William Shatner Ridicules Stephen Miller Following ‘Star Trek’ Franchise Remarks

A recent social media exchange has ignited a fresh debate surrounding the direction of the ‘Star Trek’ universe, involving a surprising clash between a political figure and a sci-fi legend. Stephen Miller, a former White House advisor known for his conservative viewpoints, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the latest installment in the franchise, ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’. Miller expressed his dissatisfaction with the new series, labeling the current state of the franchise as tragic and suggesting that it had strayed too far from its roots due to modern political sensibilities.

Miller shared a clip originally posted by an account called “End Wokeness,” which featured a scene from the new show highlighting a conversation between three female characters. In his commentary, the former advisor argued that the franchise needed to be saved from its current trajectory. He proposed a specific solution to the streaming giant Paramount+, urging them to reconcile with original franchise star William Shatner. According to Miller, the network should hand over total creative control to the man who famously portrayed Captain James T. Kirk to correct the course of the saga.

However, the 94-year-old actor’s response was likely not the endorsement Miller had hoped for. Rather than engaging with the political grievances or validating the complaints about the show’s “wokeness,” Shatner chose to employ his trademark wit. He quoted Miller’s post and feigned strong agreement, but with a twist that completely undermined the seriousness of the original complaint. Shatner jokingly focused on a minute visual detail in the clip rather than the casting or dialogue that had upset conservative critics.

The actor sarcastically pointed out that the characters in the 32nd century were still wearing glasses, noting that the failure to cure hyperopia by that point in the future was an “abysmal oversight” by the writers. He continued the bit by suggesting that a futuristic organization like Starfleet should certainly have the budget to afford more than one pair of glasses for the crew to share. By fixating on this trivial prop error, Shatner effectively sidestepped the culture war narrative Miller attempted to drag him into, turning the interaction into a humorous critique of sci-fi continuity instead.

This exchange highlights a recurring tension within the fandom of ‘Star Trek’, a franchise that has championed diversity and social progress since its inception in the 1960s. While some vocal critics argue that modern iterations like ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ and ‘Starfleet Academy’ prioritize political messaging over storytelling, others maintain that these elements have always been part of the show’s DNA. Shatner, who has generally avoided partisan political spats in recent years, managed to diffuse the situation without alienating his fanbase or validating the polarizing rhetoric. His playful offer to “assume command” was clearly in jest, serving as a reminder that he refuses to be used as a pawn in online political skirmishes.

We are interested to hear what you think about William Shatner’s humorous method of handling this criticism in the comments.