Space revealed an exclusive section from Star Trek Explorer their website.
Space revealed an interesting new piece from the newly released Star Trek magazine, called Star Trek Explorer. In the section, five famous faces from Star Trek past and present revealed who they would like to see selected into a Star Trek Hall of Fame.
A Star Trek Hall of Fame is long overdue and the idea of polling the crew for who should be the first people in is an interesting idea. Though, too many of the answers steered off more into “people we liked” and not so much into the idea of a Hall of Fame.
We’re talking about the iconic of the iconic, not people you enjoyed being around. Here’s who was polled and who they picked.
Jonathan Frakes: Riker, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
"After Gene Roddenberry, of course: Bill and Leonard and De. [Production Designer] Herman Zimmerman, Michael Piller, Ira Steven Behr. [Producers] Brannon [Braga] and Ron [Moore]. Definitely Rick Berman. Thank God for Rick, because he changed my career. That would just be the tip of the iceberg."
Jason Isaacs: Lorca, “Star Trek: Discovery”
"I really think of [Costume Designer] Gersha Phillips right away. She’s an unsung genius. I made jokes about the costumes all the time being too tight, but it was pretty good for the diet and they do look fantastic. And I loved them. However, when we got to the Mirror Universe, and I got to dress like an ’80s indie rocker, I felt infinitely cooler. My kids saw the costume and went ‘Dad, you should have worn that all the way through.’"
Roxann Dawson: Torres, “Star Trek: Voyager”
"“Ethan Phillips [Neelix]. My Ethan. He’s amazing, so funny, and I love him so much. He did an amazing job with Neelix, which was really a very tough character to play. And he was so great on set. I feel he needs to be in the hall of fame.”"
Garrett Wang: Kim, “Star Trek: Voyager”
"I would say George Takei or Nichelle Nichols. I know everyone knows who they are, but there’s no underestimating their importance to … the world, really. If you think about it, in the ’60s, up until that point, there were no positive portrayals of African American women or Asian American men until those two. So, no question, they belong in a ‘Star Trek’ hall of fame."
Wilson Cruz: Culber, “Star Trek: Discovery”
"I don’t know if [Executive Producer] Alex Kurtzman gets enough credit. I give him credit because he was true to his word about Culber and Stamets, and that relationship, plus he’s taken leadership of the whole franchise."
Who should be the first people selected into a Trek Hall of Fame?
Since there are five people providing five quotes, I will pick five people. They will be four obvious selections and one wild card. Why? Why not. So who should be the first five people selected into the inaugural induction class of the fictitious Redshirts Always Die Hall of Fame?
Gene Roddenberry, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Ronald D. Moore.
Roddenberry is obvious, he created the series from which all things sprung. He’s also the guy who set the template for how the series and films of the 80s and 90s should be approached. He’s the reason the series found the legs they did, even if he didn’t always agree with the direction.
For Stewart, Nimoy, and Shatner, there are no three more relevant, and well-known characters in all of Star Trek as Jean-Luc Picard, Spock, and James. T. Kirk. They make the most sense as far as characters are concerned; for the inaugural class.
Lastly, Moore was a writer on the series, yes, but he also had a huge influence over several Star Trek properties, arguably more so during his time than anyone else not named Roddenberry. The episodes he wrote are the benchmark for greatness in the franchise and his ideas directly shaped what fans have come to expect as top-tier entertainment. Not only that, but he became an even bigger name in science fiction after Star Trek, with his marvelous remake of Battlestar Galactica.