Georgia politician and voting rights champion Stacey Abrams got to live out every Trekkie’s dream by making a cameo in the Star Trek universe. And what a cameo it was. The gubernatorial candidate appeared in the season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery, where she played the president of United Earth.
Abrams’s character rejoins the Federation, saying “United Earth is ready right now to rejoin the Federation, and nothing could make me happier than to say those words.” She then shares a moment with Sonequa Martin-Green’s Captain Burnham, where she says, “There’s a lot of work to do, are you ready for that?” regarding the growing interstellar alliance. “I am,” Burnham replies. “Let’s get to it.”
Martin-Green had her own fangirl moment while on set with Abrams, saying “I’m still floored when I think about Stacey gracing us with her presence in our Season 4 finale … We spent so much of our time fanning out and pretending to be cool in her midst … She’s a legend in the making and a civil hero, and she was an absolute delight to work with.” Martin-Green added, “She wowed us with her charm, humility, and generosity, and she whipped out some acting chops too! It was an honor for me as a Black woman to stand with her in the story. It’s an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
Executive producer and co-showrunner Michelle Paradise shared Martin-Green’s enthusiasm, saying “We knew that [Abrams] was a fan of the show and of Trek in general, and for us, there was no one better to be that President. Alex [Kurtzman] and I reached out to her, and she was kind enough to get on a Zoom with us. We pitched her the very basics of that part of the season – just that Earth would rejoin – and then talked to her about who this character is and what she represents. We asked if she’d be interested and she was kind enough to say yes. It was just an amazing thing. She did such an incredible job, it was a privilege for all of us to get to work with her, and we’re so grateful she joined us for that.”
Abrams only request was that she avoid as many spoilers as possible. “She was very specific about that,” Paradise told Variety. “She wanted to be able to just watch it and enjoy when the show finally came out. So, yeah, we avoided all the spoilers.”
Martin-Green added, “It really signaled the culmination of the season having her there, because she’s such this symbol of hope and strength and connection and sacrifice and building something bigger than yourself that will last generations, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about doing in the story.” After filming her scene, the cast presented Abrams with an honorary trophy, captain’s badge, and a poem to commemorate her role.
Abrams, in addition to being a powerful force for democracy and voting rights, is a consummate nerd. She reads and writes romance novels, and has recruited the cast and crew of shows like Star Trek: Discovery and Supernatural to raise funds for her Fair Fight Action fund, which addresses voter suppression. Paradise said that Abrams was welcome to return to the role in future seasons, but added that she likely would be busy campaigning to be Georgia’s next governor in 2022.
(via Deadline, image: Paramount Plus)
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