WATCH: Celebrating America goes Star Trek with inaugural evening performances

Yo-Yo Ma performs at Celebrating America, the Biden-Harris inaugural celebration

JANUARY 22, 2021 - Star Trek really gets everywhere. (It’s like glitter.) Yesterday, we brought you reactions from Star Trek stars after President Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony. But did you catch the Star Trek references in the evening celebration as well?

In a surprise move, internationally-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma played the first few notes of the Star Trek theme at the start of his performance of “Amazing Grace/A Simple Gift”. It was very nearly “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” but social media quickly came alive with fans questioning whether they’d heard what they heard. Here’s what Ma had to say, just before he started playing:

“We have been tested these last 10 months, as individuals, families and communities. But in the midst of devastation and loss, there were moments when a flickering light pointed us toward a brighter future. You brought us comfort, you sustained us. And so that light grew and became a bright beam in the universe. This is for all of you who found new ways for us to smile together.”

See Ma’s performance, cued up in the video below:

Then later, Star Trek: Discovery’s Anthony Rapp took part in a performance of “Seasons of Love” and “Let the Sunshine In” by several Broadway stars. Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen in the award-winning Rent, where “Seasons of Love” is from. And “Let the Sunshine In”, of course, is from the iconic Hair. More than 35 Broadway performers took part in the medley from their own homes, including Rapp, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, José Llana, Vanessa Williams and many others. It was a stirring rendition, and the symbolism of ending on “Let the Sunshine In”, with the performers singing outside, was hardly lost on the audience.

See the Broadway performance, cued up in the video below:

You can watch the entire Celebrating America event on the Biden Inaugural Committee YouTube page. The full event, which was hosted by Tom Hanks, runs an hour and a half and also features performances by Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Tim McGraw and others.