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Space
Space
Science
Jeff Spry

60 years of 'Star Trek': The colorful origins of the rainbow warp effect

A portion of a sci-fi movie poster using a rainbow effect .

You've all seen it dozens of times, in banners, posters, trailers, and intro title sequences, that vivid rainbow-like warp field spectrum used in some capacity in nearly every "Star Trek" movie and TV series since it was first adopted for 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

The latest iteration of this prismatic display appears in episode intros of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy." In this new 60th Anniversary tribute to the trademark visual, a parade of notable Federation hero starships is seen blazing new interstellar trails toward new worlds and new civilizations.

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