Portions of the Star Trek fandom should be ashamed of themselves.
There are always going to be some fans who are going to complain, regardless of what Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman does when it comes to creating content for the science fiction franchise. And actress Mary Wiseman is all too aware of the negativity some people actually try to drum up and share online. Wiseman reprises her Discovery role as Sylvia Tilly in Starfleet Academy, and she had this to say about the cruel criticism aimed at the new streaming series via an interview with TrekMovie.com. Wiseman said:
“It is a really difficult thing to suddenly be confronted with — an online presence of anonymous individuals who can work out some of whatever’s going on in their own lives, be it rage or, you know, self-loathing, and then put that onto you. It’s shocking. It’s like you always want the power of invisibility so you can see how the world feels about you. This kind of situation is like getting that power.”
Wiseman, who returned as Lt. Tilly in Starfleet Academy’s eighth episode “The Life of the Stars,” continued by saying:
“You see the worst things people could say about you and the kindest things people could say about you, and that’s how you find out you don’t want the power of invisibility actually. So, it’s really jarring when it first happens. But I HATE that anybody else has to go through that, especially young people, especially anybody just starting out. So I feel very protective. And just talking about this really makes me want to reach out to them [Starfleet Academy co-stars] and see how they’re doing.”
Before the arrival of Starfleet Academy, Discovery was often regarded as the worst Star Trek series ever produced. And Wiseman’s character, Ensign Tilly, was highly scrutinized — like the entire show was. However, I always found Tilly to be a kindhearted breath of fresh air. I won’t lie, though, I LOVED Wiseman’s Mirror Universe character Captain “Killy” of the ISS Discovery even more.
I’m truly ashamed of the so-called fans, who spend such an inordinate amount of time trying to fill the Redshirts Always Die social media channels with their hate-fueled posturing posts. These harsh haters are NOT Trekkies — don't let them fool you with their disgusting diatribe.
However, it pleases me to know that no matter how much detestation these so-called fans spew online, it won’t influence how Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman proceeds producing content for the future of the franchise. Continue chundering inappropriate nonsense online, but I assure all the haters that Kurtzman isn't going to heed your criticism. If his contract is renewed this year, Kurtzman is going to continue his Trek as he sees fit.
Share your thoughts and comments regarding the needless negativity aimed at Starfleet Academy on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!