30 Interesting Facts About Star Trek

1. When Stephen Hawking guest starred on the Star Trek: The Next Generation, he paused in front of the warp core set piece and remarked, “I’m working on that”.

2. Tim Russ, who played Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager also played the Spaceballs trooper that said, “We ain’t found shit!”

3. Nichelle Nichols (“Lt. Uhura”) resigned from Star Trek after the first season, but reconsidered after a conversation with a big Star Trek fan. The fan was Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. George Takei once called for peace between Star Wars and Star Trek fans to unite against Twilight fans.

5. The first scripted interracial kiss on US television was on Star Trek. It was meant to be filmed with and without the kiss. Shatner and Nichols deliberately flubbed every take of the shot without the kiss, so that they could not be used.

6. Being a Star Trek fan can get you a $500 college scholarship from an organization called Starfleet.

7. An episode of Star Trek – The Next Generation was banned in Ireland and the UK because it referenced how Ireland was unified in 2024 after a successful terrorist campaign.

8. Ronald Reagan visited the set of Star Trek The Next Generation in 1991 during filming of “Redemption”. He remarked then “I like them [the Klingons]. They remind me of Congress.”

9. The Klingon language was first developed by James Doohan (Star Trek’s Scotty). He devised the language’s basic sound, first few words and phrases.

10. During the filming of Star Trek (2009) Zachary Quinto couldn’t manage to properly do the Vulcan salute. Eventually, JJ Abrams had to glue his fingers together in order for Quinto to do it correctly.

11. Teleportation was used in Star Trek because the budget didn’t allow for expensive shots of spaceships landing on planets.

12. Eddie Murphy wanted a starring role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. A part was written for him, but he ultimately disliked it and chose to make The Golden Child. Murphy later said this decision was a mistake.

13. Space Shuttle Constitution had its name changed to Enterprise following a letter-writing campaign by Star Trek fans.

14. Stephen Hawking guest starred in an Episode of Star Trek, as himself, playing a game of poker with Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton and Data.

15. Patrick Stewart thought Star Trek: The Next Generation was going to be a huge failure and originally only signed on for a paycheck and a sun tan!

16. The original flip phone design was inspired from the communicator used in the Star Trek series.

17. The first entirely computer generated movie sequence in cinema history was the Genesis Device demonstration video in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The studio that made the scene would later become Pixar.

18. DeForest Kelley refused to deliver his catchphrase “he’s dead, Jim” at the end of Star Trek II for Spock’s death, feeling the line was too glib for the moment’s gravitas, which is why Scotty says, “He’s dead already.” instead.

19. James Doohan, who plays Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott ( Scotty) on Star Trek, is missing the entire middle finger on his right hand (he lost it on D-Day).

20. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ all of Khan’s men were Chippendale dancers at the time.

21. When the original “Star Trek” became a hit on TV, Leonard Nimoy’s dad, who worked as a barber, offered customers a “Spock cut” at his barbershop.

22. After Star Trek was canceled, Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhara) volunteered for a special recruiting project at NASA where she recruited America’s first and second female as well as black male as astronauts.

23. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) was unable to do the Star Trek Vulcan Salute. Originally a hand gesture of various Jewish denominations, Shatner required fishing line to tie his fingers into the now-famous salute.

24. A planned sequel series to Star Trek, titled “Star Trek: Phase II,” made it into preproduction and had 13 episodes written before getting binned in 1977.

25. Tom Hardy looked at pictures of Napoleon and Hitler to draw villainous inspiration to play Jean Luc Picard’s clone in Star Trek: Nemesis.

26. There are 721 lens flares in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009). See all those compiled lens flares in this youtube video here.

27. In Star Trek, Spock was supposed to be a female character, but was changed during the show’s production.

28. There is a (licensed) crossover series between Doctor Who and Star Trek.

29. Patrick Stewart has directed 4 episodes of “Star Trek – The Next Generation”

30. During season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation some of the male crew members had skirts on (usually in the background). This was “a logical development, given the total equality of the sexes presumed to exist in the 24th century.”