William Shatner Explains Why Star Trek’s Still Relevant Today

Aside from the occasional invasion by the Borgs, Romulans, Cardassians or warring Klingons, Star Trek‘s vision of life in the 23rd and 24th centuries is pretty exciting and appealing. As Jean-Luc Picard once said in The Next Generation: “A lot has changed in three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We have grown out of our infancy.”

From the original series onwards, Trek has always done its best to be as progressive as it can, whether it be Uhura sharing a kiss with Kirk, The Next Generation‘s gender neutrality (which in early episodes, extended to some male crew members wearing skirts), Janeway’s Captaincy of the Voyager or Discovery‘s gay relationship.

But at the moment, it doesn’t exactly feel as if we’re moving towards a shining future of unity and tolerance, so does this vision of what lies ahead still feel relevant in 2018? Well, according to Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, it certainly does. Speaking at the Creative Arts Emmys, where Trek was honored over the weekend, here’s what the actor said:

Fifty-two years, what a gift to live in this story and this historic moment. Star Trek represents an ideal. One that is greater than the sum of its parts … It shows us what we can be tomorrow. Keep hope. There is possibility in the chaos. We will rise together.

Shatner makes a good point, and it’s a similar sentiment to the one Karl Urban (who plays Bones in the rebooted movies) shared the other week, too. It’s also why Star Trek continues to be loved and adored by millions of people across the globe even 52 years after it first premiered, and why the future of the property looks brighter than ever.

Indeed, Trekkies have much to look forward to over the next little while. From Patrick Stewart returning as Captain Jean-Luc Picard to a second season of Discovery coming in 2019 and, of course, Star Trek 4 still simmering away in pre-production, it’s a good time to be a fan of the franchise and we can’t wait to see where it takes us from here.