John Boyega once described working for a major franchise as a "luxury jail," but in more recent years, it seems he's embraced his role as an ambassador of sorts for Star Wars. This includes expressing excitement for upcoming projects in the works, as well as remaining brand-loyal when someone makes the mistake about asking him to join the Star Trek universe.
Boyega is an actor that Trekkies have been fan-casting in future projects for a while now, but he confirmed during a recent Dragon Con appearance (via Popverse) that it's not an acting gig he'll be taking on. The actor might've had his share of gripes about the sci-fi fantasy franchise that hired him, but at the end of the day, he's still a Star Wars fan through and through. In his words:
I’m an old school Star Wars fan, and if you’re a Trekkie and you’ve met me at the booths, you would find that I would mention that I don’t like Star Trek.
I find that actors typically don't like to openly diss on major IPs due to how it may affect any future prospects regarding said franchise (or studio). I can't imagine him getting a call to be the lead of an upcoming Trek movie with that kind of public stance, but in fairness, it's not like we've gotten any major updates on the Trek movies that are allegedly in development.
As for why John Boyega has never been a huge fan of Star Trek, his reasoning may not come as much of a surprise to longtime fans. It's the biggest fundamental difference between the two franchises since the beginning, and it's the fact that one literally has the word "war" in the title:
I just think that on the Trekkie side they like to talk about it. On the Star Wars side, we just get active. With Star Wars, you’ve got to talk while the war is going on. In Star Trek, they give you time to have discussions. I think there’s something Star Wars can learn from that actually. In terms of me appearing in [Star Trek], I’ve got to stay on team. I’m a lightsaber guy.
Without question, Star Wars will always trump Trek when it comes to orchestrating space battles or fight sequences. John Boyega is right that the other sci-fi franchise deals more in diplomacy and saves its most tense moments in the showdowns between two leaders in a conference room, not on the battlefield.
While John Boyega noted that Star Wars could learn and insert more talking and discussion into its projects, I'd argue it already has with one series. Andor, while it still has its action, features a good deal more conversation and dramatic plotlines similar to what someone would see in a Trek series. Whether John Boyega has seen Andor, I don't know, but he should check it out if he hasn't!
I agree that it wouldn't hurt for Star Wars to lean further into the non-action scenes that make Star Trek compelling, but ultimately, one has a more niche fandom for a reason. There are some fantastic Trek shows, and many of the movies are fantastic, but will that ever appeal more to the mainstream than people with laser swords doing flips? I'm doubtful, but I still love it all the same!
Stream all the Star Wars movies right now with a Disney+ subscription, and keep an eye out for more updates on movies on the way as we close out the year and look ahead to 2026.
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