Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, initially pitched the series as a science fiction Western set in space. He also drew inspiration from the novel Gulliver's Travels, aiming for the show to have dual levels of a suspenseful adventure story and a morality tale. The show follows the adventures of humans and aliens in Starfleet, a humanitarian and peacekeeping organization, as they navigate difficult dilemmas while upholding their altruistic values.

Star Trek often uses science fiction elements to comment on real-world social and political issues. The series, and its spin-offs, address themes such as war, peace, personal loyalty, authoritarianism, imperialism, racism, religion, human rights, and technology through the lens of the show's fictional universe. Roddenberry, the creator of the series stated that the science fiction setting allowed him to address these issues indirectly, while avoiding censorship that would have been more likely to occur if the issues were dealt directly in a more realistic setting.

Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, intended the show to have a progressive political agenda and reflect the counter-culture of the youth movement. He wanted it to show the potential of humanity if it learns from its past and stops violence. The show represented this idea through the Alien species known as Vulcans, who were portrayed as having a violent past but eventually learned to control their emotions. The series also carries an anti-war message and portrays the United Federation of Planets as a more optimistic version of the United Nations. Roddenberry's views were met with resistance from the network, who had concerns over its marketability, such as his insistence of having a diverse crew for the USS Enterprise.