JANUARY 16, 2022 - The legacy of Star Trek as a force for good was on full display Saturday as dozens of familiar faces from the franchise gathered in support of TREK*talks, a charity event which has raised (so far) over $61,000 for the Hollywood Food Coalition. The online telethon was hosted by Star Trek: Enterprise’s John Billingsley, who serves as President of the Board of Directors for the coalition, a charity committed “to feed and serve the immediate needs of the hungry every night of the year so they can build better lives,” according to their website. In all, 16 panel discussions were held, including two moderated by Daily Star Trek News founder Alison Pitt. 

Star Trek fans may have felt a deep loss with the lack of conventions during COVID, but TREK*talks was able to fill some of that space thanks to co-organizers Trek Geeks Podcast Network and Roddenberry Podcasts. Franchise fans were treated to a mind-blowing lineup of conversations with cast members, showrunners, creatives, and other notables in a grand celebration of all things Trek.

Highlights of the eight-hour event included visits with cast members from Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, visits with behind-the-scenes creative geniuses, a look at activism within the Trek community, and a one-on-one conversation with Adam Nimoy about his father Leonard. Also of note were a conversation with forces behind the new renaissance of animated Trek seen with Lower Decks and Prodigy, along with a look at how Star Trek has inspired those who actually work in outer space. Closing the show was an exclusive interview with Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard star Jeri Ryan, in conversation with Bill Smith and Dan Davidson of Trek Geeks.

Truth be told, all that barely scratches of the surface of everything that happened during TREK*talks. You can watch the entire event on YouTube, and please note that donations are still being accepted at the TREK*talks telethon page at networkforgood.com.