Ridley Scott will be producing a series for the Science Channel entitled: "Prophets of Science Fiction" http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118029876?refCatId=14 This is great news. a entire episode dedicated to Roddenberry and how Star Trek has affected actual science. Faster than Light transport (not a Roddenberry invention) but the science behind it with the Warp core technology, teleportation (not a Roddenberry invention), energy-based weapons ['phasers'] (not a Roddenberry invention), Photon torpedoes, the medical devices used in TOS, TNG, VOY sick bay and the Emergency Medical Holographic program (EMH) in VOY. Hopefully they will also mention the utopia future world that the Star Trek future has evolved into where money isn't used (on Earth) but Federation Credits exist within the U.F.P. such as discussed in this thread: Trying to figure out the Federation Economy .
Roddenberry was one of the men I always wanted to work for and hopefully learn from. Can't wait for the series! Thanks for the info!
I hope they mention MP3's and other mundane things that people now take for granted but were inspired by watching Trek (MP3's came about after the programmer watched Data listening to multiple tracks in A Matter Of Time)
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this. I'm amazed by the extent to which Star Trek has affected the real world. I think it's extraordinary that people with talent and intelligence have been inspired by it to turn some of the fictional science there into reality.