Why Star Trek has lasted for fifty years

Star Trek has evolved with the times

Trek’s vision of a better future for humanity was established by Gene Roddenberry, but that doesn’t mean that Trek was stuck in what that meant in the 1960s. Star Trek evolves with each generation and version of the show, it’s not the same show over and over.

The best example of this is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Deep Space Nine took Trek from a monster of the week format into more of a serial storytelling format to fit in with the shows of the time.

DS9 was also “darker” than other shows in the franchise. What Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did was explore how humanity would face challenges in a galaxy that perhaps wasn’t as evolved or peaceful as society was back on earth. How would the Federation’s high ideals hold up when put to the test out on the frontier? Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a grittier show, but still undeniably optimistic and Trek.

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