Since it first arrived on television screens in 1966, the Star Trek franchise has used outer space and the thrilling adventures of the crews of the U.S.S. Enterprise to reflect our own world and culture. Kirk and Spock face Civil Rights issues and Vietnam War allegories while Picard, Data, and the next generation seek an ordered, post-Cold War stability in the Reagan era. The crews of Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise must come to terms with the legacy of war, manifest destiny in the 21st century, and the looming shadow of 9/11. Now, as the modern era of the franchise attempts to portray a utopia amidst a world spinning out of control, Star Trek remains a series that is about more than just the future. It is about our present. It is about us. This book charts the history of Gene Roddenberry’s creation across five decades alongside the cultural development of the United States and asks: are we heading for the utopian Federation future, or is it slipping ever further away from reality?