Star Trek was never Paul Giamatti's son's favorite fandom, despite the fact that it may now be deeply embedded in his DNA. The Oscar-nominated actor recently reflected on his son's early years and how the sci-fi genre was already evolving. Giamatti made his debut in the Star Trek universe in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and he noted in his interview with People that the galaxy far, far away simply possessed the cultural momentum. The actor said of his son:
“He's almost 25 now and it's like he appreciated it [Star Trek]. At the time he was a kid and growing up, Star Wars was in the ascendant, and so he got infected with the Star Wars thing more than the Star Trek thing. I could never quite hook him in the same way. He definitely enjoys it, but I think ultimately he became more of a Star Wars kid.”
For longtime Trek fans, Giamatti’s situation will sound familiar: a devoted Star Trek parent raising a child in an era dominated by lightsabers, not tricorders. While Star Trek has enjoyed a streaming-era resurgence, the modern blockbuster landscape, and a steady stream of Star Wars movies and series, has often made that franchise the default gateway into sci-fi for younger viewers.
Still, Giamatti emphasizes that his son does like Trek; he just bonded more intensely with Star Wars. It’s a reminder that, even in the same household, fandom can fork into different quadrants, with one generation quoting Kirk while the next debates Kylo Ren.
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