Sixty years after audiences first watched the Starship Enterprise on television, an astronaut on the International Space Station has honored Star Trek by wearing the badge of its newest captain. The tribute comes from Expedition 75 flight engineer Sophie Adenot, who works with the European Space Agency (ESA).
Adenot wore the Delta badge originally worn by actor Anson Mount in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Mount plays Captain Christoper Pike in the show. Both Paramount and ESA shared the video on their Instagram feeds.
Adenot’s Words From Orbit
In the video, recorded from the ISS, Adenot spoke directly about the franchise’s meaning. “For 60 years, Star Trek has brought us stories of friendship and exploration,” she said. “I’m wearing Captain Pike’s badge aboard the ISS in celebration of continuing the real world work of science and exploration.”
She added a note on her own work as an astronaut. “For me, exploration and science are about curiosity and cooperation daring to go a little farther together, learning from what we discover and build, and turning that knowledge into a better future for everyone.”
The Vulcan Sign
Adenot ended her message with a classic Trek gesture. “Happy 60th Star Trek. Live long and prosper,” she said, showing the Vulcan sign. She then added: “Explore. Discover. Do it together.”
ESA’s Statement
ESA posted a written note alongside the video. The agency explained that Adenot flew the pin as part of her European “Epsilon” mission. The goal was to show what Star Trek shares with real space exploration.
“It’s a small object, but it carries something bigger—60 years of a story that taught us to dream about exploring together,” reads the agency’s post. “For more than 50 years, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.”
The Mission’s Parallels
ESA listed several ways its work mirrors the show’s themes:
- Sending people and machines beyond Earth
- Building spacecraft with partners from dozens of countries
- Asking the same question Star Trek never stopped asking
That question, per ESA, is: “what’s out there, and what can we learn from it?”
The Badge’s Journey
The pin traveled with Adenot as part of her mission. It is a small object, but it carries a larger meaning. The badge links the show’s fictional future to the real work of space flight.
A Shared History
The franchise and the space effort have been running side by side for decades. The badge itself is a physical link between the show and current orbital work.
The video ends with her sign and a call to action. “Explore. Discover. Do it together.”
Source: arstechnica.com
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