Star Trek..Cooooool

[RobertScorpio]

Over the years there have been some stories about "star trek" creeping into our society's collective soul. I still remember when the shuttle mock-up was called ENTERPRISE and most of the actors reunited for the event. The news stories were pretty cool at the time. Or when I heard Captain Kirk's name in that 99 Balloons songs back there in the 80s.

But one of my favorites was during one of the first shuttle launches and the late Frank Reynolds was watching it launch. And then he causually mentioned the fact that the first shuttle was called Enterprise, to which Buzz Aldrin said something to the effect "Yes, Frank, but this shuttle doesn't have warp speed" to which Frank Reynolds responded with "Warp speed? Is that a drug?"

Funny...

Any of you have cool stories of TREK creeping into the everyday lives of our society???

Rob Scorpio

 

[kythe]

Periodically, news articles about non-related topics reference Star Trek. Recently a man was found with a strange side effect to a medication which gave his blood a dark green color. Many news articles referenced Spock and Vulcans in the story, clearly expecting a good number of their readers to recognize the similarity.

I also have read several articles that describe a new medical invention as similar to Star Trek's medical tricorder, even detailing similarities and differences from what viewers see on TV and this new device. There is again a certain assumption that the average reader will have some idea of the implications of a Star Trek device.

 

[Sky]

Last week during a boring 8-hour train trip I happened to mention to the person on the next seat "I wish we could just beam there or something". To my surprise she said, "Yeah, but we have no Scotty."

 

[RobertScorpio]

Periodically, news articles about non-related topics reference Star Trek. Recently a man was found with a strange side effect to a medication which gave his blood a dark green color. Many news articles referenced Spock and Vulcans in the story, clearly expecting a good number of their readers to recognize the similarity.

I also have read several articles that describe a new medical invention as similar to Star Trek's medical tricorder, even detailing similarities and differences from what viewers see on TV and this new device. There is again a certain assumption that the average reader will have some idea of the implications of a Star Trek device.

Yes that medical tricorder was big time and had star trek all over it..good one!!!

Rob

 

[JustKate]

Like Sky, I have oftentimes mentioned transporters (e.g., "Rather than build a new freeway, I think we should just get to work on developing transporter technology") and been surprised that non-Trek people still instantly get my reference. I don't think I've ever had even one person say, "Transporters? What are those?"

 

[RobertScorpio]

Like Sky, I have oftentimes mentioned transporters (e.g., "Ratehr than build a new freeway, I think we should just get to work on developing transporter technology") and been surprised that non-Trek people still instantly get my reference. I don't think I've ever had even one person say, "Transporters? What are those?"

I agree Kate...its almost as if "BEAM ME UP SCOTTY" is instictively in our brains when we are born...

Rob

 

[The Academic]

Re: Star Trek... Cooooool

Although most people wouldn't admit it (particularly those who had the misfortune to actually grow up and now look down on 'childish stuff'), Star Trek has permeated the public consciousness world-wide to such an extent that certain phrases, gestures or images (Spock's ears and bowl cut, the U.S.S. Enterprise et al.) are recognized by almost everybody...
I have the feeling, however, that this iconic status of Star Trek is almost exclusively limited to TOS (despite what TNG fans claim)... and that's also one of the reasons why J.J. Abrams went back to the basics (plus pure and unadulterated nostalgia in confusing times, of course).

 

[JustKate]

^ I think there is something in what you say, Academic. I have, however, had non-Trek people ask me whether I prefer Kirk or Picard. (Can't say as anybody's every asked me about Sisko or Janeway or Archer, though.)

 

[The Academic]

^ I think there is something in what you say, Academic. I have, however, had non-Trek people ask me whether I prefer Kirk or Picard. (Can't say as anybody's every asked me about Sisko or Janeway or Archer, though.)

That's the reason why I said 'almost'. It seems that public interest in Star Trek simply faded with TNG...
Oversaturation? Turning away from the initial style and concept? Overgeekification (is that a word?)? Alienation through a, let's say, increasingly excentric fanbase? I honestly couldn't say...

 

[Sky]

Overgeekifikation maybe. In my opinion, after TNG the technobabble really took over and the characters just were not interesting enough to really care about.

 

[The Academic]

Yep... Star Trek somehow stopped being fun along the way.

 

[Maurice]

Over the years there have been some stories about "star trek" creeping into our society's collective soul. I still remember when the shuttle mock-up was called ENTERPRISE and most of the actors reunited for the event.

Just a point of clarification: It wasn't a mockup. It was a test vehicle used for ALT (Approach and Landing Tests), testing, lauched from the back of a 747. It was also used to test how the orbiters would be carried "piggyback" back to Florida, and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters and served as a practice and launch complex fit-check verification tool, amongst other things. So, it never flew into space, but it was no mock-up.

The mockup is the Explorer.

More about the Enterprise shuttle.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Over the years there have been some stories about "star trek" creeping into our society's collective soul. I still remember when the shuttle mock-up was called ENTERPRISE and most of the actors reunited for the event.

Just a point of clarification: It wasn't a mockup. It was a test vehicle used for ALT (Approach and Landing Tests), testing, lauched from the back of a 747. It was also used to test how the orbiters would be carried "piggyback" back to Florida, and mated with the external tank and solid rocket boosters and served as a practice and launch complex fit-check verification tool, amongst other things. So, it never flew into space, but it was no mock-up.

The mockup is the Explorer.

More about the Enterprise shuttle.

Yep...you are right..and I remember it all..good memories..

Rob

 

[JustKate]

Yep... Star Trek somehow stopped being fun along the way.

Really? I can't agree with you there. I have enjoyed most of the Trek that's come our way. And I think a certain amount of geekification (which should be a word if it isn't already) is a good thing. A certain amount.

 

[The Academic]

Yep... Star Trek somehow stopped being fun along the way.

Really? I can't agree with you there. I have enjoyed most of the Trek that's come our way. And I think a certain amount of geekification (which should be a word if it isn't already) is a good thing. A certain amount.

I mean, from a certain time onward (I couldn't tell you exactly when, however), it was mostly 'been there, seen that'. It was probably around VOY's first season, when I started thinking the franchise had finally become the bad copy of a mediocre copy of a good original... I watched it, being a fan, sometimes I enjoyed it, but most of the times I simply forgot about it after I had switched it off.
This is entirely subjective, of course.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Yep... Star Trek somehow stopped being fun along the way.

Really? I can't agree with you there. I have enjoyed most of the Trek that's come our way. And I think a certain amount of geekification (which should be a word if it isn't already) is a good thing. A certain amount.

I mean, from a certain time onward (I couldn't tell you exactly when, however), it was mostly 'been there, seen that'. It was probably around VOY's first season, when I started thinking the franchise had finally become the bad copy of a mediocre copy of a good original... I watched it, being a fan, sometimes I enjoyed it, but most of the times I simply forgot about it after I had switched it off.
This is entirely subjective, of course.

Me too..

For me TREK was at its peak when FC came out and the final seasons of DS9...nothing against Voyager, but it was like CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER FRIEND...huh??? What did I say..

CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS came along and made the superfiends cool..then, after one season of it, they went back to the old formula of the superfriends and the wonder twins. But after CHALLENGE, there was no going back for me..

Voyager, to me, was going back to the TOS/TNG formula and for me? TNG seemed to run out of ideas by the 7th season and now a new show??

There was no going back to that kind of story telling for me. So Voyager/Ent, which were good shows from what I hear, were pretty much the same old thing to me..so I drifted away too..

THOUGH!!! I did come back time to time. And I really like the start of Enterprise...but then, it too, became just another 'bumpy headed alien show' of the weak that dealt with some issue here in the real life and I was like..CMON..there has to be another way to tell a story...

Rob

 

[PhoenixIreland]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the Chinese space agency logo:

I've often wondered why we dont' have one global space agency since we have no conflicting interests in space, and the Chinese did something very United Earth/Star Trekkie when they put their first astronaught in space, he peeled a veltgrow thing apart to revel two flags: