Sincer there's no Star Trek content left to arrive on the 2025 TV schedule, fans have had more time than usual to consider what's on the way and debate the future direction of the franchise. On the heels of my thoughts on the discourse surrounding the Starfleet Academy trailer comes a new take, and one that led to a pretty big f-bomb from Lower Decks' showrunner.
An article is making waves in the fandom, coming from Giant Freakin Robot. The article, titled "Most Trekkies Are Republicans, Star Trek Can Embrace It Or Die," contains a lot of hardlined claims about the people that comprise Star Trek's fandom, suggesting that the franchise pursue more conservative storytelling that caters to a primarily male audience. The piece also suggests Trek creatives do not need to cater to women viewers, with the following line serving as a generalization about that particular demographic:
Women are not usually interested in science fiction, but that’s doubly true of Star Trek in particular.I hear you, random guy who once knew some lady who watched every Voyager episode. I see you on Instagram, attractive girl cosplaying in Starfleet miniskirts. Unfortunately, you very cool Trek-girls are the exception, not the rule.
As one might imagine, the article drew quite a few critical takes online, with both male and female fans sounding off about the Trek assertions made. The article came out months ahead of Starfleet Academy, which will feature Oscar-winning actress Holly Hunter as the lead.
Lower Decks' Creator Entered The Conversation
Mike McMahan, whose Star Trek: Lower Decks was universally acclaimed by the fandom for its storytelling and callbacks to the franchise before its cancellation, hasn't been afraid to speak out when he feels the need. Apparently, this article was one of those times, as he posted the following on Bluesky in reference to women who love Trek:
My mom got me into Trek when I was a kid and most Trek fans I know/ encounter are women. And the lead of my Star Trek show was a woman, as was the captain of the ship. So shut the fuck up.
The showrunner has previously been asked by fans who felt Star Trek had gone astray to lead the franchise into a new era, and did not jive with the idea that the franchise should turn away from considering and catering to women going forward. While he's not currently working in the franchise, at least anything publicly acknowledged, he still has a lot of love for it as a lifelong fan.
The current conversation about Star Trek's future is taking place after the completion of the Skydance acquisition, and the growing questions surrounding what is ahead for the franchise that has not had a movie in theaters for a decade, and no new shows announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Additionally, the current top brass for the franchise, Alex Kurtzman, will end his contract with the franchise toward the end of 2026 should it not be renewed.
It's safe to speculate that Star Trek may have a new EP overseeing things a year from now, which has given many fans the impetus to speak out about what they believe the next few years of Trek should look like.
Star Trek: Lower Decks is available to stream in its entirety over on Paramount+. We're still waiting on Starfleet Academy to show up in early 2026, and Season 4 of Strange New Worlds. I'm also hoping for some updates on what's on the way, but we'll just have to wait and see!
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