When Gene Roddenberry created the series back in 1964 - which later debuted in 1966, six decades ago this year - the answer to that question was easy: everyone. Because of Star Trek's impact on entertainment and culture, well-meaning fans tend to want to believe that Roddenberry set out to make a show about an idealistic future, full of stories that tackled hard-hitting social issues in sci-fi guises.
In early 2026, the Star Trek franchise will boldly go where it's never gone before: An entire TV series devoted to the institution known as Starfleet Academy. By its very nature, a show about a space academy will, of course, focus on space cadets; people training to become futuristic types of astronauts. But, Star Trek, of course, did not invent this idea, nor did that famous franchise even popularize the notion of a "space cadet."
