didn't bother with it - because I really liked science fiction - but I'd just started teachers' college and I guess I was distracted by my studies (and all the related social aspects, such as writing and performing in skits, and representing my group on committees). But, in late 1979, my course was over and suddenly I needed something to do, especially since we'd been told to expect a four year wait for a full time job offer. On the night of my 21st birthday party, a friend described his recent attendance at the gala premiere of ST:TMP. The cinema had been filled with people in costume, and I'd just been reading a series of newspaper articles about the "making of" this reunion movie that had reunited the cast. It suddenly became a "must see" movie. I bought the novelization, which I couldn't put down (I certainly hadn't planned on getting to the end before seeing the film) - and then used a birthday voucher to buy the soundtrack LP before getting to the cinema (no friends or relatives wanted to go with me, so I went alone) - and wow! Within a few weeks, the potential void in my life left by my college graduation was suddenly filled with similar social aspects. I found local fandom: and I was again writing and performing in skits, making costumes, collecting and reading "Star Trek" models, hunting for "Star Trek" novels, new people to meet... and so on. ST:TMP was a life-changing event for me. From then on, each new "Star Trek" movie, tie-in and sequel TV series was an adventure of anticipation, discovery and nostalgia.
I was hooked young in the early 70's, pre-TAS. I remember realizing what science fiction was by watching my first episode, The Cloud Minders. Making that leap, by myself as a child, prekindergarten, made a big impression on me. I haven't been the same since.
Because I find it interesting love scifi & fantasy I like adventure and I usually like the characters
It gives me hope that we will someday evolve from this ridiculously selifish and petty species that we are.
As a kid in the early 70's, I was fascinated with all of the recurring elements. The uniforms were awesome...bright colors, black pants that ended below the knees and cool boots. The ship with it's unique shape that looked kick ass from any angle (probably the only Trek ship that can make that claim). Unique looking tech that was sleek and instantly recognizable from the basic shape of the phaser to the flip top action of the communicator. You could draw both in stick form and people knew what it was. Great sets, especially the bridge, engine room and transporter room. The captains chair. The whole beaming thing. The guy who could kick ass, the guy who was super smart, the guy who could heal anything and the guy who loved those engines. Distinct and incredible use of sound fx, from the bridge to the transporter to the sound cue of the engines to let us know when the ship was kicking into high gear or slowing down. Beautiful women, strange aliens, crazy machines, ancient civilizations and the occasional time travel. It was serious, it was funny, it had charm. It was a strange self contained world unlike anything else and to my child's mind, that was fucking awesome. Why do I like it today? Because all that stuff is still cool to me.
Those are very good reasons. And I agree with the hopeful possibilities the show presents. ST:TOS showed primetime television's first interracial kiss. (A big controversy back then.) And now we have a two-term African-American president. TOS used tensions between the Federation and Klingon Empire to address the cold war (I think the episode was "A Private Little War"), which has since then ended. Star Trek presents many hopeful possibilities for humanity and often, maybe not always, presents them well. I also like Trek tech too.
A whole bunch of reasons, but the biggest one is probably the inherent optimism. a LOT of genre fiction is doom and gloom, and that's fine when it's done well. But Trek is a very progressive view of our future and how we'll overcome the issues that have plagued us as a species for centuries. That means a lot to me.
"Many of the normal motives of civilized life-snobbishness, money-grubbing, fear of the boss, etc.-had simply ceased to exist." "Up here in Aragon one was among tens of thousands of people, mainly though not entirely of working-class origin, all living at the same level and mingling on terms of equality. In theory it was perfect equality, and even in practice it was not far from it." "Above all, there was a belief in the revolution and the future, a feeling of having suddenly emerged into an era of equality and freedom. Human beings were trying to behave as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine." "However much one cursed at the time, one realized afterwards that one had been in contact with something strange and valueable. One had been in a community where hope was more normal than apathy or cynicism...One had breathed the air of equality." -- George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia. Based on what Orwell reported from Spain in 1936-1937, perhaps it is already possible.
I have an imagination and a desire to continue the exploration in space. I am fascinated by what we might find out there. I also have a passing interest in anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and sociology. It's my liberal arts education. Therefore, I find the shows to be entertaining on those levels and you don't get to see many television series that tackle those issues on a weekly basis. When I was 7, I just liked Wesley Crusher. As I grew up, I found I liked the space battles. Soon after that, I put Star Trek on the shelf for 10 years and came back only occasionally when I was feeling nostalgic. As events in my life caused me more pain than I was able to handle, Star Trek gave me some comfort, both as a connection to childhood and intellectually for the man to get some satisfaction that the world would not always be this harsh. I watch now because it is hope in a sea of chaos. I know it by heart because I have been around it all my life. But it really is a new journey to watch this as an adult again.
Ideas. In visual fiction there are few outlets for different ideas and reflecting on modern times or the near future that SF literature provides. Through several decades ST was one of the rare ones. Adventure, positive vision, technology, etc all come after that for me. RAMA