“Live long and prosper” may be the words that bring back fond memories for the average geek in America, but this may not be the case for a typical British geek. This is despite the fact that science fiction television series have been extremely popular in both the US and the UK throughout history. After the 1960s, "New Wave" science fiction began to take over television screens. 'New Wave' refers to science fiction characterized by a high degree of experimentation (Wolfe). It was during this time that the United States and the United Kingdom began broadcasting science fiction series that had a huge impact on society. Star Trek became the vanguard of American science fiction series on television, while British science fiction series could be best represented by Doctor Who, a hugely successful production that began in 1963 and continues today. Both nations revolutionized the way science fiction was shared and interpreted, being the leaders behind this "New Wave". However, the unique socio-cultural differences between the two societies lead to slightly different tracks of science fiction television series. The influence that both sets of series have had on the media and society is insignificant. One of the UK's biggest series, Doctor Who, is the longest-running science fiction show in the world. The show was so successful that many science fiction spin-off series have emerged throughout the show's history. Examples include other highly successful science fiction series such as The Sarah Janes Aventures and Torchwood. The success of Star Trek has made it a cult phenomenon, generating many references in pop culture and in the construction of the Klingon language (used by a certain species called Klingons in the series) (Day). The series was... halfway......to improving this situation and a good example would be the inclusion of Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, the first woman to take on the role of the Captain in the series. The unique cultural differences between Britain and America may have influenced how science fiction was shown on television; in terms of plot, casting and audience appeal. However, these are essentially science fiction series, fiction based on the science and technology of the future that has paved the way for millions of people to look into the unknown and imagine the impossible. Works CitedWolfe, Gary G (2005) “Coming to Terms” in Speculations on Speculations. Theories of Science Fiction, James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria (eds.), Scarecrow Press Inc, MarylandDay, Dwayne. "Star Trek as a cultural phenomenon". United States Centennial of Flight Commission. nd Web. 15 September. 2011.