If you ask any lover of science fiction what the hottest movie release of the moment is, they would most assuredly tell you it is, I Am Legend, staring the very talented, Will Smith. Some people simply are not impressed by science fiction films or television series, but those who do love them are dedicated fans.

Some of the first science fiction movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders from Mars, The incredible Shrinking Man, The Fly, and so on, started a craze for movies of that sort. They could cover a wide range of topics from laboratory science gone wrong, as in Frankenstein and The fly, to UFOs and alien life forms and the prospects of man traveling into space.

During the 1950′s the first television series that became popular were Buck Rogers, Space Patrol, and Flash Gordon, and Science Fiction Theatre. The next biggest shows that came along were The Twilight Zone in 1959 and in 1963, The Outer Limits.

These programs dealt with a variety of different and weird situations. Then there was Lost in Space, about a family who went together on a space ship to explore the universe. This show was really popular to kids. The re runs of these series can still be seen on cable or satellite channels.

The one single television science fiction series that made a huge and long lasting impact on its adoring fans is Star Trek. It first aired in 1966. As with other science fiction shows, people either loved it or hated it. It came to have what is referred to today as a cult following. Some people that are now called to as Trekkies, were simply obsessed with the show.

The characters on the original series, Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner and Spock, played by Leonard Nemoy will always be remembered for their Star Trek roles. The original series was finally cancelled after only a short three year run, but that was by far the end of the mania that just kept holding on.

There was a cartoon series followed by several more Star Trek series with different actors but similar to the original version. There are a total of 10 Star Trek movies that are based on the original series. Nemoy, Shatner, and other original cast members played in some of these movies.

As big as Star Trek was, as more elaborate special effects were developed, it led to many more great science fiction films and television shows. The Terminator with Arnold Schwartzenegger was really successful. The television series The X Files still has a similar cult like following as that of Star Trek.