Star Trek: The Original Series the 23rd century bearing a crew dedicated to exploring the Milky Way Galaxy. Roddenberry noted a number of influences on his idea, some of which includes A. E. van Vogt's tales of the spaceship "Space Beagle", Eric Frank Russell's "Marathon" series of stories, and the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956). Some have also drawn parallels with the television series "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" (1954), a space opera which included many of the elements that were integral to "Star Trek"—the organization, crew relationships, missions, part of the bridge layout, and some technology. Roddenberry also drew heavily from C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
Star Trek: The Original Series who have mistaken the fictional series for reality. The main characters are parodies of "Star Trek" characters, and many of the plot elements refer to or parody popular 1960s TV-series customs. John Scalzi's novel "Redshirts", winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel, uses the theme of red-shirted Star Fleet officers as cannon fodder. "Star Trek" has inspired many fans to produce stories for free Internet distribution. Many of these are set in the time of "The Original Series", including "" which was nominated for a Hugo Award and received support from actors and writers who were involved with