The present day military, Air Force, Navy and Marines don’t captivate my American pride to “be all I can be.” But if Star Fleet — the humanitarian peacekeeping armada of outer space first introduced to us on CBS — located its future headquarters in San Francisco, I would enlist immediately.

As a teenage girl, I find myself typically plagued with an onslaught of “appropriate” things to be obsessed with: the Twilight series, clothing, makeup, boys and celebrities. Taking this into account, it may raise some eyebrows that I have an obsession with Star Trek, a 23rd century SciFi adventure show.

Filled with adventure, bravery and humanitarianism, Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura and 423 others speed around the galaxy in their trusty space ship, the USS Enterprise, to transport onto strange planets and “boldly go where no man [person] has gone before.” Despite Star Trek’s future timeframe, the lessons I learned glued to the screen and daydreaming in class are timeless.

Star Trek highlights two of the key values of humanity: doing what is morally right even in the most difficult situations, and never giving up hope. From innocent bystanders to even their enemies, the crew saves others from some of space’s trickiest aliens, dangerous planets and viruses that make Mr. Sulu rediscover his fencing ability. Apart from demonstrating the way humans (and Vulcans, Romulans and Klingons) should treat each other, Star Trek teaches audiences earthly morals. Even though Captain Kirk is a first-class player on the show — there are more than a few alien females dressed as bimbos — women have crucial roles and are just as necessary to the success of the starship as men. Who else would translate the Romulan dialect if Lieutenant Uhura was just a human housewife? Star Trek was also one of the first TV shows to promote diversity, equipped with at least five different races and hosting the first interracial television kiss between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura on Nov 22, 1968.

When strangers see me sporting my rubber Spock hat or hear me say “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain!” in a fake Scottish brogue, I’m bound to get second glances. The stares are either full of awe, shocked that someone would reference the 23rd-century Star Trek in 2011, followed by a double take as they realize that I am in fact a 16-year-old girl, or a look of general confusion. Friends have wondered if I ever indulge in “normal” aspects of teenage entertainment — that is, if you can call any of it normal. But even if I have growled like an angry werewolf through the Twilight movies and have a poster of the same ripped actor on my bedroom wall, Star Trek, and science fiction in general, easily fills the void of classic teenage girl pop culture in my life.

What appeals to me most about Star Trek is that through thick and thin the crew of the Enterprise sticks together, overcoming challenges like tribble overpopulation— as seen in an infamous episode that demonstrates “reproduce like rabbits”— while fulfilling their peaceful mission. Because Star Trek credits companionship (even if emotionless, like Spock), equality, the celebration of differences and the value of life (human or not), I strongly believe that if everyone watched Star Trek, our present-day galaxy would be a better place. Star Trek is about what it means to be human and have desires and fears. In the 2009 movie, after Kirk has cheated on the Kobayashi Maru, a captainship test, Spock tells Kirk, “The purpose is to experience fear, fear in the face of certain death, to accept that fear, and maintain control of oneself and one's crew. This is the quality expected in every Starfleet captain.”

The show’s focus on the realistic feelings that all intelligent life forms experience reinforced a positive, reassuring lesson while transitioning from middle school to high school, making Kirk, Spock, Bones and Uhura all mentors. When applied to my life, the influence is more effective than a ship-wide red alert — and I’d take my role models’ excellent influences over vampire groupies any day.

Although my friends roll their eyes and groan when I recall a memorable scene or base a class presentation on Star Trek, being engrossed in this Scifi classic is an odd and distinguishing personality trait. Rather than let society label me as odd and out-of-place, even in outer space, I should point out society’s flaws. By watching Star Trek, I have learned to value negotiation instead of violence and enjoy quirky people. To some, it is peculiar to hear that a few of my greatest lessons were learned from a 20th century TV show — but all values aside, it simply means I’ll be ready to enlist in Star Fleet when its headquarters finally open in San Francisco.

A version of this article first appeared in the Dec. 8, 2011 print edition of The Lowell.

Illustrations by Vivian Tong