During a 1997 interview with Salon, Clarke shared his thoughts on “Star Trek,” the beloved sci-fi franchise known for its space exploration themes. Despite its parallels to his own work, Clarke was not particularly enthusiastic about the series. He acknowledged that while “Star Trek” might ignite interest in space among its fans, it could also lead to unrealistic expectations. Clarke pointed out, “Because we’re not going to find new civilizations every week in prime time when we do start the exploration of space!”

Clarke believed “Star Trek” ventured too far into fantasy and adventure, often neglecting the hard science he valued. Although he cherished science fiction, Clarke felt that the genre faced inherent challenges in live-action formats, constrained by the realities of filming. Despite his significant contributions to sci-fi, Clarke was not a “Star Trek” devotee, though his work arguably paved the way for its creation.

Although Clarke may not have been a fervent fan, his influence on “Star Trek” is undeniable. Gene Roddenberry, the visionary behind the original series, credited Clarke’s writings, notably “Profiles of the Future,” as a source of inspiration. Without Clarke’s pioneering ideas, the “Star Trek” phenomenon might never have taken flight.

Clarke’s fatigue with science fiction was rooted in his passion for actual science. While many fans overlook the scientific liberties in “Star Trek,” Clarke couldn’t ignore its lack of realism. He remarked that the ultimate challenge for sci-fi shows and films is their reliance on human characters, a hurdle he felt no production could truly overcome.

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.