TheStar Trekfranchise and fandom have become ingrained in popular culture, and they are responsible for a number of recognizable internet memes.Star Trek: The Original Seriesbegan well before the invention of the internet, but the show quickly grew in popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s. By the time ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand its spinoffs, internet usage was becoming more widespread, and the shows began to develop an online following. Internet chat rooms and message boards gave Trekkies an avenue to discuss their love ofTrekand connect with other fans.
In the mid-2000s, memes began popping up all over the internet, some with photos of random animals or people, others with recognizable fictional characters. Since then,countlessStar Trekmemes have found their way to the internet,spanning theentireStar Trektimeline. Still, some memes became more popular than others, growing bigger than theStar Trekfandom and taking on a life of their own.
10Lt. Geordi La Forge & Hull Problems
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Two images ofLt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)onStar Trek: The Next Generationhave become popular as a meme used to compare two things. While this meme has been used to referenceStar Trekcontent (as seen in the examples above), it has also been used to describe everything from political commentary to someone’s taste in music.
The most popular memed images of Geordi come fromTNGseason 6, episode 9, “The Quality of Life,” as he gestures during a poker game.
Another, moreStar Trek-specific Geordi meme depicts the Enterprise-D engineer with the phrase:“If you’re having hull problems, I feel bad for you son; I got 99 problems, but a breach ain’t one.“These hilarious alternate lyrics from the Jay-Z song, “99 Problems” perfectly suit Geordi, as he took great pride in keeping the USS Enterprise-D in tip-top shape, and could always find creative solutions to a problem.
9"I Am Not A Merry Man” & Other Worf Memes
Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
After his introduction onStar Trek: The Next Generation,Michael Dorn’s Lt. Worf became one of the most popular and prolificStar Trekcharacters. For most ofTNG’srun,he served as the Security Chief on the USS Enterprise-Dunder the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Despite his stoic Klingon attitude, Worf could be surprisingly funny and delivered some great one-liners throughout hisStar Trekcareer.
Worf’s Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained
From Star Trek: TNG to Star Trek: Picard, Michael Dorn’s Worf has appeared in more Star Trek television episodes and films than any other character.
InTNGseason 4, episode 20, “Qpid,” the god-like Q (John de Lancie) sends Picard and his crew on an adventure as Robin Hood and his merry men. Upon learning of their predicament and seeing his outfit,Worf declares that he is"not a merry man,“an iconic quote that has since become a meme.Worf has also appeared in numerous other memes, including ones that point out his superiority toLt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby)and others that highlight his luscious Klingon locks.
8"Sobbing Mathmatically” & Other Spock Memes
Star Trek: The Original Series
Not long afterStar Trek: The Original Seriesbegan airing, Leonard Nimoy’s Spock became arguably even more popular than Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Spock’s popularity is reflected on the internet today in the sheer number of memes featuring the ever-logical Vulcan. From a probably fake"sobbing mathematically"caption to gangster Spock to sassy Spock, you could probably find a Spock meme for almost anything.
Spock’s"sobbing mathematically"moment comes from “The Naked Time,” and gangster Spock appears in “A Piece of the Action.”
Despite Spock’s strict adherence to logic, Leonard Nimoy often allowed Spock’s emotions to peek through his icy Vulcan exterior. Nimoy’s brilliantly subtle performance led to plenty of iconic expressions,quotes, and moments that make for perfect internet memes. Some episodes even featured a possessed or otherwise altered Spock, which allowed Nimoy to be even more expressive.
7Klingon Chancellor Gowron
It was thanks to the prominent eyes ofactor Robert O’Reilly that Klingon Chancellor Gowronbecame a particularly popular subject forStar Trekmemes. From birthday and holiday greetings to references toMonty Python and the Holy Grail,Star Trekhas a Gowron meme for almost any occasion.
Gowron appeared in four episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand eight ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nineand was a sometimes-ally, sometimes-enemy of Lt. Worf.
Likely the most recognizable aliens to come out ofStar Trek,the Klingons and their language are extremely popular among Trekkiesbut have also become a part of popular culture in general. As one of the most distinct-looking Klingons, it’s no surprise that Gowron has his own subcategory ofStar Trekmeme. There are even Gowron memes about Gowron memes.
6"Make It So” & Other Captain Picard Memes
With his consistently powerful performances, Patrick Stewart helped makeStar Trek: The Next Generationone of the best science fiction shows of all time. ThroughoutTNG’sseven seasons,Picard used certain phrases, such as"Make it so"and"Tea, Earl Grey, hot,“that came to be associated with the character. Not only have some of these quotes made it beyond theStar Trekside of the internet, but they have also been turned into countless memes.
Star Trek: Picardseason 3 introduced Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) of the USS Titan-A, and the character’s popularity has already led him to be included in numerous memes.
As Captain Picard was usually a very serious character,some of the most popular Picard memes come from behind-the-scenes bloopers.AfterTNG’sfirst season, the show’s cast became like a family and reportedly had quite a bit of fun on set, much to the frustration of some directors. A scene inTNGseason 3’s “Ménage à Troi” has also led to several memes, as Picard extols his (fake) love forLwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett)with a mash-up of Shakespeare quotes.
5Commander Riker Facepalm
One particularly well-knownStar Trek: The Next Generationmeme comes from season 3, episode 14, “A Matter of Perspective,” in whichCommander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes)is accused of a murder he didn’t commit. As Riker watches a holodeck recreation of the incident that looks particularly damning for him, he covers his face with his hand. Captain Picard made this particular move famous, but he and Riker both get to be a part of this meme.
The screenshots from “A Matter of Perspective” are generally paired with a corny joke or a pun, making it look as though Riker is reacting to Picard’s sense of humor.This meme has countless variations across the internet,many of which are genuinely funny, partly because they often feature absurd topics that have little to do withStar Trek.
4Smartphones & Insufficient Data
Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) became one ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’smost popular charactersthroughout the show’s seven seasons, and the lovable android has popped up in his fair share of memes.One of the most common memes comes from a dream sequenceinTNGseason 7, episode 6, “Phantasms,” in which Data experiences bizarre nightmares.
Data’s 15 Best Star Trek Episodes & Movies, Ranked
Data starred in some of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s greatest episodes and his quest to be human became one of the show’s best storylines.
In one of these dreams, a ringing comes from inside of Data, and Captain Picard opens his chest to reveal a corded phone. These memes make great use of puns involving the words android and data, and alsohighlight the waysStar Trekhas often predicted the future.Many other memes have had fun with the words data and android, including the ones that depict partial photos of Data with the words"insufficient Data.”
3Redshirts
ThroughoutStar Trek: The Original Series,it became a running joke that the redshirt-wearing security officers rarely made it through to the end of an episode. Whilethe idea of the doomed redshirt has become exaggerated in popular culture, more redshirt-wearing characters indeed diedinTOSthan those wearing any other uniform color.
TNG Ended Star Trek’s Redshirt Joke For Good
Star Trek is infamously known for killing off officers wearing red, but Star Trek: The Next Generation actually put an end to this trope in 1987.
Numerous memes have poked fun of this trope, andthe term redshirt has even come to refer to an often-nameless character who diesto illustrate the danger to the main characters. These memes are fairly straightforward, but they’re fun, nevertheless, because they represent an in-joke forStar Trekfans that transcends the franchise.
2Captain Janeway & Her Love Of Coffee
Star Trek: Voyager
While Captain Picard had a love for Earl Grey tea,Star Trek: Voyager’sCaptain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) preferred coffee. Not long after the USS Voyager gets stuck in the Delta Quadrant, the replicators aboard the ship are shut down to conserve power.This cuts Janeway off from her regular coffee supply,and she cannot stomach Neelix’s (Ethan Phillips) questionable alternative.
“There’s Coffee In That Nebula”: Why Captain Janeway’s Most Famous Star Trek: Voyager Quote Became A Meme
Captain Janeway’s famous quote is a big Star Trek: Voyager meme, 30 years on. But why? And IS there actually coffee in that nebula? Let’s find out.
InStar Trek: Voyagerseason 1, episode 6, “The Cloud,” the ship encounters a nebula that appears to contain omicron particles, which could be used to supplement their energy supply. Unfortunately for Janeway, the nebula turns out to be a living creature that does not appreciate Voyager poking around, and the captain doesn’t gets her coffee. After Voyager solves its energy problems, however,Janeway regularly drinks coffee on the show,leading to the many memes about her love of the perfect brew.
1Captain Picard Facepalm
Star Trek’smost famous meme comes fromCaptain Jean-Luc Picard and his iconic exasperated facepalm. Although Picard (and other characters) did variations of a facepalm throughoutTNG,the most often used image comes from the season 3 episode, “Deja Q.“When a newly mortal Q arrives on the Enterprise, he claims that Picard is"the closest thing [he has] to a friend.”
Q’s antics prompt Jean-Luc to cover his face with his hand, in a move that now adorns magnets, t-shirts, and even has its own officially licensed bust.
Only Q could frustrate Picard this much, but no one involved could have known how iconic this image would become. Online fans even combined Picard’s facepalm with Riker’s facepalm from “A Matter of Perspective” for a double facepalm meme. Like any beloved franchise with a large fanbase,Star Trekhas generated its fair share of memes, many of which have become popular even among non-Trekkies.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.
