'Star Trek' creator's son calls for franchise to move beyond iconic characters

Star Trek has a fleet of rich old characters. But according to Rod Roddenberry, the franchise should move beyond its steady stream of past heroes and create new ones.

His remarks carry weight because he is the son of Gene Roddenberry, who created the franchise.

He also served as executive producer on several Star Trek projects, including Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds.

Roddenberry told People, “I have embraced [Star Trek] for the last 35 years. And of course, I’ve learned that Star Trek is not just science fiction — it really talks about a future where we no longer fear the differences between us."

“In fact, we realise that the diversity is something that we can learn from and grow from and become better.”

Expressing his pride in being attached to the legacy of Star Trek, Roddenberry said that it is time to explore new stories.

“I think Star Trek is ready for new stories,” he said, adding, “Going back to the well, in my opinion, and bringing [previous cast] or characters."

"We’ve done that. Let’s start out on a new adventure," the exec producer added.

Roddenberg continued, “We’re certainly entering a unique time right now with technology and all sorts of things, and to explore that more in a respectful, careful, but optimistic way would probably not be too bad of an idea."

“But it also has to be a good story too. So I’m not sure what that looks like yet," he concluded.