10 Star Trek Debates That Tear The Fandom Apart

While each entry on this list is not only a serious topic, but has been considered in a serious manner, this is an entry that concerns a topic that has brought genuine upset to members of the fandom. What does one do when they discover that an actor they felt represented one thing actually doesn’t represent that at all? 

In recent years, the question of the politics of Star Trek actors has played into more and more conversations in the fandom. This is by no means unique to this particular fandom either. Politics, as it has been described by many other writers more qualified than I, used to be dull. Say what you like for it now - it isn’t dull anymore. That, naturally, will deep into how one engages with the content presented. It has become increasingly topical to discuss an actor’s, or any member of the production for that matter, politics and stance on certain civil issues. 

LeVar Burton spoke out about ‘consequence culture’, believing it to be a more useful endeavour than ‘cancel culture.’ Several Trek actors have evoked strong feelings in the fandom through the years, ranging from Trek’s earliest faces to its newest. While social media can be a microcosm of the world at large, it is also a forum where the fans can engage with these performers directly. An old phrase springs to mind - never meet your heroes. 

Clearly, there is a negative connotation to that, assuming that they will always disappoint you. However, the opposite is also true - they can be so much more than what we see on screen which can, ironically, also affect how one engages with the content. This is a topic that is likely to become more prescient with the upcoming U.S Elections, as well as the cacophony of ‘once in a lifetime’ events throughout the world. 

The sad fact is that it is very likely that more Star Trek actors will disappoint the fans in some way. The question, for which there is no easy answer, in to what extent do we absorb it?