Trek Technology: The sci-fi history of Star Trek technological tropes

Star Trek’s technology is a part of everyday life

Sci-fi is a niche genre, yet if I were to say “Scientists are working on a real-life warp drive,” few would respond “A what?”. “transporter/teleporter,” “warp drive,” and “android” are all household terms. Thanks to sci-fi, technology that doesn’t actually exist, and may never exist is well-known, and concepts like teleportation and faster-than-light travel are lodged firmly in the public consciousness.

The initiative by the US government to quickly develop a COVID-19 vaccine was dubbed “operation warp speed.” It was clear to the public that this name was meant to convey unprecedented speed, despite warp speed being a fictional concept from a TV show.

Another example would be the trend of using holograms to put on performances by dead artists such as Michael Jackson, Tupac, and Whitney Houston. Not to be pedantic, but those aren’t actually holograms, they’re created using a very old optical illusion that dates from the 19th century. But the promoters refer to them as “holograms,” because thanks to half a century of sci-fi, the concert-going public understands that holographic technology means the promise that they’ll see their idol as good as in the flesh.

Though Star Trek is a massive presence in the sci-fi canon, it did not originate most of these technologies. These technological tropes predate Star Trek, in some cases by a century or more. Star Trek is standing on the shoulders of giants with its fantastic futuristic technology.

When we look at the stories that gave us the technology that Star Trek made its own, we’re looking at everything from ancient Greek myths to Star Wars, to The Wizard of Oz. All of these properties contributed to a world in which a show like Star Trek can spend its time telling great stories, rather than explaining its technology.