In Jonathan Frakes' 1996 film "Star Trek: First Contact," the U.S.S. Enterprise travels back in time to the year 2063, the year humanity first invented faster-than-light travel and, almost immediately thereafter, made first contact with an alien species. By "Star Trek" lore, the maiden voyage of the Phoenix, the very first warp-capable ship, caught the attention of a passing Vulcan vessel, causing them to change course, land on Earth, and shake hands with humans. It was the franchise's "Welcome to the neighborhood" moment. It also started a massive utopian rebuilding of Earth, as it had just survived several devastating wars. By "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's estimation, Earth had to almost destroy itself to have a "moment of clarity." After that, the technological, post-war, post-scarcity, post-capitalist utopia could begin.

The inventor of warp drive was Zefram Cochrane, who fashioned his ship out of a disused bomb casing. In "First Contact,...