Images of the International System and the Cold War in Star Trek, 1966–1991

As a work of popular culture, Star Trek incorporated U.S. perceptions of the Cold War, the Soviet adversary, the Third World, and the dilemmas of power in the international system. This article discusses both Star Trek series produced during the Cold War, highlighting continuities as well as interesting changes in popular perceptions during the final 25 years of that conflict. The article deals not just with "linear" allegories of the Cold War on the factual level (e.g., Vietnam), but also with the series' exploration of broader notions, such as leadership, threat perception, deterrence, the use of force, worldviews, the impact of the search for détente (1960s), and the end of the Cold War (1987–1991)—that is, the wider nexus of power and ideology that shaped the Cold War.