Did Star Trek inspire the Purge film and television franchise?

Did Star Trek inspire the Purge film and television franchise?

As a seasoned gamer and Star Trek aficionado with over three decades of immersion in the galaxy far, far away, I must say that it’s always fascinating to see how the ideas conceived within these fictional universes influence our own reality. The Purge series, though undeniably chilling, seems to have its roots in Star Trek: The Original Series’ episode, The Return of the Archons.


Star Trek’s inspiration remains remarkably groundbreaking, doesn’t it? Despite being over half a century old, Star Trek continues to inspire in countless ways. For instance, the movie series “The Purge” has resurfaced in our cultural conversation for unfortunate reasons. Although we won’t delve into the specifics of why it’s gained traction now, what we want to highlight is that The Purge isn’t an original idea; it draws inspiration from Star Trek’s concept of a 24-hour period of lawlessness.

Indeed, it’s not an entirely original concept. A Twitter user noted that The Purge seems to be a continuation of the idea introduced in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode titled “The Return of the Archons.” In this episode, Kirk and his crew reach Beta III right before their annual festival.

At the Festival on Beta III, residents were expected to partake in aggressive or immoral acts for twelve hours straight, and failing to do so could cause issues. Although some individuals were legally barred from attending, most were compelled to join. This spectacle left the crew of the USS Enterprise quite astonished.

It’s worth noting that the idea behind The Purge movie, with Ethan Hawke as the lead actor, was influenced by a concept that was previously presented in a Star Trek episode. Although it’s not entirely accurate to claim that this particular Star Trek episode directly inspired the film, there are similarities suggesting that the film may have been somewhat influenced by Star Trek, if not the overall plot idea itself.

As a gamer, I’ve always been fascinated by the influence of Star Trek on popular culture. Just like me, writer-director James DeMonaco grew up watching Star Trek with his old man. The intriguing storyline of “The Return of the Archons” was a significant inspiration for him when he crafted his blockbuster film series. It’s quite amazing how elements from classic episodes can spark such creative ideas!

Although Star Trek might inspire various science-fiction works now and in the future, it’s essential to maintain those concepts as purely fictional. In essence, we should avoid turning them into actual realities, as such ideas could lead to undesirable outcomes.

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2024-10-01 02:23

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