There are times when it feels like the future has never been further away. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a vision for humanity where people had moved past petty divisions as they explored the unknown regions of space. You know the drill: “to boldly go where no one has gone before.” This weekend, Star Trek is returning to television after over a decade, and we’ve never needed it more. Like most sci-fi series, there’s definitely an element of escapism in Star Trek: Discovery. We watch these shows because they’re fun. But as Discovery star, Sonequa Martin-Green told us at the world premiere for the series, it can be so much more. It can be a beacon of hope.
“[Star Trek] shows us a future where we are all one, and it shows us we can get there,” said Martin-Green. “I feel that this is truly a piece of art activism because its simply…a picture of hope. And I think it’s a picture of the solution.”
Nerdist writer and co-star of Shield of Tomorrow, Aliza Pearl, and the Nerdist team were at the red carpet for the Star Trek: Discovery premiere, and we witnessed Trek stars old and new as they mingled together and shared their thoughts about the franchise. “The whole idea was to find new civilizations and embrace them and see what’s going on,” explained William Shatner, who set the tone for Star Trek as Captain James T. Kirk in the original series.
“Star Trek was pointedly a pro-inclusion show then, and it is now,” noted Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Akiva Goldsman. “Cultures that are other, how we find resonance and commonality, and how we learn not to fear that which we don’t understand.”
The first episode of Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on Sunday, September 24 on CBS, before new episodes move to CBS All Access.
How does Star Trek make you feel about the future? Beam down to the comment section and share your thoughts below!
Don’t miss Aliza Pearl in Geek & Sundry’s Star Trek Adventures RPG show, Shield of Tomorrow, Wednesdays at 9:30pm PST on Alpha.
Want more Star Trek?
- Our very own Matt Mira is hosting the official Star Trek: Discovery after show!
- William Shatner looks back on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
- Here are the most watched Star Trek episodes, according to Netflix.
Images: CBS All Access
