Star Trek icon William Shatner had the perfect response to one Star Trek fan’s question (read: complaint) about Star Wars Day, May the 4th.
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The Star Trek fan (@MovieFanMan75) tweeted Shatner with a timely (if poorly phrased) question: “Star Wars get it own day when does Star Trek?”
Ever the geek culture ambassador (and witty comedian) Shatner replied by saying “Star Trek is celebrated 364 days of the year. Give them their day.”
Star Trek is celebrated 364 days of the year. Give them their day. https://t.co/z4MOvYQqK5
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) May 4, 2023
What Is Star Wars Day?
In all fairness, Star Wars Day was a thing that George Lucas created informally, and was only sustained through the grassroots efforts of the fandom before Lucasfilm and Disney started utilizing the occasion for big marketing and merchandising efforts.
“May the 4th be with you,” actually started as a joke, as fans of the original Star Wars realized that its popular catchphrase “May the Force be with you,” synced perfectly with the calendar date of May 4th – or “May the 4th,” in this case.
Why Is There No Star Trek Day?
As you can see above, there is no real conspiracy regarding Star Wars getting its own day – it just kind of happened. The inverse is true for why there is no Star Trek Day: there was just never a significant date that fans agreed on to celebrate the franchise.
Given how Star Trek has come back as a major TV franchise universe in the last half-decade or so, now could be the perfect time to launch a Star Trek Day tradition. The TV series that Paramount has developed (Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Prodigy – and more on the way) has some kind of flavor for any and everyone and has firmly established its own lore, as well as a growing lineup of fan-favorite characters.
This year alone has brought multiple announcements about expanding the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: Picard is done; Star Trek: Discovery is ending in 2024; Paramount+ recently renewed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks for new seasons, and a Starfleet Academy show is in development.
There’s also been a plan announced for the Star Trek TV Universe to get new streaming feature films every two years. With streaming films giving fans big blockbuster “events,” it will ease pressure on Paramount to develop new TV series and will allow more time and focus for Star Trek theatrical films.
Star Wars Day is May 4th. You can celebrate Star Trek every day thereafter.
