At 93 years old, William Shatner has apparently decided he has nothing left to lose - and thank god for that.
The original Captain Kirk publicly mocked incoming White House senior advisor Stephen Miller after Miller attacked the new Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series for being "too woke." Shatner's response was deliciously pointed, defending the franchise's progressive values while making Miller look like someone who fundamentally misunderstood what Star Trek has always been about.
Because here's the thing: Star Trek has always been "woke." That's not a bug, it's the entire premise.
The original series aired the first interracial kiss on American television in 1968. It featured a multicultural bridge crew during the height of the Civil Rights movement. The Enterprise's mission was explicitly about peaceful exploration and diplomacy, not conquest. Gene Roddenberry created a future where humanity had evolved past racism, sexism, and capitalism.
If you think Star Trek just became progressive recently, you weren't paying attention. Or you were watching it as a child and missed all the Cold War allegories and anti-war messaging.
Miller complaining about Starfleet Academy being too political is like complaining that The Twilight Zone had too many plot twists. That's the show. That's what it's for.
And Shatner - who spent three seasons embodying Roddenberry's idealistic vision - has every right to defend it. Watching a 93-year-old actor who defined the role tell a political operative that he doesn't understand is genuinely satisfying.
