I don’t think this actor appreciates “what The Rock is cooking.”
What do you get when you mix up three Star Trek actors with a steaming bowl of politics? Well, it’s hard to believe that the answer would be Wil Wheaton (The Next Generation) calling Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Voyager) “a coward” (per Threads) after a social media post made by George Takei (The Original Series). That’s exactly what happened, though. So, how did we get here?
It all started when Johnson did one of those massive feature-length “why bother to read a book for breakfast” articles. In this case, Johnson participated in an interview back on June 11, which took approximately 25 minutes to read Star Trek fans! And hidden in all that arduous text, Johnson was asked about his stance on politics, or lack thereof, to which he responded at length (per Esquire):
“What I have learned through experience is that I need to keep — need, not want — the main thing the main thing. And the main thing for me, the thing that in the morning I swing my legs out of bed and I run towards, is creating. It’s art. It’s storytelling. I’ve learned I’m going to keep my politics to myself. There are moments when, hey, there’s nothing we can’t talk about. If I’m wrong, I’ll tell you I’m wrong. Or if I feel like I got a leg up and this is the right way to go, I’ll share it with you.”
Johnson continued by saying:
“Politics is omnipresent and it’s forever. I don’t like it. [Laughs.] I hate it at times. I hate the slinging. I hate all the b******t that comes with it. Because when I hear you talk about Springsteen, who I love, and this idea that he’s speaking directly to Trump in his concerts, my first thought as you were telling me that, in my head, I went, Oh, then why don’t they talk? They should sit down and talk. I don’t know where that goes, but I do know that’s an important step.”
Fast forward nearly three weeks later to Monday, June 29, and a social media post made by Star Trek icon George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, drawing attention to Johnson’s interview with Esquire. Takei wrote via Threads: “Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson's recent comments to Esquire about wanting to ‘keep my politics to myself’ have divided fans, with some calling out his silence.”
Takei then wrote on Threads: “Silence is complicity.” For those who’ve never visited Mr. Takei’s Instagram account there are tons of politically related posts. Unfortunately, after Takei revealed his reaction to Johnson’s Esquire interview, that’s when another Star Trek vet, Wil Wheaton, responded and called the A-lister “a coward.”
"So disappointing to find out he is such a coward," Wheaton wrote in response to Takei's post on Threads.
Typically, and on a personal note, I get really excited when news breaks about stories involving multiple Star Trek actors. After all, I’m a lifelong Trekkie, and I have the privilege of boldly going where no one has gone before as I cover the sci-fi franchise daily. But reading that Wheaton called Johnson a coward is not how I wanted to start my day.
If I don’t agree with someone else’s political views, I’m not going to call them a coward, especially in a public forum on social media. That’s me, though, and I understand everyone is built differently. But whatever happened to respecting one another’s differences and beliefs, even if we don’t share them?
What do you think about this turn of events? Do you think it was appropriate for Wheaton to call Johnson a coward? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the subject via the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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