I myself am not an avid fan, but do accept the impact of the show on pop culture, and it's value of diversity and it's ability to inspire people to value science. But where I draw the line is when people treat that show or Roddenberry as a real scientist or religious oracle who had predictive powers. No, Roddenberry was an artist, a storyteller and drew off of prior si fi himself. He did NOT invent hand held communicators, nor was his show the first to depict "teleportation".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleportation_in_fiction
http://startrekfactcheck.blogspot.com/20...ences.html
In a very real sense human's false perceptions lead them to falsely conclude that popularity is a predictor, not just with si fi fans. You also have Star Wars fans and Back To The Future fans claiming those franchises are more than just entertainment, more than just inspiration. Religious people pull this too. There is not one religion with individuals who point to modern technology and say "that is a result of my club". If anyone has seen the COSMOS series with Neil in it's entirety they'd know that it shows that humans have always evolved to be curious and make discoveries. COSMOS demonstrated that completely independent groups of humans who had no contact ever, came up with similar ideas, like constellations depicting the local deities of their time.
The only thing that can be said about Star Trek is that is was popular and influential, but it was not a lab. Roddenberry was a story teller, and like any artist, they draw from prior and surrounding motifs. I am fine with being a fan of si fi, and it is a great franchise most certainly, like Star Wars too, but please do not treat it like a religion and don't treat Roddenberry like a prophet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleportation_in_fiction
http://startrekfactcheck.blogspot.com/20...ences.html
In a very real sense human's false perceptions lead them to falsely conclude that popularity is a predictor, not just with si fi fans. You also have Star Wars fans and Back To The Future fans claiming those franchises are more than just entertainment, more than just inspiration. Religious people pull this too. There is not one religion with individuals who point to modern technology and say "that is a result of my club". If anyone has seen the COSMOS series with Neil in it's entirety they'd know that it shows that humans have always evolved to be curious and make discoveries. COSMOS demonstrated that completely independent groups of humans who had no contact ever, came up with similar ideas, like constellations depicting the local deities of their time.
The only thing that can be said about Star Trek is that is was popular and influential, but it was not a lab. Roddenberry was a story teller, and like any artist, they draw from prior and surrounding motifs. I am fine with being a fan of si fi, and it is a great franchise most certainly, like Star Wars too, but please do not treat it like a religion and don't treat Roddenberry like a prophet.
