It’s undeniable: Star Trek casts a long and impressive shadow over the imagination of Trekkies everywhere. This has manifested in all sorts of ways. To name one example, NASA’s first space shuttle orbiter was named Enterprise. To name another, the studio model of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. But in addition to these kind of direct reference to Star Trek, there is also a proud tradition of paying respect to the Franchise through pop culture homage.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, here are five homages to Star Trek from across popular media. Did we include your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comment section.
Cosmic Frontier
Our first homage comes from The Owl House, which is currently available for streaming on Disney+. The show sees protagonist Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles) beginning a magical adventure when she travels to the Demon Realm. From the first episode through the last, Luz is inspired by the The Good Witch Azura series of fantasy novels. We eventually learn that Luz was introduced to the books by her late father, Manny.
However, in The Owl House season 3 episode “Thanks to Them,” it is revealed that Luz’s mother Camila (Elizabeth Grullon) is also a genre fan. But instead of fantasy, Camila prefers science fiction, like the Cosmic Frontier book series.
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Cosmic Frontier is a clear homage to Star Trek. This manifests through the aesthetics, similar names and plot lines. And in The Owl House season 3’s “For the Future,” Camila shares an important part of Cosmic Frontier: the Astral Oath.
“The Astral Oath is a promise made between Captain Avery and his family to love and protect each other just as they are,” Camila explains to Luz. “Through supernovas and solar winds.” That sounds pretty Star Trek to me.
Galaxy Quest
Sometimes, a Star Trek homage can be both loving and comedic. Such is the case with the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest. The series follows the actors who starred in the eponymous cult hit sci-fi show as they embark on a real space adventure.
It turns out that an alien race called the Thermians was inspired by Galaxy Quest. Relatable! However, thanks to the advanced technology of the Thermians, they can take their fandom to the next level. Faced with the threat of an alien invasion, they build a real working replica of the NSEA Protector from the Galaxy Quest TV show.
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Initially skeptical of the Thermians’ claims, series star Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) soon discovers they’re real aliens with a real spaceship… and a real enemy. Along with the rest of the show’s cast, including Leonard Nimoy stand-in Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry stand-in Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), Nesmith must help the Thermians defeat their antagonist.
Don’t worry: despite some transporter “unpleasantness,” the crew of the Protector succeeds in their mission. At the conclusion of the movie, they even get their “next generation” when the show gets a reboot/sequel in Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues. Currently, you can stream this movie on Pluto TV.
The Chronicles of the Intrepid
Metafiction meets time travel in Redshirts by John Scalzi. This novel is based on the infamous “Redshirts” trope. This dictates that when a low-ranking red-shirted crew member beams down on an away mission on TOS, they seem especially likely to be killed in action.
However, Redshirts takes this premise in strange, new directions you’d never anticipate. After beginning to suspect they are trapped in a fictional narrative, the Starfleet-esque crew of the UUCS Intrepid travels back in time to our time to uncover the nature of their existence. There, they confirm they are characters on a TV show.
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With us so far? Good, because here’s where things get really weird. While The Chronicles of the Intrepid is a lot like Star Trek, it isn’t Star Trek. This is clear because, in the world of Redshirts, they still have Star Trek. It turns out that TCofI is (according to the text itself) merely a rip-off of Trek.
Nevertheless, there’s another Trek connection to be mentioned. Like many of Scalzi’s novels, there is an audiobook version of Redshirts narrated by Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Wil Wheaton. Let’s hear it for second contact. You can find more about Redshirts here.
Pigs in Space
In the recurring “Pigs in Space” sketch segment on 1978’s The Muppet Show, which is currently available for streaming on Disney+. The sketch sees First Officer Piggy (Frank Oz) and a crew of pigs explore space aboard the Swinetrek. In addition to parodying TOS, “Pigs in Space” also paid homage to other popular 1960s and 1970s sci-fi stories.
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And when Muppets Tonight debuted in 1996, so too did a sequel to “Pigs in Space.” However, the revival was given a more up-to-date title: “Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine: The Next Generation of Pigs in Space.” Sadly, Muppets Tonight is not currently available for streaming.
Space Fleet
Another homage appears in Black Mirror season 4’s “USS Callister,” which is currently available for streaming on Netflix. This episode explores the dark side of fandom through a Star Trek homage called “Space Fleet.” The episode sees programmer Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons) living out his Mirror Kirk-style fantasies via a modified virtual reality program that pays homage to Star Trek.
But there’s a twist. Daily is using DNA samples harvested without consent to trap self-aware duplicates of his coworkers inside the virtual world. And as you might imagine, the actions he takes from there continue to be equally immoral.
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Nevertheless, this episode has a reasonably happy ending. Under the leadership of recent unwilling recruit Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti), the Callister crew traps Daly in the virtual world. Meanwhile, the crew escapes via wormhole to the un-modded version of the program, where they are free to undertake a true Star Trek-style adventure, unencumbered by Daly’s toxic fandom and personality.
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