'These forests should live long and prosper': Star Trek captain chides B.C. premier on old-growth forests
CTV
B.C. Premier John Horgan, a self-proclaimed Star Trek fan, has disappointed a high-ranking member of the federation who is calling for action to protect the province's old-growth forests.
Canadian actor William Shatner, who famously played Capt. James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek TV series, is one of more than 200 celebrities, scientists, artists, and Indigenous and political leaders who have joined a campaign to pressure the NDP government to protect B.C.'s irreplaceable and iconic tall trees.
“There's nothing like standing next to a giant ancient cedar to make one recognize how small our place in the universe really is. Some wonders are irreplaceable,” said Shatner, in support of the open-letter initiative first launched by the environmental non-profit Canopy in June.
“Premier Horgan, these forests should live long and prosper,” Shatner said.
Horgan has publicly declared his favourite Starfleet captain to be Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager, but a rebuke from Capt. Kirk is likely to sting a little for such a devoted fan of the franchise, said Torrance Coste, a campaigner with the Wilderness Committee.
“The premier is very upfront about the fact that he's a Trekkie,” said Coste, adding that under other circumstances, Horgan's NDP would be eager to amplify a message to the B.C. government from a Star Trek legend.
“Horgan should listen to one of his apparent heroes and go where no premier has gone before,” Coste said.
Jokes aside, campaigns that involve such a large number and range of influential people are indicative of the effectiveness of harnessing “star power” to pressure political change and the importance of the issue, he said.
Former NASA scientist James Hansen, actor Judi Dench, primatologist Jane Goodall, former federal environment minister Catherine McKenna, and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip are just some signatories to the open letter sent directly to Horgan urging him to protect at-risk old-growth forests as a shield against the climate crisis.
