Do you think Star Trek is a positive influence in getting people to think beyond science fact?

Yeah, absolutely. It's the classic example of the shows back in the 60s that the original series took on very topical issues, race relations being the obvious one, but all sorts of topical issues.

It used science fiction to tell it in a way that wasn�t hitting the nail on the head quite so blatantly. They wouldn�t come out and say, �Well, this is about blacks and whites getting along,� they�d say, �no, this is about the alien race that has, one side is white and one side is black, but the other people, that have it switched around, we don�t like those,� It would give a very contemporary moral tale � or an ethical tale - and it would tell it in an entertaining way more like a fairytale. That�s what I think Star Trek does very well.