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'Star Trek' actress says backlash pushes the show’s 'wokeness' to warp speed
By Madison Colombo
Published January 27, 2026
A "Star Trek" actress says conservative backlash is pushing the franchise to lean harder into what she calls its "super woke" identity. Among the critics is White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has accused the franchise of abandoning its core audience.
Gina Yashere, who plays Lura Thok in the new Paramount+ series "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," responded online after sharing a clip from comedian Bill Maher’s show that touched on the controversy.
"All of the hatred coming at us is from fragile, angry White men, talking about either our non-whiteness or our bodies," Yashere wrote Sunday in an Instagram post.
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Gina Yashere attends Paramount+’s "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" world premiere at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Jan. 6. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
"It's frankly ridiculous. And it makes me want to lean even more into our wokeness," she added.
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Maher’s segment focused on comments Miller made on X, calling the show "tragic" and suggesting creative control be handed to William Shatner.
Miller has been among critics online who have questioned the show’s emphasis on diversity, including varied body types, ethnicities and sexual orientations.
In the series, Yashere’s character is in a same-sex relationship with Tig Notaro’s Jett Reno. Yashere also addressed her sexuality in Sunday’s post.
The series has faced fan backlash over alleged "woke" content, even as critics have issued strong reviews and audience scores have declined during ongoing debates. (Screenshot/Paramount+ Youtube)
"I was practically born wearing a tool belt," she said, adding, "But if you could choose your sexuality, why would we choose men?"
Later, she referred to herself on the show as a "space lesbian," adding: "We woke. Wokey wokey. Super woke. Wokest of the woke!"
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Yashere has repeatedly embraced the show’s "woke" label. She defended the franchise during a CNN appearance, saying "Star Trek" has been "woke from day one."
"Woke is a good word. It's been given negative connotations. But woke just means you're awake and aware of everything that's going on in the world around you," she said in a clip of the interview posted to her Instagram account.
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Yashere also responded Sunday after Maher joked that the cast did not fit his idea of "space lesbians," writing: "@billmaher is nobody's fantasy either, so we're even my dude!"
Disney’s "Star Wars: The Acolyte" faced similar backlash from fans online after its creators described it as the ‘gayest’ installment in the franchise.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/star-trek-actress-says-backlash-pushes-shows-wokeness-warp-speed