Then there's Star Trek – a lasting tribute to the visionaries who imagined space exploration and advanced technology during the mid-to-late twentieth century, a time when the world was still largely analog.

Not so long ago, machines like ENIAC at UPENN and MIT's Project Whirlwind were running with reels of tape and spinning components. As these massive systems gradually evolved into the personal computers we know today, and as a new generation of digital users emerged, Star Trek was already telling its futuristic tales. The show depicted a sleek spaceship filled with high-tech buttons, blinking lights, and dials that enabled incredible feats—some of which, now powered by LLMs, have become real.

The Star Trek Set Tour in Historic NY

Located just a short distance from Fort Ticonderoga—where the French and British clashed over 250 years ago, before the United States was officially born—the Star Trek Set Tour in Ticonderoga, NY brings the iconic sci-fi series to life. Just a couple of centuries later, look at the leaps we’ve made.

In a former supermarket nearby, James Cawley has meticulously reconstructed much of the original Star Trek set and costumes—set 250 years into a fictional future. And it's nothing short of incredible.

The venue welcomes the public for a modest entry fee, and many have walked its halls. William Shatner himself has visited more than a dozen times.

I recently made my annual pilgrimage and had the chance to speak with Cawley about his passion project.

Talking to him gives you a sense of what it was like to build these retro pieces from the ground up. In the late 1980s, Cawley cold-called the studio during production of Star Trek: The Next Generation and landed a position on the costume team. When his supervisor passed away, he was given the original blueprints from the 1960s series, which he used to recreate the sets. He also rewatched the original three seasons to capture the authentic look and feel.

“It aired at the perfect time,” he said of the original show. “It had a message that needed to be heard by the right people. Kennedy had just been assassinated, and we were going through a lot as a country. And Star Trek had the guts to say on television: ‘No, we’ll be okay. We’ll get there, and we’ll do it together.’”

He also reflected on how media evolved from VHS and DVD to Blu-ray and 4K, and how computing hardware evolved alongside it.

“We’ve had to dismantle and rebuild things,” he said, pointing out some of the set pieces visitors see during the tour.

He noted that the project has had a deep emotional impact on many visitors—some cry, others don’t want to leave. To me, this reflects the power of nostalgia. As our lives change so rapidly, we often find comfort in reconnecting with the past.

The Serene Setting

As for why this makeshift museum is located in Ticonderoga rather than a major city, Cawley explained the practicality of the decision.

“You’re talking about 13,000 square feet,” he said. “In a big city, that would cost millions, and it wouldn’t be feasible. You wouldn’t sell enough tickets to justify the cost. Even Las Vegas couldn’t sustain a Star Trek experience long-term because of high real estate costs. But here, in a small town, it works.”

Star Trek Through the Lens of AI

Consider this: in the 1970s and 1980s, shows like Star Trek gave us a kind of preview of AI through their futuristic imagery. Looking at the dated props and the stagecraft used by cast and crew, you can see the early hints of what we now experience thanks to neural networks.

My Visit: A Visual Experience

As I walked through the recreated sets, I saw the same visuals that the original actors would have seen as they boldly went “where no man had gone before.”

Here are some of the photos I captured during my visit to the set.

And perhaps this illustrates how many of us view the future of AI—we’re seeing it through the lens of vintage science fiction. Just something to think about.

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