Even though the franchise has been going strong since as far back as 1966, series stalwart William Shatner took to Twitter earlier this week to remind the world exactly what Star Trek is all about.
Trekkies will know all too well that this is a franchise defined by its ambition – to go boldly where no one has gone before – while its sci-fi trappings are often a reflection of the social issues facing the world today. There’s more to it than that, of course, particularly nowadays that the series has expanded in multiple different directions. But perhaps in an effort to remind fans of the core ethos of Star Trek, Shatner posted the following sentiment and frankly, we agree with every word.
A word on Star Trek: the vision of the show from the beginning was to highlight social problems & stigmas in a way that makes you give it some thought. It may be controversial to some but it presents issues in an abstract enough way to encourage conversation. That hasn’t changed.
It’s unclear exactly why Shatner felt the need to publish the aforementioned tweet, but it appears to be in response to an altercation between several Star Trek fans online, prompting this resounding message of hope. No fanbase is without its trolls, and one need only look at the furor that surrounded Star Wars: The Last Jedi – or even the standalone Captain Marvel movie – for evidence of that. But not every franchise has a figure like William Shatner to impart some much-needed words of wisdom when the digital discourse veers off the rails.
Meanwhile, the third season of Star Trek: Discovery is due to premiere via CBS All Access in 2020, and it’ll once again chronicle the journey of Michael Burnham and her ongoing quest for answers. You could even say she’s about to go boldly where no one has gone before…
