10 Notorious Star Trek Urban Legends
1. The Communicator Inspired The Invention Of The Flip Phone
Arguably Star Trek's most notorious (and rarely clarified) urban legend concerns its indirect role in shaping the technology of the 21st Century. While it was inevitable that the gadgets seen on screen would naturally roll around sooner or later, the invention of the cell phone was alleged to have been directly inspired by the communicators of the 60s TV show.
Martin Cooper, the man credited with inventing the cell phone, was always quite happy to acknowledge his admiration for the show and, inevitably, people have joined the dots in the ensuing decades. However the truth of this one is less exciting than the myth, as Cooper has also been on record to say that the actual concept and design of the devices predates the series by a number of years.
However years later when Motorola designed the first 'flip phone', they named it the "StarTAC" in honour of the show that had influenced the look. So, as urban myths go, there's at least some truth to the story that Star Trek had a hand in the mobile phone boom.