Star Trek: The Original Series star William Shatner, or at least his social media team, has waded into the culture war over the latest installment of the franchise. On Twitter, Shatner quote-tweeted White House aide Stephen Miller, who was himself quoting a reactionary account dubbed “End Wokeness,” criticizing a fourteen-second clip of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Miller, in his tweet, described the largely innocuous clip of Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter), Lura Thok (Gina Yashere), and Lt. Rork (Tricia Black) as “tragic” and suggested that Paramount should turn the Trek franchise over to the 94-year-old Shatner; what Miller believes is “tragic” about the clip remains unsaid. Shatner jokingly agreed, suggesting that Miller’s real problem was with Ake’s character wearing a pair of glasses, as vision problems should have been corrected in the far future. Shatner himself, in-character as Captain James T. Kirk, dons a pair of eyeglasses in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, as he is said to have an allergy to the medication that corrects it. However, several other characters are seen wearing eyeglasses in other Star Trek productions, including the Federation President (Kurtwood Smith) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Star Trek: Picard.
Has William Shatner Been in Charge of ‘Star Trek’ Before?
Shatner, who starred in three seasons of Star Trek and seven theatrical movies, took the captain’s chair behind the scenes for one project: 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Coming on the heels of the critical and financially successful The Voyage Home (which was directed by longtime castmate Leonard Nimoy), The Final Frontier saw the Enterprise and its crew hijacked by Spock’s long-lost brother, Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) and taken to the center of the galaxy, with the intention of confronting God. With cheesy special effects, an underwhelming villain, and misplaced humor, The Final Frontier was a letdown with fans, critics, and moviegoers in general; it garnered a 22% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and sufficiently underperformed, jeopardizing the franchise’s big-screen future. Fortunately, the subsequent film in the franchise, The Undiscovered Country, allowed the original Trek cast to go out on a high note.
Critics have not agreed with Miller and his cohorts, as Starfleet Academy currently holds an 87% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s Samantha Coley gave the series a sparking review, calling it “the best Star Trek series of the modern era.”
The first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are now streaming on Paramount+; new episodes will premiere weekly. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
- Release Date
-
January 15, 2026
- Network
-
Paramount+
- Showrunner
-
Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau
