Captain's Log: Senator Lefler and other political Treks

Another week of Star Trek Into Politics and the issues that update the Star Trek vision...An unconfirmed story made the rounds that Ashley Judd is set to announce that she's running for the U.S. Senate from Kentucky.  After appearing on TNG as Robin Lefler and becoming a prominent screen actor, she earned a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and became active in environmental and women's issues.  She supported the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.  If elected, she would hold the highest public office in the U.S. among Star Trek alums. [Update: Ashley Judd announced she would not run this time.]

Speaking of President Obama, at the Gridiron Dinner over the weekend--another press club gathering in which prominent guests tell jokes--he poked fun at his own "Star" mixing of Jedi and mind meld in a press conference (see previous post.)  He ended his speech with this:  "And in the words of one of my favorite Star Trek characters — Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise — 'May the force be with you.'"

And speaking of women's issues, the actor who played another Captain of the Enterprise, Sir Patrick Stewart  hosted the launch of a global campaign to encourage men to take action to combat violence against women.  At the UN Hotel in New York, Stewart talked about his own childhood experience with such violence. "I became an expert," Stewart said. "I knew exactly when to open a door and insert myself between my father's fist and my mother's body."

“Violence against women is the single greatest human rights violation of our generation,” he proclaimed, and issued a call to action:  "--not an action that will make things better in six months' time or a year's time," he continued, "but action that might save someone's life and someone's future this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow morning."