These days, it feels like we are living in unprecedented times minute by minute, but fortunately, as Star Trek fans, we can turn to our favorite series and bask in the comfort it provides. From The Original Series to Enterprise, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, these characters and settings are safe spaces, but why? Starfleet Academy actress Holly Hunter might have the answer.
In a recent interview with People, Holly Hunter revealed what she believes has kept Star Trek going for so long, saying, “Now that I'm the age that I am, I find it very comforting, and I think that I'm not alone. People love the optimism about the future that Star Trek has, and has always had from Shatner on. It's an optimistic story that goes on and on and on, and never loses its optimism.”
This is difficult to argue, since the franchise will celebrate it's 60th anniversary this September and new content remains popular and in demand.
There are many reasons people become Star Trek fans: they latch onto characters, follow their favorite actors into a series (Scott Bakula brought me into Enterprise), or they enjoy the futuristic setting altogether.
However, for so many of us, it's the idea that the future can be one of optimism, that humanity can outgrow so much of what holds it back now — poverty, bigotry, weak governmental leadership, and the rejection of diversity.
Perhaps humanity will never live in the utopia-level of bliss Gene Roddenberry envisoned for The Next Generation era, but as long as we keep looking forward with the type of optimism Star Trek has as its core, at least we have a better chance.
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