In a 1997 conversation with Salon, Clarke shared his thoughts on “Star Trek,” the iconic franchise that, like his own stories, celebrates space exploration. Surprisingly, Clarke’s enthusiasm for “Star Trek” was somewhat muted. While he acknowledged the series’ ability to ignite public interest in space, he expressed concern that it might be counterproductive. He pointed out that fans transitioning from the fictional adventures of “Star Trek” to real-world star-gazing might face disappointment, as space exploration won’t deliver new civilizations weekly in prime time.

Clarke felt “Star Trek” veered too far into fantasy adventure, lacking the scientific rigor he valued. Despite his deep affection for the sci-fi genre, Clarke was skeptical about its portrayal on television and film, citing the challenges of representing such expansive ideas within the constraints of live-action production. Thus, while he may have indirectly influenced “Star Trek’s” existence, Clarke himself was not an avid fan of the series.

Despite Clarke’s lack of enthusiasm for “Star Trek,” his influence on the franchise is undeniable. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the original series, credited Clarke’s writings, particularly “Profiles of the Future,” as a source of inspiration. Without Clarke’s visionary works, “Star Trek” might not have materialized as we know it today.

Arthur C. Clarke might not be the most enthusiastic “Star Trek” viewer, but he is an important figure for the series itself. Gene Roddenberry, the man who created the original “Star Trek” series, has said that Clarke’s writing, and particularly his book “Profiles of the Future,” helped inspire the show. Without Clarke, there might not be a “Star Trek” franchise today.

Despite Roddenberry’s claims, Clarke doesn’t take any credit for his influence on “Star Trek.” Speaking with Salon, Clarke said he didn’t see any particular signs of his own work in “Star Trek,” but he admitted, “There are of course common elements in almost any science fiction.” Sadly for Clarke, those common sci-fi elements started to wear his patience thin. In the Salon interview, he continued, “I’ve seen it all, really, in science-fiction movies and videos. And I’m a little bit tired of it.” 

Clarke’s exhaustion with sci-fi had everything to do with his interest in real science. There are questionable things in “Star Trek” we all ignore, but Clarke couldn’t look past the show’s complete lack of scientific realism. In fact, Clarke said that he thought there was one major problem that no sci-fi show or movie would ever be able to overcome: all of the humans. 

Anyone who’s read or seen “2001: A Space Odyssey” knows that Clarke envisioned space as a much stranger and more incomprehensible place than we see in most other sci-fi properties — even if he got some of the science wrong in “2001” (it’s not like he could predict every scientific advance, to be fair). Most sci-fi shows didn’t interest Clarke because they were just too focused on human beings. Clarke told Salon, “We know that central casting can’t come up with an intelligent blob of something or other; it wouldn’t be very exciting. So that’s a limitation of any science fiction on movie or TV.” Clarke said that he imagines real alien life is as far from humanoid as possible, and that he theorizes, as several biochemical scientists do, that some forms of life might even be made out of silicon — not carbon, like everything we know. Including our own bodies.

Clarke made that statement in 1997, but today he might be a little less harsh on the limitations of film. Motion capture technology has given filmmakers the ability to create almost any kind of alien creature they can imagine. The “Avatar” movies feature too many humanoid aliens for Clarke’s vision of extraterrestrial life, but the world of Pandora is a great example of how modern technology might get sci-fi movies past the problem of casting humans.

An adaptation of another famous Clarke novel might be the real test of whether or not sci-fi movies can capture the author’s version of alien life and technology. Denis Villeneuve will reportedly adapt Clarke’s “Rendezvous with Rama,” which follows astronauts exploring a massive and genuinely alien vessel.