10 Ways Star Trek Changed People's Lives
6. Star Trek: Generations Was The First Film To Have A Website
Not only has Star Trek revolutionised home media, sent women into space and inspired a decidedly dodgy branch of the United States armed forces, it also changed the face of movie marketing! Prior to the release of Star Trek: Generations in 1994, Paramount pictures launched an official website for the film that offered images, sound files and, unsurprisingly, a QuickTime trailer.
It was the first website of its kind, which played into the massive marketing push for the film. The buzz around the film followed on from the well-received finale to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Not only that, but it promised to pair up Star Trek's two most-popular Captains. Star Trek was a huge franchise by this point, Deep Space Nine was beginning its second series, whilst Voyager would launch the following year. The show's cancellation in the late 60s was now a distant memory.
With such a fervent, technologically savvy fan-base to attract, it's no surprise that Paramount decided to dip their toes into the world of digital marketing. Films had been promoted online before, but this was the very first time that a marketing team would fully dedicate a site to the intricacies of one feature film.