"It inspires countless people": Rod Roddenberry, Akiva Goldsman and Ben Robinson share their thoughts on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Pictured: (L-R) Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Melissa Navia as Ortegas, Ethan Peck as Spock, Bruce Horak as Hemmer, Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, Jess Bush as Chapel, Christina Chong as La’an and Baby Olusanmokun as M’Benga in the official key art of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Photo Cr: James Dimmock/Paramount+ ©2022 ViacomCBS. All Rights Reserved.

MAY 4, 2022 - As we grow closer to the premier of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Thursday, May 5th, a new report from CNN Entertainment has brought together a few big names from the Star Trek franchise to shed some light on returning to the episodic, hopeful style of The Original Series. Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Executive Producer Akiva Goldsman, and Ben Robinson, Star Trek expert at Eaglemoss/Hero Collector, all spoke of their excitement regarding the latest addition to the Star Trek family.

Roddenberry, who serves as an executive producer on every Star Trek series currently in production, said, "Saying nothing bad about the other shows, but this is the one I'm most excited about [...] It's going to go back to the formatting of The Original Series. It's the kind of thing we need to get out there to give us hope.” CNN cited Roddenberry’s experience rediscovering Star Trek for himself as an adult (and the impact it has on fans), which helped him to understand the intrinsic value of the franchise. “I understand that this is just a TV show,” Roddenberry said, “but it inspires countless people to live better lives."

While Strange New Worlds has promised a  return - more or less - to the episodic roots of Star Trek, not everything will be the same. Akiva Goldsman noted that writers are paying more attention to developing the backstory of some of the most iconic Star Trek characters, including Uhura (a cadet in Strange New Worlds) and Spock. Even so, the tone of the series will still reflect the hope and ambition of The Original Series. "Dark times require hopeful storytelling," says Goldsman. "Optimism and belief in a better future is necessary for a lot of us." Similarly, author Ben Robinson chimed in to offer his opinion on the return to the ways of the past. "It's metaphorical storytelling that allows you a way of taking science and fantasy to look at your own society,” Robinson said, adding, “I am looking for The Original Series, with a 21st century budget [...] If they can combine sophisticated stories with beautiful special effects and the 1960s 'Right Stuff' energetic storytelling, then I'm going to be over the moon.”

With one more message of inspiration, Roddenberry said, "If people say, 'Why is Star Trek still around?', I will tell you why [...] It's because it's the idea of appreciating all of the things that are different and not just tolerating them, and that it's the differences that we're going to grow from."