‘This show was about us’: Stars align to celebrate 60 years of ‘Star Trek’ at SDCC

After 11 television series, 14 films and over 900 episodes, “Star Trek” celebrated a legacy of optimism and inclusion with a Saturday spotlight panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Trekkies gathered at Hall H, the biggest room int the San Diego Convention Center, to celebrate the franchise’s 60th anniversary as well as the start of the fourth season of “Strange New Worlds,” a prequel to the original series that follows the voyages of Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship Enterprise.

The anniversary celebration also included remembrances of the franchise’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991.

Gene’s son Rod Roddenberry opened the event to speak about his father and how the show was a reflection of who we are as people and who we strive to be.

“This show wasn’t about science fiction,” Roddenberry said. “This show was about us.”

There was also a montage that showcased the evolution of “Star Trek” over the years and a trailer for the show’s new season, which premiered on Thursday.

Anson Mount, who plays Pike, explained how he wants his character to stand apart from the others viewers have seen in the captain’s chair.

“If [James] Kirk represented the machismo and [Jean-Luc] Picard represented the intellect, then I want Pike to represent the heart,” Mount said.

Mount said that he is proud of “Strange New Worlds” because it is an ensemble show. He argues that the Enterprise is the lead, not him.

“We’re not in the opening credits,” said Mount. “The ship is the opening credits.”

During his speech, Roddenberry also brought up the acronym I.D.I.C., which stands for “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” The phrase, which is the in-canon root of the Vulcan philosophy, teaches individuals to embrace perspectives and ideas different from their own.

“To be 100% clear about this, I.D.I.C. never meant you had to drop your own views and blindly embrace someone else’s,” Roddenberry said. “It just meant keeping an open mind to new ideas and new points of view.”

Roddenberry then proceeded to thank the actors, writers, crew members, producers and creators for keeping ‘Trek’ alive. He also gave a shoutout to the fans, who he described as the “lifeblood of Star Trek.”

“You’ve been ‘Star Trek’s’ compass. You’ve kept it true,” Roddenberry said. “And please, don’t ever stop reminding all of us why ‘Star Trek’s’ important.”

During the 60th anniversary panel, George Takei, who played Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and is one of the last surviving members of the Original Series main cast, said that “Trek” was an extraordinary television phenomenon.

“Because of all the people like you, and your parents, and your grandparents, because of their intelligence, and their sensitivity, and their vision, supported ‘Star Trek’ to the extent that we have lived long and endured for 60 years and going,” Takei said.

Michelle Hurd, who played Rafaella “Raffi” Musiker on the series “Star Trek: Picard,” said that the Original Series had an impact on her because she was able to see herself represented in Uhura.

“We watched those reruns,” Hurd said, “to see Uhura on the bridge. To see this strong, beautiful, chocolate brown woman with urgency, with purpose, with intelligence, with grace, leading the way.”

As a final message, Takei emphasized the importance of I.D.I.C.

“I think that’s what the strength of ‘Star Trek’ is: infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” Takei said. “And then you’ll live long and prosper.”