True Stories: This programme examines the sci-fi phenomenon and most successful franchise in film history – Star Trek. Since the original motion picture premier in 1979 Star Trek has boldly gone onto produce multiple TV series, 11 further films and can boast the most loyal and passionate fan base in the world. The origins of this multi-billion dollar business can be traced back to one man – LA cop, Gene Roddenberry. As the world of television blossomed in the 1950s, Roddenberry began to write scripts for police dramas in his spare time. Until one day he came up with a ground-breaking new idea – Star Trek. Through key interviews with Herb Solow, the producer of the Star Trek TV series, Roddenberrys son, Rod, and Mr Spock himself – Leonard Nimoy charts Roddenberrys meteoric rise to fame and the lengths he would go to keep his series on air. Investigating Star Treks use of antimatter we reveal how one of the world’s most expensive physics experiment at CERN Switzerland is trapping the most explosive substance on the planet. In further scientific examples of Roddenberrys vision, scientists have gone on to develop the first scientific principles of teleportation, the replication of human organs by 3D printers and the creation of artificial intelligence.

Starring:

Genre:

Documentary