The 9 Rules Of Star Trek

When you think of the rules that govern the Star Trek universe, you first think of the Prime Directive, which is broken all the time. The next rules are that Captain Kirk always gets the girl, and that any new crew member played by an unknown actor beaming down to the surface has a death warrant. And they probably wear a red shirt. But that's not what this video is about.

Believe it or not, there is an underlying philosophy that guides how Star Trek stories are told. Some of the nine rules governing the fictional universe may have been born of necessity, like how almost all aliens are human-shaped, but they have become incorporated into the framework of all the Star Trek movies and TV series. Some are contrary to the rules of our reality. Sometimes the rules are bent or broken, but that doesn't ruin the structure as a whole that makes this fictional universe so familiar and understandable to fans.