Since its premiere in 1966, Star Trek has been a pop culture phenomenon that now spans many television shows and movies, and it has been referenced in numerous other TV shows as well. Star Trek has become so ingrained in American popular culture for so long that many movies, books, and television shows call back to it. There are far too many Trek references across all of pop culture to list them all, but some of the best ones are found in the world of television.
This shouldn't come as a surprise as television is where Star Trek itself excels. Even reducing the list to just television shows still left far too many to list, as few franchises are as enduring and beloved as Star Trek. It certainly proves the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Here are 10 of the best Star Trek references in other television shows.
12 The Big Bang Theory 
The Big Bang Theory contains too many Star Trek references to list them all, so it had to make it on this list. The four main male characters are huge Trek fans, and they regularly quote and reference the various Star Trek shows. In one episode, they dress up as Picard, Data, Worf, and a Borg drone to attend a comic convention, but stop on the way to take photos at a National Park where several Star Trek episodes were filmed. Though The Big Bang Theory contains a ton of Trek references, it feels a bit like they were going for quantity over quality. While a few of the references are deep cuts, many of them feel a bit too obvious for Trekkies like Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and his friends to be making. Still, it's fun to see so many Star Trek actors make appearances and to have such a mainstream show that makes this many references to Trek.
11 Lost 
For a show that didn't exactly feature any aliens, Lost makes more references to Star Trek than one would expect. Early on in the show, a couple of the characters discuss the idea of redshirts in Star Trek: The Original Series, and throughout the show, several characters are wearing red shirts when they die. There are several other, smaller references sprinkled throughout Lost. Sawyer (Josh Holloway) nicknames other characters based on characters from The Original Series, and the Klingon language is also referenced. One of the episodes even featured an alternate title sequence with the USS Enterprise as a promotion for the 2009 Star Trek movie, since J.J. Abrams produced both.
10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 
A show about a teenage girl hunting vampires may not seem like the most obvious place for Star Trek references, but Buffy manages to sneak in a few. Many of the references come from Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Geller) friend, Xander (Nicholas Brendon), who is the pop culture geek of the group. At various points in the show, Xander quotes Captain Kirk and recognizes Klingon writing. When another character tells him to remain calm, he remarks that "Calm may work for Locutus of the Borg here, but I'm freaked out, and I intend to stay that way." These references are a bit more obscure than some of the others on this list, though that's not particularly surprising since Buffy did begin airing soon after TNG had ended.
9 Black Mirror 
The Black Mirror season 4 episode "USS Callister" does not actually mention Star Trek by name, the whole premise is a parody of Star Trek and toxic fandom culture. The main character in this episode is obsessed with a Trek-like series called Space Fleet, and he crafts an entire virtual reality game around that fictional world. Everything from the ship to the costumes is reminiscent of Star Trek, and the main character even talks with a Kirk-like cadence when he is in the game. Of course, the way he behaves in the game is the very antithesis of Star Trek, and it's the coming together and rising up of the other characters that feels more like a Trek story.
