Star Trek first beamed into our lives at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, 1966, and the science fiction world was never the same. The show, though canceled after just three seasons, went on to become a lasting pop culture phenomenon that has spawned an entertainment empire, with movies, spinoffs, merchandise, and a fan following that few intellectual properties can match.
But Star Trek proved to be more than just an entertainment property. The technology the show imagined inspired many future developers to try to recreate the gadgets they saw growing up. And some of those fantastical devices have become part of daily life, even if we’re still a long way from launching our own five-year mission to explore strange new worlds.
Here’s some of the on-screen technology that has become real.
Communicators
Captain Kirk and crew stayed in touch with each other and the Enterprise via a handheld device that flipped open. Modern technology managed to replicate that by 1989, with the release of the first Motorola StarTAC phone, and arguably perfected it with the Razr in 2004.
The technology, of course, has continued to improve, and the “communicators” we carry today, in the form of iPhones and the wide assortment of Android devices, do a lot more than just let us talk to others. Still, Martin Cooper, who has been credited with the invention of the first handheld cellular phone in the 1970s, said his inspiration for the first cell phone was, in fact, Star Trek‘s communicator.
Universal translators
Lt. Uhura had lots of duties on board the Enterprise, but figuring out what the aliens were saying wasn’t always one of them. That was the job of the ship’s universal translator. Today, there are several tools that provide instant translation of foreign languages, though they’re not too useful should a Gorn want to strike up a conversation.
Those range from apps such as Google Translate and iTranslate to AI-assisted earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds4 line and Timekettle’s W4 Pro, as well as handheld translators like the Vasco V4 Language Translator Device.
Voice-interface computers
In 1966, seeing Mr. Spock talk with the ship’s computer was something few people could imagine. Today, millions of people do that on a regular basis, interacting with the Amazon Echo device sitting on their counter, asking Siri to call up some information, or even telling their vacuum to tidy up the floors. Most states, in fact, require drivers to avoid picking up their cell phones while behind the wheel but are just fine with voice interactions.
Medical tricorders
Dr. McCoy isn’t the only person with a tricorder medical scanner, though his is still much better than anything we have at the moment. A decade ago, a company called Scanadu showed off a handheld device that measured five vital signs in roughly 30 seconds. That company was acquired six years ago by Israeli healthcare startup Healthy.io.
Today’s smartwatches, meanwhile, fill some of the same roles as a tricorder, monitoring your heart rate, sleep schedule, blood pressure, and more.
Replicators
The advent of 3D printers has given us the ability to summon devices from thin air, much like viewers have seen in subsequent Star Trek shows (though it sometimes takes a day or two for them to assemble). The technology can create everything from custom prosthetics to engine parts to rocket engines, as used on the Aeon 1 rocket in 2023.
3D-printed food as it was presented on the show isn’t possible, but specialized devices can create edible layers using food powders and a liquid binder. That can make a decent confection, but it’s still a long way from learning to make Gagh.
Hyposprays
Shots on Star Trek were needle-free, something any child watching was particularly envious of. What few realized, though, was that jet injectors were actually already a thing at the time. The device uses high-pressure gas to propel a high-velocity stream of liquid medication through the skin. The tech is still around today, but doctors haven’t given up the needle for the most part. Sorry, kids.
(Coming soon?) Warp drive
OK, no, the warp drive is still a fantasy. Faster-than-light travel, as NASA will tell anyone who asks, is still imaginary at present. That doesn’t mean it has given up on the idea. NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, houses the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project, where NASA engineers are hoping to produce “near-term, credible, and measurable progress toward the technology breakthroughs needed to revolutionize space travel and enable interstellar voyages.” The Tau Zero Foundation, meanwhile, is also seeking advances in propulsion that could make interstellar flight possible.