Jason Isaacs, who plays Captain Gabriel Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery took part in a press conference on Saturday following the big Discovery panel at New York Comic Con. Among the topics discussed, Isaacs had a clear message for anyone that has an issue with a woman of color playing the lead role in the series.
On the topic of social media feedback and some fans displeasure with aspects of Discovery so far, Isaacs said:
This is a different world [than Harry Potter] — the Star Trek world — where adults love and revere and protect this. It’s mostly, at least from what I’ve experienced, on this social media… is how you encounter it. It’s mostly just love and excitement and fabulously positive things. And then there are the people — genuine fans — who are are skeptical, don’t want to pay or particularly obsessed with technical things. It’s not my business to tell them ‘Don’t worry, they’re tearing each other’s eyes out in the writer’s room about matters of canon as well. Don’t think that they don’t care about it. They’ve got an explanation that you may or may not be satisfied with.’
He went on to say that he welcomes the fan’s feedback but he has zero tolerance for racism.
Those people are very welcome and we’re thrilled that they’re arguing about it, that they’re upset, angry, or they love it. Any of that stuff is fine.
There’s also a bunch of people who are upset that there’s woman lead, or that there’s a woman of color lead, or that there’s a diverse platform and we’ve got a bunch of from every gender and sexuality and stuff… and those people can go f**k themselves.
TrekNews.net is your dedicated source for all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery. Follow @TrekNewsnet on Twitter, TrekNews on Facebook, @TrekNews on Instagram and TrekNewsnet on YouTube.
Try CBS All Access for Free
Interested in signing up for CBS All Access to check out Star Trek: Discovery for yourself? Click here to receive one-week free.
[amazon_link asins=’B01N47VPJG,B01NAJ4HMI,1501164570,B074ZNRF1P’ template=’ProductGrid’ store=’treknenet-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ca0ab9bb-9bd1-11e7-8c3d-5d06f7971e49′]
bluntedkid
October 10, 2017 at 6:51 pm
Jason Issacs calling you morons out. Stop living in the past and join the rest of us in the future! I love it.
Trido99
October 10, 2017 at 9:46 pm
What? He called out racists and sexists. You’re implying he was also calling out genuine fans who have issues with Discovery. If you actually read this article, you would realise that he did not. Stop trying to dictate what other fans like.
bluntedkid
October 10, 2017 at 11:38 pm
That’s exactly who I am implying in my comments – racists and sexists who keep trashing STD because it doesnt look and sound or feel like the canon of it’s predecessors! This show is off to a wonderful start and real Trek fans should be supporting it all the way thru not making disperaging comments 4 episodes in! That’s who I’m talking too just in case like this guy above, anyone else needed clarification on that!
Bernd Schneider
October 12, 2017 at 2:29 am
You’re still implying that fans like me who cherish canon are racists and sexists. Stop It!!
JB
October 10, 2017 at 9:18 pm
Jason Isaacs callin’ out (quite literally) zero people I’ve heard complaining about STD.
Niala Terrell-Mason
October 11, 2017 at 12:21 am
Oh no, there’s been a LOT. For months and months up until now. Trust me, he’s not wrong about these fan reactions. People complaining about “social justice agendas” and “this isn’t Trek” and so on.
JB
October 11, 2017 at 1:02 am
People complaining about “social justice agendas” and “this is not Trek” is not the same as “this sucks because of black people,” or whatever. Virtue signaling doesn’t make good writing even if good writing can virtue signal. Burham and Georgiou have zero chemistry, no matter how empowering you think it is. It’s just lazy writing.
Niala Terrell-Mason
October 20, 2017 at 11:50 pm
Oh come on, you know what “social justice agenda” is code for: diversity. No, someone isn’t going to come out and say “this sucks because of Black people,” but they’ll complain about quotas or social justice agendas or “pandering.”
JB
October 21, 2017 at 1:07 am
Maybe, but I haven’t seen it. Even so, the argument is silly. STD is very painfully low on diversity, aside from the very most superficial, racist understanding of diversity.
Trido99
October 10, 2017 at 9:47 pm
I was happy to see this. He was acting like a real dick before the launch, but he is being more reasonable and respectful to the old hardcore fan.
sherry wallis
October 11, 2017 at 1:07 pm
I’ve enjoyed the Discovery series so far. It has a lot of depth to the plot and the individual characters are intriguing. Looking forward to the plot continuing. Reminds me more of STDS9.
Brian Bonham
October 11, 2017 at 5:17 pm
There was no problem with Captain Sisco on STDS9 whats wrong with the same on Discovery. People need to pick other things to complain about. This is rediculous. Get a life haters!!
JB
October 12, 2017 at 1:51 am
You have stumbled upon something. Trekkies don’t care about Sisko’s race; they don’t care about Kirk and Uhura; but they do care about shoddy writing.
Dylan Archer
October 11, 2017 at 7:54 pm
The three episodes of Discovery so far have been awesome – but they would have been better if they had more white male core characters.
DS9 is King
October 11, 2017 at 8:22 pm
I Heard this Really cool Rumor that Discovery IS driven by the Alice in Wonderland idea(reference Burnham’s book). Burnham is Alice. The Captain is the Mad Hatter, Discovery is the well, etc. The drive they are trying to create, they will eventually discover, is NOT moving them from place to place…it’s moving them from universe to universe. Most of which have few differences…but the longer they play with it and the further they push it the further they get from their own base reality. Eventually they find themselves in something that resembles ToS continuity… THAT is how they will scrub away most continuity issues and still get to tell basically any version of Trek they want along the way…
Does that erase their original time/universe? The Kelvin universe? Consolidate ‘verses? Are they trapped in the new ‘verse? Did they create the “new” ‘verse (our familiar Trek timeline)? I don’t know, but if we see what has already been hinted at; that the visuals will become more “Trek” as the show goes on (LOOK at some of the pics when Burnham “travels”; the Devil In The Dark facility and the “Paradise Syndrome” obelisk stand out…especially the Obelisk which is unaltered from ToS) then we’ll definitely have an indicator…and it might even make the series worthwhile…
Niala Terrell-Mason
October 20, 2017 at 11:51 pm
Hmm. That’s a really intriguing idea.
John
October 11, 2017 at 10:21 pm
So far from what I have seen of STD, I like it enough to pay the monthly subscription fee. The only negative thing I can say is that the outer appearance of the U.S.S Discovery is awful. One less model I will be purchasing. That’s probably a good thing, I’m running out of room. The Shenzhou was more visually attractive. I wish Jason could have expressed himself with a little more tact. Maybe a writer can help him next time.
Bernd Schneider
October 13, 2017 at 2:30 am
Jason Isaacs manages to tell apart justified and unjustified criticism so why can’t you? Why this trolling?
Jane Doe
October 13, 2017 at 12:00 pm
The slave trade ended hundreds of years ago and no one alive today has anything to do with it. Yet we must be reminded of it daily? Really? Just from that stand point I can’t stand the left wing media any further. I want nothing further to do with the self righteous media who is hypocritical to say the least. All of Hollywood, LA, harvey weinstein, Ben Afflection, all the hollywood BS is good at telling everyone else how deplorable they are.. what a bunch of B… S…. Hollywood reveals in the gutter and they should quite trying to act like everyone else is the problem.
Niala Terrell-Mason
October 20, 2017 at 11:55 pm
…what in the world are you talking about? What does this rant have to do with the article? And it wasn’t hundreds of years ago that slavery ended. It’s been about 150 years. Less if we count the the Reconstruction Era and period of Jim Crow. There are people alive today who knew ex-slaves. This is living memory. But again….wtf?
AnotherBrian
October 15, 2017 at 2:22 pm
I am curious. Is there a new rule out there where no one can criticize a show or movie that includes a minority or woman as a lead? Is that a thing now?
America is Kiked
October 16, 2017 at 8:06 pm
yes, it’s a rule of SJW USA ZOG
Niala Terrell-Mason
October 20, 2017 at 11:58 pm
No, but the tone of the criticism is coded. There’s a difference between “I thought this week’s episode had weak writing” vs. “Ugh why do they have to pander to “diversity” and SJWs.” You know what they are really saying.
AnotherBrian
October 23, 2017 at 7:29 pm
No, you don’t. Until they actually say it, you cannot possibly know (unless you’re telepathic; Charles Xavier?).
America is Kiked
October 16, 2017 at 8:06 pm
terrible writing, and annoying queers
Geoff Edevane
October 28, 2017 at 2:09 am
Even if this was free I wouldn’t watch it. Star Trek, in my mind, ended with Enterprise.
Robert Schwartz
November 1, 2017 at 1:50 pm
After that I will make sure I buy CBS online to watch the show.. NAh I won’t
jenshadus
December 26, 2017 at 11:23 am
Racism? Please, its a show, with characters, its not real. Its for entertainment. Sit back and enjoy…an old time trekker
Paul Rhodes
August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm
I have serious issues with Star Trek Discovery. I’m not racist or sexist. It’s nothing to do with the skin of the characters or their gender. I think there should be more diversity in Star Trek.
I have issues with the sheer blatant disrespect that it shows to the established timeline of Star Trek. Discovery is too advanced. Put it post-Nemesis, then I would probably accept it. Or make it an alternate timeline like the Kelvinverse Timeline Movies did. I don’t like those movies too much either, but I don’t have to figure out how it’s supposed to fit in, because it’s painted as an alternate timeline.
I don’t care that we’re more advanced than they projected in TOS in terms of how computers act. Star Trek’s Timeline ISN’T our timeline. Here’s a nugget for you, Star Trek has influenced OUR world. Mobile Phones and laptop computers are just two things that come straight from Star Trek.
Colin Skilton
August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm
Judging by the nature of some of the comments left here I would say Jason Isaacs has stirred up a hornets nest! Racists are not welcome anywhere nor are sexist etc. no matter where we are in the Star Trek Reality or Terran reality these people are a ghost from the past that keeps coming up and haunting us and sometimes biting us on the bum! as Mr Spock would say racism and sexism is illogical and in this new century unwanted and as ambassadors of the future we must secure that future. can you imagine what would happen when they launch a settlers party to Mars and that’s a reality, its going to happen and we take all this human garbage with us, we will never find true peace until we learn to live with each other. all of us are different and its our differences that’s makes this world exciting and we must to embrace that we are all different and when we do world peace will come. naïve perhaps but you never know unless you try. the oxen are slow but the soil is patient
sidneejmas
August 22, 2019 at 8:31 pm
They butchering Star Trek Its Anti white as with all American TV these days. Newsflash The world isn’t America.. Yet Race isn’t supposed to be the issue race should be left at the door in star trek I don’t like any of the characters equally….It doesn’t feel like star trek at all…..