Zefram Cochrane
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Zefram Cochrane is the human who invented warp drive in Star Trek in Montana in the year 2063 (although the technology had long been known to other civilizations). His first warp flight drew the attention of a Vulcan starship, and the aliens helped the war-torn Earth achieve peace and reach the stars.
The man was first introduced in the TOS episode "Metamorphosis". Kirk meets him on a small planetoid where he has been kept alive by another Trek energy cloud known as the "Companion" for 150 years.
Continuity Issues
In the TV episode, we are told Cochrane is from Alpha Centauri, rather than Earth as depicted in First Contact.
He assisted in the design and construction of the NX-01. According to ENT "Broken Bow", he left his new home on Alpha Centauri in 2119 and disappeared, only to be found by Kirk approximately 150 years later.