How has the Star Trek universe impacted your life? It seems, even above most or all other Sci-Fi, Star Trek impacts people's lives in a positive manner that is more than entertainment. For example, there are inventors, space explorers, and other things that have impacted people's direction, if not career in life.
For me, I started watching Star Trek during the changing times of the late 2000's. The economy was bad, our politicians were bad, and the religious (that includes people who don't believe in the supernatural, because it is a belief about metaphysics) landscape was changing. Star Trek made me stop and think about it's impact on my life, rather than just taking it without thinking. I also realized that we should tolerate people who don't believe in what we believe in, and not interfere with other cultures that are not our own. I became an unofficial philosopher (though I have taken Philosophy of Religion and Philosophy 101) with the help of Star Trek. I was a growing and developing boy in middle school that had Trek sort of the things out.
If you don't mind me saying, and I am not intentionally starting a flame war, realized that we needed to change the direction of our country politically and religiously in part do to Trek . I don't agree with the Secular Humanism/Progressive/Socialist vision of (some) of Star Trek. I plan on being a Evangelical Pastor and maybe a politician someday. Hopefully you guys don't mind this last paragraph.