Stacey Abrams is a huge Star Trek fan, and she clobbered the competition in a trivia contest on a “Trek The Road To Victory” online Democratic party fundraiser in 2020 (Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang were also involved). But on today’s episode of Paramount +’s Star Trek: Discovery, she’s going where few politicians have gone before: into the cast of Trek. She’s playing the President of United Earth on the episode.
“Nothing to discuss,” she says to Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) right near the end of the episode. “United Earth is ready right now to rejoin the Federation, and nothing could make me happier than to say those words,” Abram’s regal leader adds, per Deadline.
“I’m still floored when I think about Stacey gracing us with her presence in our Season 4 finale,” the show’s star, Sonequa Martin-Green told Deadline. Martin-Green, well known as a former Walking Dead cast member, plays Captain Michael Burnham, the half-sister of Spock (it’s complicated). “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. She wowed us with her charm, humility, and generosity, and she whipped out some acting chops too!.
Martin-Green’s Burnham is Trek‘s first Black female captain. She added, “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.”