White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller took a break from implementing anti-immigration policies and plotting ways to dismantle the country’s legal system to offer some casting advice to the team behind Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Far-right X account @EndWokeness, took exception to a scene from the new spin-off, which featured three women on the bridge. “Beyond parody,“ he wrote, before responding to a comment suggesting Ozempic must have been discontinued in the future.
Miller reposted the troll and wrote: “Tragic. But it’s not too late for @paramountplus to save the franchise. Step 1: Reconcile with @WilliamShatner and give him total creative control.”
Tragic. But it’s not too late for @paramountplus to save the franchise. Step 1: Reconcile with @WilliamShatner and give him total creative control. https://t.co/HRMDcYeBnU
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) January 16, 2026
Several users were quick to point out that William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek as well as Star Trek: The Animated Series and seven Star Trek films, is now 94 years old.
British-Nigerian actor Gina Yashare and Oscar-winner Holly Hunter star in the new young adult show, which is set in the 32nd century, 900 years after the original Star Trek.
Star Trek is celebrated for its early embrace of a diverse cast, with Nichelle Nichols’ Lt. Uhura starring in the 1960s original alongside Shatner and Whoopi Goldberg, and Zoe Saldaña among the more recent crew members.
The EndWokeness account also had a problem with a scene in which a cadet instructor played by the comedian Tig Notaro is seen quoting Oscar Wilde. Elon Musk responded to the clip with an angry face emoji.
Star Trek cadets are now required to get DEI training from an obnoxious lesbian
Yes, this is real pic.twitter.com/qDFp1dfDiO— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 15, 2026
Starfleet Academy premiered on the Paramount+ streaming service on Thursday, and stars Holly Hunter, seen in the clip shared by Miller, as Captain Nahla Ake of the USS Athena.
Star Trek has long demonstrated creator Gene Roddenberry’s progressive values, with the show offering critiques of systemic oppression and breaking new ground with moments like broadcasting one of the first interracial kisses on television between William Shatner’s Kirk and Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura in 1968.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, never one to miss an opportunity to take aim at the Trump White House, responded to Miller’s complaint with a quip referencing his role as architect of the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies: “Stephen Miller saw an alien on the bridge and started drafting an executive order.”
Stephen Miller saw an alien on the bridge and started drafting an executive order. https://t.co/xWygWEZvz2
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 16, 2026
The owner of Paramount, billionaire nepo-baby David Ellison, has been criticized for cozying up to President Donald Trump following the merger between his company, Skydance Media, and Paramount last July.
Prior to the merger, which needed the approval of Trump’s ICC chairman Brendan Carr, Paramount settled a lawsuit with the president, agreeing to pay him $16 million in order to do so, and cancelled Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show, in what many saw as an effort to ensure the merger would be approved.
Following the merger, Ellison installed the MAGA-curious founder of The Free Press Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Since her appointment, Weiss has transformed the once-respected news network, overseeing changes to reporting that are more sympathetic to the Trump administration, even going so far as to prevent the release of 60 Minutes reports that may paint the White House in an unflattering light.
Her efforts have caused significant concern, with George Clooney telling Variety last month, “Bari Weiss is dismantling CBS News as we speak.” Clooney played celebrated CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow in both the stage and screen versions of Good Night, and Good Luck.
The Trump administration has attempted to openly influence Paramount’s creative decisions before, with Trump himself reportedly leaning on Ellison to produce a fourth film in the Rush Hour franchise.
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