Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams made a surprise appearance on the last episode of “Star Trek: Discovery” season 4, IndieWire reported. She appeared in the episode as the president of Earth.
The former state representative is an avid “Star Trek” fan, but even so, viewers were surprised to see her acting in the sci-fi series.
“I’m still floored when I think about Stacey gracing us with her presence in our Season 4 finale,” actress Sonequa Martin-Green said breathlessly to Deadline. “We spent so much of our time fanning out and pretending to be cool in her midst.”
Martin-Green plays Discovery captain Michael Burnham, the first black woman captain. She went on to call Abrams “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 continued. “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.”
“Today, we greet the president of United earth”
Trekkie Stacey Abrams makes a Star Trek cameo.
pic.twitter.com/Nff8RZt2as— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) March 17, 2022
Showrunner Michelle Paradise told IndieWire how she’s still in disbelief that Abrams was on the show. “Honestly, the number of times I’ve seen the episode, every time I see her face, I’m like, ‘Wow, that really happened. That’s awesome.’”
The casting process started as a hypothetical.
“And as we got into season four and got halfway through breaking it, we realized: We need a person to represent Earth. And then the question became: who should that person be? I don’t remember where the idea came from, honestly. But I texted Alex to say, ‘What do you think of Stacey Abrams?’ Immediately, [he sent] exclamation points,” Paradise told the publication.
“And he said, ‘Let’s set up a meeting. Let’s talk to her. Let’s see.’ So we did. And she was so kind. And we got on Zoom with her, and we pitched her where we were for the season and who this character was and what this character would represent. And asked if she would be a part of this with us. Honestly, I can’t think of anyone better to represent the president of Earth in all of that.”
Paradise revealed that Abrams helped develop the character, too.
“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,” the showrunner said. “It’s a character that she needs to embody. She’s so collaborative and was really just wonderful about all of it. It really was just such a treat to have her there and get to have her in Toronto on set.”
Abrams is a SAG-AFTRA cardholder. Her previous acting credits include voicing herself on the two-episode election themed animated “Black-ish” in October 2020.
As for whether Abrams will have another “Star Trek” cameo, Paradise said she’s more than open to it.
“Oh my gosh, I would love that,” Paradise said. “I mean, I have no idea. She’s certainly busy doing other things.”
Abrams is running for governor in Georgia in 2022 after a failed bid in 2018. The Atlanta resident famously refused to concede to her opponent, Gov. Brian Kemp, because she believed voter suppression skewed the election results.
Abrams has since launched Fair Fight, a group created to “put in place the guardrails that ensure every American has an equal opportunity to make their voice heard and be fairly represented.”
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