What is it about Star Trek that made it so popular over the years?

What is it about Star Trek that made it so popular over the years?

I'm not talking about the Abrams' reboot.

I'm talking about the old films and the old TV series.

What was it about them that pulled people in so strongly?

I guess its humanist philosophy, utopian themes and speculative science?

Sexy Shatner

I don't know, if you figure it out, please tell me. I've been wanting to get into the Star Trek franchise, but everything is just so.... old. I can't bring myself to watch it, even if I want to.

None of which the JJ Abrams movie had...

...and can you even name another sci-fi series with a positive outlook on the future? Star Trek was pretty much the only sci-fi show that gave any hope to mankind.

Just watch TNG from series 3

set in a world where science has solved every problem on a ship where everyone lives a regimented life, aka autist utopia

What's the matter? You don't like "Skin of Evil"?

jar jar Abrams was a mistake

>ship takes 1 hit
>ciptin, shields down to 18%
>crew spends 5 minutes talking about a solution while continuing to take hits

the main draw for me personally back when TNG aired on television, was the technology, I mean realize that tricorders were once considered a really fantastic concept, and now cell phones can do way more than a tricorder (except environment scanning I guess that's for pokemon players only)

this is manifested in gaming as well, with the advent of star lords/master of orion on PC, people really liked the idea of technology allowing the growth of civilization in new ways

it panders to the "progressive" audience while remaining in the security of an actual conservative setting.
there's tolerance and all but never showing LGBT couples, almost no drugs are used by anyone except for alcohol, sexual freedom but never mentioned/portrayed in any way (except for ferengis), basically everyone is in uniform at all times, there's no money except when there is etc.

A sense of wonder and possibility.

well obviously that's for the sake of drama, if you want to rationalize it, you can say that the percentage is just the first threshold, the figure that assumes at all incoming ordinance is blocked or deflected, after that goes to zero, some stuff is hitting the armor or the hull, but still relatively safe for the crew

you can also assume that enemy weapon systems don't have some kind of perpetual fire system, that would mean they need to be improved to hit harder all at once

you can also assume that the relationship between shield and incoming weapons is not linear, that the shield can charge faster when it's at low power

you need to attend starfleet to know about this shit

Suzie Plakson

Original star trek slot was just as most people were eating dinner after getting back from their 9-5 jobs.

Easy.

I always figured it was sort of like HALO's mjolnir shield system.

and yet it was nearly cancelled twice before being cancelled
it didn't become popular until syndication

Yeah, well, your mom's a tribble.

Star Trek is popular because the space exploration is fun and the stories are intriguing. The series is about a crew going beyond known space to find new life and make contact with new civilizations. Sometimes "new life" can mean a human settlement cut off from the rest of the universe, or it could mean an all-powerful God-like being protecting a planet from outsiders. Or it could mean a hostile alien race. The possibilities for discovery were endless.

don't forget episodes about solving moral dilemmas, those are pretty good most of the time

>Whoopi Goldberg

Who thought this was a good idea?