Star Trek, the influence for all space media?

[billychaz]

Hi,

We all love to play games and all and we all love Star Trek. Some years back, I played the Mass effect trilogy. Recently I went back to it and now I am realizing how much that game and in fact all of the space games and other media I have come across has signs of obvious influence from the Star Trek series.
Theory : I think that ST is the ground on which all of the other space entertainment media has evolved.

Do you think this theory has weight and If I was to write a report on this, would it be logical?

PS: I am a fan of the series, though I got into it after watching the new movies. Please bear with me if this topic has been covered before but i need insight into my theory.

 

[Makarov]

There's no doubt in my mind that Trek influenced Mass Effect to a huge degree and has influenced other space media on TV. Not the ground for all space media, but very influential (despite it being "just entertainment"). And I see that continuing far into the future.

 

[-Brett-]

Mass Effect is definitely Bioware's take on the Star Trek universe without the baggage that would have come from actually being Star Trek games, but "all" space media? No.

 

[Brie]

Star Trek has massively influenced a lot of things

In fact did you know the modern cell phone was based off of communicators from TOS. I'm sure you knew they looked similar but they were legitimately based off of them

The creator of the modern cell phone was at the time trying to find something to compete with the car phone, and he was brain storming when he remembered one of him favorite shows (Star Trek) and that's when he had the idea for a mobile device that you can easily carry with you. Now obviously when they first came into production they looked nothing like a communicator, but as they advanced they looked more similar to that design. So you can thank ST for your cell phones!

 

[Maurice]

Star Trek has massively influenced a lot of things

In fact did you know the modern cell phone was based off of communicators from TOS. I'm sure you knew they looked similar but they were legitimately based off of them

The creator of the modern cell phone was at the time trying to find something to compete with the car phone, and he was brain storming when he remembered one of him favorite shows (Star Trek) and that's when he had the idea for a mobile device that you can easily carry with you. Now obviously when they first came into production they looked nothing like a communicator, but as they advanced they looked more similar to that design. So you can thank ST for your cell phones!

Another example of Star Trek mythmaking. Cellphone creator Martin Cooper refuted this here (link opens interview at the appropriate time index).

 

[CorporalClegg]

Even if it were true, the mobile phone is the natural is the natural evolution of the technology.

Not only that, personal communication devices in fiction predate Star Trek by many decades.

Heck, Dick Tracy had watches and now Apple is doing watches.

And How Shatner Changed the Word... Two hours of Shatner being Shatner... with a bit of Jeri at the end.

 

[Cyke101]

The Enterprise owes half its design from pop sci-fi before it, particularly the flying saucers common in sci-fi of the day. Matt Jefferies attached an air frame to a flying saucer to give it a more Earthlike origin.

It doesn't end there: Roddenberry wrote that Forbidden Planet was a major inspiration on TOS -- that movie was the first one to show humans traveling in space via a man-made starship (rather than alien), and the first sci-fi film set entirely offworld, which was carried over in countless TOS episodes.

As well, TOS was the first sci-fi television show aimed at an adult audience (though still family friendly), but then that fact implies that previous sci-fi not only existed, but was targeted almost exclusively to children.

So TOS is certainly a landmark in sci-fi media, sure, but it's not the ground from which all modern sci-fi comes from. For one thing, if we're saying "media" as motion picture (TV/Film) media, there's A Trip to the Moon in 1902, a silent film which is widely regarded as the first example of science fiction in film. And then there's all the sci-fi literature that predates that film as well.

 

[Brie]

Star Trek has massively influenced a lot of things

In fact did you know the modern cell phone was based off of communicators from TOS. I'm sure you knew they looked similar but they were legitimately based off of them

The creator of the modern cell phone was at the time trying to find something to compete with the car phone, and he was brain storming when he remembered one of him favorite shows (Star Trek) and that's when he had the idea for a mobile device that you can easily carry with you. Now obviously when they first came into production they looked nothing like a communicator, but as they advanced they looked more similar to that design. So you can thank ST for your cell phones!

Another example of Star Trek mythmaking. Cellphone creator Martin Cooper refuted this here (link opens interview at the appropriate time index).

It was in an interview with him that he said the design influenced him so it appears he is a very fickled person haha

 

[Brie]

The space shuttle "Enterprise" was named after the star ship "Enterprise" after a poll was taken as to what to name the shuttle. There was an astounding amount of people who said they wanted it named the Enterprise from Star Trek, so it happened. The cast was even invited out for the unveiling of the shuttle.

 

[Greg Cox]

As well, TOS was the first sci-fi television show aimed at an adult audience (though still family friendly), but then that fact implies that previous sci-fi not only existed, but was targeted almost exclusively to children.

Aside from, of course, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, both of which predated Star Trek.

And that's just TV. There were generations of sci-fi movies that were not targeted exclusively at children: Metropolis, Things to Come, Destination Moon, This Island Earth, Forbidden Planet, The Day The Earth Stood Still, etc.

 

[Cyke101]

As well, TOS was the first sci-fi television show aimed at an adult audience (though still family friendly), but then that fact implies that previous sci-fi not only existed, but was targeted almost exclusively to children.

Aside from, of course, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, both of which predated Star Trek.

I should've said, "non-anthology," but yes, you're right.

 

[Maurice]

Another example of Star Trek mythmaking. Cellphone creator Martin Cooper refuted this here (link opens interview at the appropriate time index).

It was in an interview with him that he said the design influenced him so it appears he is a very fickled person haha

If one watches the linked video one sees he addresses that very issue.

The space shuttle "Enterprise" was named after the star ship "Enterprise" after a poll was taken as to what to name the shuttle...

It wasn't a poll. It was a letter writing campaign.

 

[Brie]

Another example of Star Trek mythmaking. Cellphone creator Martin Cooper refuted this here (link opens interview at the appropriate time index).

It was in an interview with him that he said the design influenced him so it appears he is a very fickled person haha

If on watches the linked video one sees he addresses that very issue.

The space shuttle "Enterprise" was named after the star ship "Enterprise" after a poll was taken as to what to name the shuttle...

It wasn't a poll. It was a letter writing campaign.

Okay well in that specific interview yes, but his stance has changed in a separate account he was quoted as saying that was his inspiration.

and poll/letter writing campaign same difference they were both popularity contests. What matters is it was a choice for the people by the people and the people chose Star Trek.

 

[Cyke101]

I would think that a poll would be easier to do (unless Enterprise was a write-in choice), since people could just vote and NASA would just have to count votes. But a letter writing campaign is hard work and tons of coordination across the country in order to convince a gov't agency to take certain action; and this is before things like the internet and thus email and social media. It's a campaign.

So to me, a letter writing campaign is more impressive than a poll, at least in this regard.

 

[Maurice]

No one is denying that Star Trek had a very large, active and motivated fanbase in the 70s. What I'm interested in, however, is being accurate about what happened rather than paraphrasing. "Same difference" still connotes "difference", either negative or positive.

 

[Brie]

"Motorola’s Martin Cooper, who led the development of the first handheld mobile phone, was inspired to try to develop the phone after watching Captain Kirk use a communicator on Star Trek." He must have since changed his stance because he did definitely say it was his inspiration.

and secondly I DO apologize if I misspoke and called a letter writing campaign a poll. either way it was a choice of the people. and I'm not paraphrasing I just jokingly said "same difference" I will further sustain from comical input.

 

[Maurice]

Now, see, the problem is that quote is William Shatner's narration, not Martin Cooper himself.

MARTIN COOPER: And suddenly, there's Captain Kirk talking on his communicator. Talking. With no dialing. That was not a a fantasy to us, though to the rest of the world it was. But to me, that was an objective.

Note that Cooper doesn't say it was his inspiration, merely that he say Kirk on TV doing something "That was not a a fantasy to us." That's not at all the same thing as copping to it being an inspiration.

From the interview link I posted:

MARTIN COOPER: They came over to my house, and I got so wrapped up in the glamor of making a movie that I let them get away with starting that rumor.

 

[Brie]

Now, see, the problem is that quote is William Shatner's narration, not Martin Cooper himself.

MARTIN COOPER: And suddenly, there's Captain Kirk talking on his communicator. Talking. With no dialing. That was not a a fantasy to us, though to the rest of the world it was. But to me, that was an objective.

Note that Cooper doesn't say it was his inspiration, merely that he say Kirk on TV doing something "That was not a a fantasy to us." That's not at all the same thing as copping to it being an inspiration.

From the interview link I posted:

MARTIN COOPER: They came over to my house, and I got so wrapped up in the glamor of making a movie that I let them get away with starting that rumor.

Listen I don't know what I've done for you to call me out on every little miscommunication or misprint I make on all of my forums but you have seemed to make it your personal goal on this forum to call out every little mistake I have ever made. I'm not sure why you are doing this to all my posts but it's not welcome. I'm 20 I'm not perfect, no one is, but for you to call me out on everything on ALL my posts is getting very old very quick. I'm quoting all my facts from reliable sources and I can't be held accountable for their mistakes. He said he saw the communicator and it sparked that idea, "sparked" "inspiration" same thing it influenced him in SOME way be it big or small, so unless you are Cooper please cease calling me wrong on EVERYTHING. Please and Thank you.

 

[Maurice]

No one's singling you out. Star Trek is rife with mythology, much of it factually incorrect, which gets repeated ad nauseam. Would you prefer not know when these things are wrong and just keep repeating the conventional wisdom?

 

[billychaz]

Why not Starship create a holographic projection army?

Some people say the holographic projection of the restrictions, see the Voyager No. 4-19, starship full of holographic projection, the German occupation was almost, if not snatch the console, so the holographic projection real powerful.