Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media
franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the
setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek, in
addition to ten feature films (with an eleventh in production), dozens of
computer and video games, hundreds of novels and other fan stories, as well as a
themed attraction in Las Vegas. The original TV series alone is one of the
biggest cult phenomena of modern times.
In the Star Trek universe,
humanity developed faster-than-light space travel, using a form of propulsion
referred to as "warp drive", following nuclear war and a post-apocalyptic period
in the mid-21st century. According to the story time line, this happened on
April 4th, 2063. Later, humans united with other sentient species of the galaxy
to form the United Federation of Planets. As a result of the intervention and
scientific teachings of the Vulcans, an advanced alien race, humanity largely
overcame many Earth-bound frailties and vices by the twenty-third century. Star
Trek stories usually depict the adventures of human and alien beings who serve
in the Federation's Starfleet.