Think You're a Die Had Trekkie..?
During the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s, two men -- Gene Roddenberry and Sherwood Schwartz -- developed TV shows with a similar, fundamental premise: The characters would be a microcosm of the world, and only through cooperation could they overcome their differences. Shwartz marooned his creativity on Gilligan’s Island with seven imbeciles who deserved each other.
Alternately, Star Trek, Roddenberry’s creation, featured a cast with groundbreaking diversity; it confronted relevant social and intellectual issues, and it was set against the vast expanse of the unknown universe, instead of on a confined island.
This approach struck an unparalleled chord, and four decades later the full Trek franchise is worth billions of dollars. It has been explored through six television series, 10 films, hundreds of novels, scores of video games, a Vegas attraction, and untold merchandising opportunities, from T-shirts and action figures in the millions to a limited-edition golf putter shaped -- you guessed it -- like the USS Enterprise.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2fefp6