Enterprise’s Connor Trinneer Calls Out Star Trek Fans Bashing Paramount+ Shows: “Who Cares?”

Connor Trinneer has stern words for Star Trek fans who bash modern Paramount+ shows and try to ruin others’ enjoyment.

Trinneer and his cast are celebrating Star Trek: Enterprise‘s 25th anniversary this year. Connor’s experience on Enterprise affords him perspective as he observes the segment of Trekkers who are hostile to Paramount+’s Star Trek series and celebrate the cancelation of shows like Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Enterprise was once in the same predicament; unpopular during its four-season run on UPN from 2001 to 2005, Enterprise is now widely embraced by Star Trek fans.

Appearing on The Transporter Room hosted by Chris Garis and Allyson Leach-Heid to discuss Star Trek: Enterprise, Connor Trinneer passionately addressed the fans who “love to sh** on” the franchise they purportedly love. Looking broadly at how the many iterations of Star Trek have reflected the socio-political times each series was made in, Trinneer takes to task fans who gatekeep, claim ownership over Star Trek, and try to delegitimize the shows that don’t fit their view of ‘what Star Trek is supposed to be.’ Read Connor’s quote below:

Connor Trinneer: “I think that Star Trek fans love to sh** on things. Look, Starfleet Academy, was it my cup of tea? Doesn’t matter. Was it somebody else’s? Excellent. Who cares? Who owns this? Nobody owns this. The fact that you’ve had this opportunity over the course of 60 years to tell something like this is the point. Is Voyager my favorite thing in the world? No, you spent 7 years trying to get home. Sorry. DS9? My favorite show by a mile.

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This is literally a show that has lived on for 60 years. And is one show your favorite? God bless you. Do you not like one show? God bless you. But the idea that we’re sitting here in some way kind of trying to rationalize one thing or another… We are operating under the course of our social political lives for 60 years, and this show has been there for that. And that, I think, is important. If you didn’t like Enterprise, literally, I don’t care. I don’t care.

[Are] there more digital elements that take away from story in certain new shows? Maybe for me. But for somebody else, they love it. Who cares? The three of us might have very, very different political attitudes in our [lives]. I don’t know. But we’re all connected to this thing. And so, honor this thing. It’s fair enough. We should be able to criticize, and they should be able to hear that this didn’t work or that didn’t work. But I don’t know. You wanna keep this wonderful, wonderful thing alive? Support it.”

Connor Trinneer: “I think that Star Trek fans love to sh** on things. Look, Starfleet Academy, was it my cup of tea? Doesn’t matter. Was it somebody else’s? Excellent. Who cares? Who owns this? Nobody owns this. The fact that you’ve had this opportunity over the course of 60 years to tell something like this is the point. Is Voyager my favorite thing in the world? No, you spent 7 years trying to get home. Sorry. DS9? My favorite show by a mile.

This is literally a show that has lived on for 60 years. And is one show your favorite? God bless you. Do you not like one show? God bless you. But the idea that we’re sitting here in some way kind of trying to rationalize one thing or another… We are operating under the course of our social political lives for 60 years, and this show has been there for that. And that, I think, is important. If you didn’t like Enterprise, literally, I don’t care. I don’t care.

[Are] there more digital elements that take away from story in certain new shows? Maybe for me. But for somebody else, they love it. Who cares? The three of us might have very, very different political attitudes in our [lives]. I don’t know. But we’re all connected to this thing. And so, honor this thing. It’s fair enough. We should be able to criticize, and they should be able to hear that this didn’t work or that didn’t work. But I don’t know. You wanna keep this wonderful, wonderful thing alive? Support it.”

Watch Connor Trinneer on The Transporter Room below:

The current flashpoint of fans’ ire is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which is ending after just two seasons. As a college-set version of Star Trek aimed at a young adult audience, Starfleet Academy found resistance from older fans who don’t care for the show’s concept or execution, the show and cast were targeted with online hate for being “too woke.” Admittedly, Connor is someone who doesn’t find Starfleet Academy works for him compared to a show like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but he argues for leaving Starfleet Academy and the fans who enjoy it alone.

Historically, nearly every new Star Trek series has received negative reactions from parts of the fandom, going back to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which took three seasons to win over fans of Star Trek: The Original Series while expanding the audience. As a prequel that came at the tail end of Rick Berman’s Star Trek era, Enterprise was dismissed by many fans during its original run, but gradually found those fans and created new ones, thanks to streaming on Netflix and Paramount+.

Star Trek itself faces an uncertain future as Alex Kurtzman’s Paramount+ era ends in 2027. Skydance seemingly plans to relaunch the Star Trek movie franchise before creating new TV series, but also intends to break away from Star Trek‘s 60 years of legacy characters and canon to find general audiences. Given how many fans feel about Skydance’s political affiliation, the next iteration of Star Trek will inevitably be met with its own hostility and suspicion.

Ultimately, however, every version of Star Trek is someone’s first, and someone’s favorite. As an actor who watched how Star Trek: Enterprise rode the wave from being called ‘the show that killed the franchise’ to becoming beloved over the last 25 years, Connor Trinneer understands how a Star Trek series’ fortunes can change over time. The most hated Star Trek today can find a new appreciation years from now, especially when the next version of Star Trek comes along for some fans to inevitably bash.

Connor Trinneer co-hosts The D-Con Chamber podcast with Dominic Keating, which can be streamed on YouTube.