Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)
StarTrek

The StarTrek.com homepage as of 1 September 2023

StarTrek.com is the official Star Trek website. It features news, videos, the official Star Trek podcast, galleries, and other exclusive content.

Early iterations[]

The startrek.com domain name had been registered by 1994. (The Age, 16 August 1994, p. 30) The website was launched that year as a promotional hub for the upcoming film Star Trek Generations. The following year, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor were involved with adding information about Star Trek: Voyager to the website. Added content included the series bible, personnel files, audio files, mission logs, a technology section, and a quiz section. (Launching Voyager on the Web)

Star Trek Continuum logo

Logo of Star Trek: Continuum

On 10 July 1996, the main content of StarTrek.com was migrated to a new website named Star Trek: Continuum. At its launch, the site was exclusively accessible through the Microsoft Network (MSN) and hosted by startrek.msn.com(X) . It was produced by Paramount Digital Entertainment, which co-designed it with The Digital Foundry.

Star Trek Continuum website

The Star Trek: Continuum homepage

Star Trek: Continuum featured: detailed information about Star Trek episodes, films, characters, actors, aliens, and technology; the Klingon Compendium, a database of information relating to the Klingon Empire; discussion forums; exclusive Star Trek news releases; a 3-D chat styled after Quark's Bar; and full-screen graphical menus, audio clips, video clips, animations, and multiple chat rooms. [1]

In September 1996, to mark Star Trek's 30th anniversary, Star Trek: Continuum hosted an online fan vote for the Trekker's Choice Awards.

1998–2007[]

StarTrek

StarTrek.com

In December 1998, Star Trek: Continuum was migrated to www.startrek.com and opened to users outside of MSN. (Launching Voyager on the Web) The new site was visually modeled after the LCARS interface used by Starfleet in the 24th and 25th centuries. The content of StarTrek.com remained sparse until 2000.

StarTrek

StarTrek.com on screen

In the VOY Season 1 DVD special feature Launching Voyager on the Web, then-StarTrek.com Supervising Producer Marc Wade was interviewed about bringing Star Trek: Voyager to the web. Using a modified screen capture from the episode "Parallax", a computer showed the website on its screen. The site and its structure were also briefly discussed in the TNG Season 2 DVD special feature "Mission Overview: Year Two".

Tim Gaskill served as Editorial Director of the site and was later engaged as Senior Content Producer from 2000 to 2007.

StarTrek

The StarTrek.com library as of 14 February 2004

In August 2003, StarTrek.com discarded its LCARS look in favor of mostly gray color scheme.

During the airing of Star Trek: Enterprise, a number of podcasts were produced for the site, serving as audio commentaries, with an additional one for Star Trek: The Motion Picture (The Director's Edition) to boot. Those not included on later released home media formats, The Director's Edition being one of them, are currently preserved on TrekCore. The podcast phenomenon was introduced by Larry Nemecek in 1996, who served as producer, editor and contributor on the site.

In 2003, a Flash-animated series called "The Young Hunter" was hosted on the site.

In 2005, following the Viacom split, StarTrek.com fell under the purview of CBS Interactive, whereas it had previously been operated by Paramount Digital Entertainment. [2]

On 14 December 2007, it was announced that the entire production team responsible for StarTrek.com had been laid off. [3] The layoffs came as the result of cost cuts and corporate reorganizing and restructuring at CBS Interactive. [4]

2010–present[]

StarTrek

The relaunched StarTrek.com homepage

On 5 May 2010, after over two years of inactivity, it was announced that CBS Consumer Products would launch a new version of StarTrek.com in the summer of 2010, designed by Funny Garbage. The relaunched site was to feature content from major Star Trek fan sites including TrekMovie.com, TrekToday, and TrekWeb(X) , as well as exclusive news content. [5]

The newly-designed site was launched as a beta version on 14 July 2010. It was composed of six main sections: news, videos, database, galleries, boards, and store. The videos section of the site not only featured interviews, documentaries, and previews for episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager, but for the first time featured full-length episode streams of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Enterprise. Compared to the old version of the site, the new one had a very heavy focus on merchandising. [6] From the moment the site was relaunched, Ian Spelling became until 2019 one its more prominent staffers, essentially becoming Nemecek's successor.

StarTrek

Appearance in 2022

In March 2013, the site underwent another redesign, but its structure remained relatively unaltered. This happened again in November 2015, and yet again in January 2019. The most recent redesign given to StarTrek.com occurred on 1 September 2023. This one is notable as it has temporarily removed the database. [7]

Star Trek Shop[]

Star Trek Store logo

The Star Trek Shop logo

The Star Trek Shop is hosted by StarTrek.com. The shop retails many licensed Star Trek-related items including novelties, collectibles, toys, artwork, housewares, jewelry, electronics, and clothing. All products are sold on the site by Snow Commerce, Inc., although this was done by Delivery Agent, Inc. at the time the site launched. [8] [9](X)

References[]

April, Robert T.; Inheritors' planet; Kurillian; Pentaran; Takar II; Uxali; Valdez; Yadera II

See also[]

External links[]

Advertisement