Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, is a science fiction universe in which humanity developed faster-than-light space travel following a post-apocolyptic period in the mid-21st century. Humans have united with other sentient species of the galaxy to form the United Federation of Planets. As a result of alien intervention and scientific advances, humanity largely overcame many Earth-bound frailties and vices by the twenty-third century. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, racism, human rights, sexism, and the role of technology.