Elon Musk faces criticism from Star Trek: Voyager star Robert Picardo after the SpaceX and Tesla CEO and owner of X (formerly Twitter) took to social media to suggest, “Let’s make Starfleet Academy real!” While Musk certainly seems enthusiastic about the prospect of bringing the world of Star Trek closer to reality, Picardo, who starred as The Doctor in Voyager, had some issues with Musk potentially being the one at the helm…
“First step : Support a leader that embodies Starfleet values like diversity, inclusion and ethical behavior.”
Clearly, Picardo does not believe that Musk has the right stuff to bring the vision and ideals of Star Trek into the real world, with the controversial entrepreneur and investor’s beliefs, opinions, and political ideals being far from what Gene Roddenberry had in mind.
Diversity and inclusion have been staples of the Star Trek franchise since the very beginning. The original series featured not only one of the first examples of a Black woman in a lead role on TV in Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura, but also broke another cultural taboo at the time when she shared a kiss with William Shatner’s Captain Kirk in the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.” Something which is now cited as the first example of an interracial kiss on network television.
Picardo’s opinion of Musk and his desire to make Starfleet Academy a reality is backed up by Gene Roddenberry himself. While Musk has spent his time recently pushing conspiracy theories, sharing far-right accounts on X, and attacking the LGBTQ+ community (to the extent that his own daughter has disowned him), the Star Trek creator envisioned a world where humanity does not just tolerate, but celebrates differences. Roddenberry said of the series back in 1976…
“Star Trek was an attempt to say humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in lifeforms.
If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, than we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.”
The Exchange Has Sparked Debate Among Star Trek Fans
The exchange between Elon Musk and Robert Picardo, the latter of whom starred as The Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager from 1995 to 2001 and has since featured in the likes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nineand Star Trek: Prodigy, has sparked debate online between those who agree with the Star Trek actor…and those who don’t. “Doctor, I think we might need the dermal regenerator for that burn,” said one Trek fan, with another adding, “Voyager doesn’t have a dermal regenerator strong enough to heal that burn!”
Those who disagree feel that Picardo, not Musk, is the one who has misunderstood the world of Star Trek. “Star Fleet didn’t promote people based on race gender or sexuallity. It looked beyond all that and focused on the capability and character of the officer. Maybe you should watch the shows again,” said one user on X. Others have responded to refute these claims, with another user replying, “They also made damn sure that no one was ever held back by a single one of those things you mentioned, ever! Maybe YOU should watch the shows again.”
You can check out more fan reactions below.