Im not wearing prosthetics, I dont get new ears or a new forehead, but my hair is different. We realized wed need someone to bring that moment to life, an Earth president to say those words that Earth wanted to rejoin and honestly, theres no one better for that than Stacey, said Paradise. Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Human) She previously told Five Thirty Eight that she hopes to run by 2040. While she will undoubtedly be busy with her gubernatorial bid for the foreseeable future, if there's one thing that people can say about Trekkies, it's that they'll find a way to make time to boldly go. Stacey Abrams makes a surprise cameo appearance on Star Trek: Discovery. Honestly, the number of times Ive seen the episode, every time I see her face, Im like, Wow, that really happened. She also speaks to the show's main character, Capt. The former statelawmaker is a known fan of the Star Trek brand she previouslyhosted a virtual fundraiserwith cast members for now-Georgia Sens. Martin-Green told Deadline she's "still floored" about Abrams, a "civil hero," "gracing us with her presence" on the show, adding, "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. National Review says candidate for governor in Georgia and self-confessed superfan does not deserve fictional title. And then I got to be outfitted for my uniform and that was just an extraordinary experience. Abrams has professed her love for the Star Trek franchise in the past, and in a 2019 interview with The New York Times, she admitted she stayed up late binge-watchingDiscoveryduring her gubernatorial campaign. She is a SAG-AFTRA cardholder with previous acting experience (she provided narration for an episode of Black-ish). You'll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. And asked if she would be a part of this with us. She has yet to concede the tight election. Abrams, the Georgia politician who's running for governor of the state this year,had a surprise cameo in the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, appearing as the president ofUnited Earth. Its a cameo appearance for sure, but one on which the entire season ends and resolves itself. Abrams is currently the only Democrat running for governor of the Peach State, her second time vying for the post after she narrowly lost in 2018. 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Portrayedby: In "Coming Home," Abramsa long-time fan of Discoveryplayed a vital role as the President of United Earth when she appeared in the finale's final minutes. Because she didnt win an election. The Georgia gubernatorial candidate and voting rights campaigner Stacey Abrams has been made president of United Earth. They also explained how they fulfilled her request not to be told of the plot of her episode, so she could enjoy it later. Brian Kemp in Georgias 2018 gubernatorial race. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue duke it out for the GOP nomination. Creator: Will Abrams reprise her role as the President of United Earth in the forthcoming fifth season of Discovery? The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. She just blew us away.". The barrier-breaking actress Marin-Green told Deadline it was also a critical moment for her as an individual. And in December 2021, she announced she would be running for Georgia governor again in 2022. The president greeted Captain Michael Burnham and her crew as the Federation and Starfleet visited Earth for the first time in 100 years, and Abrams casting as the president of the planet soon took flight on social media. Its a cameo, Ted. Abrams is a self-described Star Trek superfan, and the Star Trek universe has been littered with celebrity guest appearances over the years, ranging from Dwayne The Rock Johnson to Stephen Hawking. There was no resting, you just kept on going," Tammy Duckworth says on an episode of PEOPLE's podcast Me Becoming Mom, Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham and Stacey Abrams as United Earth President in Star Trek: Discovery. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Robert Picardo, The President of Earth was a fictional character in The Adventures of Captain Proton holoprogram. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Stacey? Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. Abrams is a former Democratic member of the Georgia state house as well as a prolific romance novelist. Junior Grade Palmer in a sixth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Abrams has been vocal about the impact the Star Trek franchise has made in her life, even using plotlines from the show to illustrate her own world views in her book Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change. The Hill has reached out to Abrams for more comment. In 2019, she told the New York Times she binged on episodes during her last run for governor. Species: This is not new. Its about giving people hope and giving them a better life and creating this vision of what is possible. Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green raved about Abrams' cameo, telling Deadline that the cast, including Chelah Horsdal, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander, were all ecstatic to spend time with the politician. Sorry for the spoilers, but you need to understand just how innocuous this appearance is before you learn how much conservatives freaked out about it. We pitched her the very basics of that part of the season just that Earth would rejoin (she didnt want spoilers, so we shared just enough to give her context) and then talked to her about who this character is and what she represents. (United Earth is later said to be a parliamentary republic, with a President as head of state, and a Prime Minister - specifically, Nathan Samuels - as head of government. Grace and Frankie: Was the Seventh Season Ending a Good Conclusion For the Show? She is seeking a rematch this year and in part thanks to her work on voting rights has risen to prominence in the national party, having been considered for vice-president to Joe Biden. IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Once she arrives at Federation Headquarters, which is currently in orbit above Earth, the President announces United Earth will rejoin the United Federation of Planets. In May, Abrams said she absolutely hopes to serve as president of the United States one day. Abrams refused to concede to Kemp, who as Georgia secretary of state oversaw the purging of voter rolls before the election he contested. ? upon learning Abrams popped up as president on the Star Trek series. And now shes gone where few political figures have gone before: actually acting in a Star Trek show. On Friday, the National Review, a conservative site, published a column about her Star Trek cameo: Stacey Abrams Does Not Deserve to Be President of Earth. Playedby: How did the producers of Star Trek: Discovery pull this off? And there have been all manner of cameos in Star Trek specifically: King Abdullah of Jordan even popped up as a crewmember on Voyager, but did not say a line (no SAG card in his case). All rights reserved. Shes so collaborative and was really just wonderful about all of it. The popular Democrat played the President of United Earth in the 32nd Century in Thursdays Season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery to help patch up the Federation. Such work has made her a target of the right. We knew that she was a fan of the show and of Trek in general, and for us, there was no one better to be that President. Get push notifications with news, features and more. And then the question became: who should that person be? 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. I went to a performing arts high school, and it was nothing like this, Abrams said in the video. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! The Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 finale is now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. We spent so much of our time fanning out and pretending to be cool in her midst, star Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays USS Discovery Captain Michael Burnham in the Paramount+ series, told Deadline. "We spent so much of our time fanning out and pretending to be cool in her midst. But Abramss fandom reached warp speed Thursday with the most recent episode of Paramount+s Discovery.. (Getty Images), STACEY ABRAMS GRILLED ON CNBC WHETHER GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE IS STILL RIGGED FOLLOWING 2018 DEFEAT, In a video post about the show on Twitter, Abrams talked about her love for the show and said she would have taken any part "whatever the story was. A scene at the end of the season four finale, "Coming Home," introduces the United Earth president, and Abrams gets several lines,announcing that "United Earth is ready right now to rejoin the Federation, and nothing could make me happier than to say those words." by: Mychael Schnell, The Hill via Nexstar Media Wire, (The Hill) Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) has beamed up to a much higher office, making a cameoas president of the United Earth on the season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery.. At the conclusion of the Earth-Romulan War and during the founding of the Federation in 2161, Lydia Littlejohn served as President of United Earth. Though much of Starfleet: Year One has since been contradicted by Star Trek: Enterprise and subsequent novels, the Star Trek: Corps of Engineers novel The Future Begins featured a reference to President Littlejohn's leadership during the war while the character makes a brief appearance in Beneath the Raptor's Wing, the first novel in the Star Trek: Enterprise - The Romulan War duology. It really signaled the culmination of the season having her there, she said, because shes such this symbol of hope and strength and connection and sacrifice and building something bigger than yourself that will last generations, and thats exactly what were talking about doing in the story.. And what has been so remarkable about every iteration of the show is that they take that same construct, but they do it so differently and so well that you never get bored with the journey., Abrams said it didnt quite matter which role she was playing, she was ready to jump onboard. King Abdullah planned to repay the favor by building a Star Trek area in the sadly never-completed Red Sea Astrarium theme park resort. So we knew that, by the end of season four, we would need to focus on Earth. Since her loss, she has become a national Democratic star and was given credit for helping bring Black voters in Georgia to the polls, which helped Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock win their special U.S. Senate elections in January 2021. Her behavior in the political sphere does not seem to bear this out., Elie Mystal, a writer for the Nation, responded: Look at how conservative white people react to a FICTIONAL black woman president.. Lets see. So we did. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? ", Casting Abrams paid off. "We knew that she was a fan of the show and of Trek in general, and for us, there was no one better to be that president," Paradise said. Abramss appearance which, again, is totally normal within the canon of the show caused a complete and total freak out within the conservative universe. Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Burnham, told Variety she was taken aback and really moved by Abrams performance. Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is on the scene to help save the cosmos in the Season 4 finale. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Stacey Abrams, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, during a 'One Georgia Tour' campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Monday, March 14, 2022. Abrams channels those like few political figures today. Shes certainly not the first politician to dabble in acting while still being engaged in politics: former Senator Fred Dalton Thompson was a series regular on Law & Order for a time and sitting Senator Pat Leahy has appeared in multiple Batman movies. Jersey Shore: Whats Next for the MTV Reality Show Franchise? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. We reached out to her people and were like we wanna just ask about this, and shes so lovely and was so excited about it and genuinely excited to get to do it. Elvis actress found dead in Nashville apartment, Hollywood residents express frustration over water, Video: Man breaks into medical office through ceiling, Man accused of assaulting woman in park bathroom, U.S. reports first polio case in more than a decade, Thursday forecast: Sunny skies and poor air quality, Man shot, killed on 710 Fwy in South Gate, House passes bill to protect access to contraceptives, Former Minneapolis police officer Lane gets 2 1/2, BA.5 makes up nearly 80% of new COVID cases: CDC. The plan to patch the Federation back together this season initially appears to be in trouble when President of United Earth Abrams tells Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) that theres nothing to discuss., But she adds, smiling: United Earth is ready right now to rejoin the Federation, and nothing could make me happier than to say those words.. Abrams agreed to the role if they promised not to spoil anything from season 4 and just give her the information she needed to play the role. In the novel Starfleet: Year One, United Earth is headed by a President. Watch the full video above. In the scene, Abrams is greeted as "Madam President" after stepping off her spaceship minutes before the credits roll and agrees to rejoin an interstellar alliance called The Federation. I mean, I have no idea. Celebrity Guest Host Show Moments, Billie Eilish Ditches Her Blonde Hair for Brunette Tresses: 'Miss Me? However, I have sufficient and I think legally sufficient doubt about the process to say that it was not a fair election.. "As we started to look ahead to the finale, we realized we are going to need a face for this moment, someone to represent Earth. They just know that whining about it will earn them some cheap culture war points, which they can cash in at a later date when they need to fire up the hate machine to pass some restrictive, repressive law that relies on driving the wedge between people. From: Part of HuffPost Politics. The Doctor The President of Earth Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 through 2017, and she was the minority leader from 2011 through 2017. She co-hosted, with Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang, the Trek the Vote to Victory online fundraising drive for Joe Biden in 2020. Abrams previously had a guest role on the show "Blackish," according to Variety. Stacey Abrams might run for president of the United States one day, but shes already won the office in the Star Trek universe. Appearance: Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Will Introduce Franchise's First Transgender and Non-Binary Characters, Stacey Abrams is the President of Star Trek: Discovery's United Earth. It is unclear who she will face in the general election as incumbent Gov. When she saw the script and we started talking about costumes and stuff like that, it was just really wanting her input on those things, Paradise said. Are you ready for that?". And I got a communicator, which Im probably going to sneak into my pocket.. "She wanted to be able to just watch it and enjoy when the show finally came out. Visit our corporate site at https://futureplc.comThe Week is a registered trade mark. Future US LLC, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. And thats why, for Paradise, she made perfect sense to cap off a two-season-long meta arc about how the Federation comes back together in the far-distant future of the 32nd Century, after Earth had left the interstellar government following a cataclysm known as The Burn. She has said she will be US president by 2040. I love Voyager and I love Discovery and of course I respect the original, she said, but I revere The Next Generation.. Champion for Alaska: Don Young, longest-serving House Republican, dies at 88, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Will Californias gun laws survive the Supreme Court. All Rights Reserved. I dont remember where the idea came from, honestly. Stacey Abrams as the United Earth President on Star Trek: Discovery, [Editors Note: The piece below shares major spoilers for the Star Trek: Discovery Season 4 finale, including its ending.]. I got a communicator, which Im probably going to sneak into my pocket, the voting rights activist said. Shes spoken at length about how much she reveres Kathryn Janeway and that Voyager is her favorite Trek show. And she was so kind. "It was just an amazing thing. Michelle Paradise, executive producer of Star Trek: Discovery, told Variety the show decided it needed a figure of suitable gravitas. Star Trek: Discovery fans were treated to a surprising cameo in the shows Season 4 finale, when politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams appeared playing the President of Earth. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Sen. Ted Cruz, who somehow doesnt have anything better to do despite his state experiencing an ongoing natural disaster, tweeted whattheHELListhis? Then, in 1996, in the Season 2 episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Investigations," King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan (then the crown prince) appeared as an uncredited extra. Shes certainly busy doing other things. Abrams is running for governor in Georgia in 2022, so she will have a lot on her plate indeed. Showrunner Michelle Paradise told IndieWire in an interview that she is still in awe that Abrams appeared on the season finale. But if boldly going isnt what Star Trek is all about, then what is? (Getty Images). Occupation: How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, Why Wall Street's Tempered Q2 Forecasts Aren't Hurting Paramount Stock --Yet, Why the Horrors of 'Evil' Sound Unlike Anything Else on TV, 20 Controversial Film and TV Book Adaptations That Rankled Their Audiences and Authors, Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Comedy Series -- 'Ted Lasso' Takes Lead, but There's a New People's Champ. You know, basically the opposite of the whole message of Star Trek. President of Earth ). Stacey Abrams previously shared that she hopes to serve as president of the United States at some point in her career. It added: In classic Trek fashion, Abrams [was] shown as the logical and inevitable result of the kind of technocratic progressivism that the show has long advanced, a fruition of our highest ideals. When we started Season 3, the Federation was in disarray; in episode 303 we learn that Earth was no longer in the Federation, so we knew at that point that Earth returning would symbolize the Federation coming back together again. "I'm still floored when I think about Stacey gracing us with her presence in our Season 4 finale," Martin-Green said. Abrams is a huge Star Trek fan who quoted dialogue from the long-running franchise when she was first contacted by a representative of the program to appear. Heres how. She also has a discussion with Discovery'smain character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), about Earth rejoining the Federation, and this scene closes the episode. Its a character that she needs to embody. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. We knew rebuilding the Federation was always going to be a two-season arc. So we were teeing up that Earth equals the Federation coming back together again. In the fourth season finale of Star Trek: Discovery, "Coming Home," released for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, March 17th, 2022, Discovery introduced viewers to an important figure: the President of United Earth. Thats awesome.'. Executive producer Michelle Paradise alsotold Deadline there was "no one better" for the role than Abrams. But Abrams is a particularly inspiring figure, for her advocacy for voting rights and access, and someone whose values line up particularly well with those of Trek. However, the special guest star's arrival was foreshadowed by dialogue about her devotion to service in the face of catastrophe earlier in the episode. Michelle Paradise, Discovery's executive producer & co-showrunner, told Deadline that an appearance by Abrams as Earth's President was part of a long-term strategy for the series. Next week, Mystal wrote, this same publication that cant handle a black women president ON A TELEVISION SHOW is going to claim to have reasonable and *totally not racist* thoughts about a real life black woman on the supreme court.. Marni Grossman/Paramount+ 2021 CBS Interactive, registering hundreds of thousands of new voters, littered with celebrity guest appearances. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. "We always knew that Earth returning would be a big, big moment, and coming into season 4, we knew that was going to happen in the finale," she said. Market data provided by Factset. Stacey Abrams makes surprise appearance on. But I texted Alex to say, What do you think of Stacey Abrams? Immediately, [he sent] exclamation points. Hologram Stacey Abrams just boldly went where no Georgia gubernatorial candidate has gone before. What is Paxlovid, the pill Biden is taking now? She lost to Kemp in 2018. The makers of Star Trek: Discovery seemed happy just to have had Abrams on set. Game of Thrones Jon Snow Spin-Off: How Have Fans Reacted? And he said, Lets set up a meeting. Stacey Abrams appeared in the Season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery as the president of United Earth. All rights reserved. In 2018, she ran the Republican Brian Kemp close for governor of Georgia. In order to communicate with photonic lifeforms on the holodeck, who believed the simulation to be real, The Doctor took on this role, and convinced them to help Captain Proton defeat Doctor Chaotica and his Army of Evil. In 1993, NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison appeared as Lt. Then, Abrams ran for Georgia governor as a Democrat in 2018, making her the first Black female major-party nominee in the history of the United States. And in the third episode of Season 3, we go to Earth and we find out that Earth is no longer a member. Are you ready for that?, I am, [Captain Michael Burnham] responds. The National Review ran an article titled, Stacey Abrams Does Not Deserve to Be President of Earth. Why? Have you watched Star Trek? Alex and I reached out to her, and she was kind enough to get on a Zoom with us. "She was very specific about that," Paradise told Variety. Oh my gosh, I would love that, Paradise said. ". The Old Man: How Jeff Bridges Masters This FX Series, Kate McKinnon Reveals the Reason She Left Saturday Night Live. ", Paradise also said Abrams was a natural choice for the role. The final scene of Season 4's finale with Abrams is a turning point for the series' narrative, which established in season three's "People of Earth" that Earth had left the Federation before the U.S.S. It was an honor for me as a Black woman to stand with her in the story. His work can be found at Prism Comics, MovieWeb, Geek Girl Authority, PanelxPanel, StarTrek.com and Comics Bookcase, and in Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority, which she co-authored with his wife, Avery Kaplan. Besides, having a special guest star like Abrams isn't unheard of in the Star Trek Universe, and feels like a fitting tribute to Trek history. The Democrat previously ran and lost to Gov. Abrams, who is currently the only Democratic candidate in Georgia's race for governor, has been vocal about her future plans to serve as the president of the United States. It was just an amazing thing. (Getty Images). So, yeah, we avoided all the spoilers. Kemp is also running for re-election this year. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It really was just such a treat to have her there and get to have her in Toronto on set.. Rebecca Kaplan (she/he) has a JD and an MS but believes comics do more good than law. From Bardo to The Whale, the Fall Awards Season Is Loaded with Potential, Young Audiences Fuel Summer Box Office as Thor: Love and Thunder Challenges Dr. It was an honor for me as a Black woman to stand with her in the story., Director-producer Olatunde Osunsanmi told TV Line that everybodys head exploded when Abrams walked on the set because 90% of the crew didnt know she was coming. "And she did. Lets talk to her. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of the week, 'Elvis' actress Shonka Dukureh, 44, found dead in her Nashville apartment, Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines 7/21, Delfonics co-founder William 'Poogie' Hart dead at 77, A look at Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridges style, family, and life as a royal, Rebecca Balding, Soap and Charmed actress, dead at 73, Dave Chappelle talks protesters after 'devastating' last-minute venue swap when Minneapolis club canceled him. ", Paradise added, "When the time came to start talking about the president of Earth, it seemed like, 'Well, who better to represent that than her?' The longtime Star Trek fan, 48, made a cameo in the season 4 finale of Star Trek: Discovery as the new President of United Earth. And Abrams has lines she is a SAG-AFTRA cardholder and previously narrated an episode of Black-ish. Whether well see her again is another matter. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. The honour, which a leading conservative website said Abrams did not deserve, was bestowed by the Paramount+ TV series Star Trek: Discovery, in its season four finale. Whatever the story was, I wanted to be a part of it because watching Michael Burnham come into her power as a captain, watching this hearty crew reclaim itself not only in a new era but in a new space that is so reminiscent of what they remembered but so different. Brad Raffensperger, the current Georgia secretary of state, has argued that Abrams refusal to concede was morally indistinguishable from and helped set the stage for former president Donald Trumps behavior after the 2020 presidential election. We knew that she was a fan of the show and I had read an interview with her at some point where she was talking about her love of Star Trek and her love of Discovery specifically and Burnham, executive producer and writer Michelle Paradise explained. She wowed us with her charm, humility, and generosity, and she whipped out some acting chops too! I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, From Elvis to Minions, Movies Are Making a Comeback in Theaters but Theres Work to Be Done, Nope: Shooting Jordan Peeles IMAX-Sized Spectacle of Horror, The Frenetic Editing of Elvis Is a Matter of Perspective, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: Creating Sonic Scale for a Small Shell, 33 Must-See New Movies to See This Summer Season, The 15 Best Films of 2022 Weve Already Seen, Hollywoods Big Risks: 25 Daring Studio Films from the Last 15 Years, Every Studio Film Directed by Female Filmmakers Coming Out in 2022 and 2023. So regardless of the role that I was gonna get to play, I wanted to be a part of it., Abrams also couldnt help but nerd out about the experience of getting into costume to play a character in the Star Trek universe.