I find myself writing and rewriting this article over and over again and, at first, couldn't seem to understand why. I'm just writing about "Star Trek;" after all, it's not rocket science, it's science fiction. But I can't seem to find the words I need to capture its enormity in my life. And then I came across this quote by series creator Gene Roddenberry and suddenly, I wasn't at such a loss for words anymore.

'"Star Trek' was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there."

The idea that "Star Trek" was created in a time of total chaos, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement and Cold War, there was not a lot of hope that humanity could be good. But then there was this little show about space, years before we walked on the moon, that gave us hope. The original series was a thinly veiled political commentary on just about everything, from story lines about fascist regimes to respect of other cultures. The show also featured a black woman in an equal role as all of the men on the show, a Japanese man sitting alongside a Russian man, flying the ship and the first interracial kiss on television.

In a time of change and fear, "Star Trek" brought hope. And that's why it was so important to my parents growing up. And they're why it's so important to me.

My parents were never "Star Wars" people. I was born a year after the golden age that was 'The Next Generation.' The show, unlike its sometimes cheesy 60's counterpart, was more sophisticated and much more well-written than most others on television. The new crew, made up of men, women, androids and beings with genders existing outside the binary, was the 90's answer to the edginess of the original series. And it mattered, in a big way.

My earliest memory on this planet was of "Star Trek," which I think brings my parents both great joy, as well as a little bit of embarrassment. It was of the movie "Star Trek; Generations" where a little girl lost her teddy bear as she was separated from her parents during the main battle sequence. I don't know why it made such an impression on me; maybe it was because it was exciting to see a little girl, and a teddy bear, in space. I was a little girl and I had a teddy bear. The ability to see the future as hopeful enough that there were families in space, peacefully existing, that was so exciting to me: so hopeful.

As I grew older, I started to notice things beyond the laser blasts and the goofy lines like "Shut up, Wesley!" like the complex issues the show tackled and the message of growth and acceptance it promoted. When 9/11 happened while I was in first grade and most of my childhood was measured in the different colors of "terror threats" on CNN, it was reassuring to have the little haven of the future that I could turn to and escape for a little while.

It can be the future. Buried deep within you, beneath all the years of pain and anger, there is something that has never been nurtured: the potential to make yourself a better man. And that is what it is to be human. To make yourself more than you are. - Captain Picard

I find that the need for optimism in the face of opposition increases daily. Between the current political climate, with the very real and stressful possibility that we may see Donald Trump nominated for president, and the general stresses most people living in the 21st century deal with, it's hard to keep my head up. But I do. I always do.

It's easy to lose faith in humanity.

There are still people who would rather disown their child than have a child that's not straight. There's still people who scream at people trying to access reproductive healthcare and call them murderers, unwarranted. There are still people who would rather kill someone for their gender identity instead of learning to respect the identities of others. There are still people who still believe in white supremacy and think that Beyoncé's "Formation" is racist against white people.

But they'll learn. And they'll evolve.

And the reason I believe that is thanks to "Star Trek."

At the end of the day, the franchise's driving message is the idea that people are good. That there is something in us that makes us different. Something that makes us special.

It's the something that makes us crowdfund cancer treatments of strangers. The something that makes us swell with pride when we see rover tracks on the surface of Mars. The something that drives us to open soup kitchens and rally behind the underdog and protest injustice in the face of danger. Humanity is good. We are good. And we cannot forget that.

The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
And in the way our differences combine to create meaning. And beauty.

So let's boldly go. Let's see what's out there.