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Star Trek Docuseries ‘The Center Seat’ to premiere in November, set for 10 episodes

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek  documentary series to premiere in November

The History Channel is set to premiere the new ten-part documentary series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek on November 5th at 10 pm ET/PT. Directed by Brian Volk-Weiss , produced by Nacelle Company, and narrated by Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation ), the series will run the first four episodes on History Channel, prior to moving over to the network’s streaming service History Vault for the final six episodes.

According to History, each episode of The Center Seat will focus on a different chapter in the 55-year old franchise, from its inception at Lucille Ball’s production company Desilu through the recent Paramount+ series ( Discovery , Picard , Lower Decks , Prodigy and Strange New Worlds ).

The series was first announced in October and will include interviews with several Star Trek actors and crew, including  Kate Mulgrew ,  Walter Koenig ,  Robert Beltran ,  Robert Picardo ,  Brent Spiner ,  Nana Visitor ,  Roxann Dawson ,  Anthony Montgomery ,  Dominic Keating ,  Cirroc Lofton ,  Penny Johnson Jerald ,  Harold Livingston ,  Ronald D. Moore ,  David Gerrold ,  Kirstie Alley ,  Denise Crosby ,  Wil Wheaton ,  Nicholas Meyer ,  Brannon Braga ,  Robert Sallin , and  F. Murray Abraham .

In addition to narrating the series, McFadden also serves as an executive producer, along with Cisco Henson , Ben Frost , Mark Altman and Ian Roumain .

History Vault is currently available for $4.99 or $49.99 per year and includes access to hundreds of curated ad-free documentaries and series from the channel.

The Center Seat – Official Trailer

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on  The Center Seat , along with Star Trek: Discovery ,  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ,  Star Trek: Picard ,  Star Trek: Lower Decks ,  Star Trek: Prodigy , and more.

You can follow us on  Twitter ,  Facebook , and  Instagram .

robert morris

October 30, 2021 at 1:00 am

Tired of channels showing a few episodes then moving them to a streaming service I will never get. so I will not watch it to begin with.

January 13, 2022 at 12:25 pm

I have watched the first 4 but the rest no way I am going to pay for another service just to watch the rest talk about blackmail.

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The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek

Chronicles rare and fascinating details of how "Star Trek" began, where it's been, and how it's going where no television series has gone before. Chronicles rare and fascinating details of how "Star Trek" began, where it's been, and how it's going where no television series has gone before. Chronicles rare and fascinating details of how "Star Trek" began, where it's been, and how it's going where no television series has gone before.

• Gates McFadden
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• 13 User reviews

Episodes 11

• Self - Author & Historian …
• Self - Author & Historian
• Self - Professor of Sociology …

• Self - Writer & Producer, Multiple Series …
• Self - Writer, Multiple Series …

• Self - Uhura, The Original Series …
• Self - Program Manager, WKBF Cleveland …
• Self - Professor of Sociology

• Self - Wesley Crusher, The Next Generation …
• Self - Memorabilia Collector …

• Self - Executive Producer Multiple Series …

• Self - Scenic Art Supervisor Multiple Series …

• Self - Science Consultant Deep Space Nine …
• Self - Scenic Artist Multiple Series …

• Self - Chekov, The Original Series …

• Self - Director, The Wrath of Khan …
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• Trivia While the documentary talks about the difficulties between Roddenberry and the network, it mentions only very briefly the drinking, drugs and womanizing that made working with the series' creator so difficult.
• Connections Referenced in Treksperts Briefing Room: The Center Seat (2023)

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• Runtime 46 minutes

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‘The Center Seat’ Star Trek Docuseries To Debut On History Channel In November

| October 26, 2021 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 11 comments so far

The Star Trek documentary series announced earlier this year finally has a release date, along with more details on how you can watch the full series.

The Center Seat  coming to History Channel… and History Vault

The History Channel is celebrating the 55th year of Star Trek with the new ten-part documentary series called The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek . And today they announced the series will debut on November 5 at 10 pm (ET/PT) on the History Channel. The first four episodes will air on the History Channel each Friday at 10 pm, with the six additional episodes also available on History Vault, the network’s subscription video service.

Narrated by Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Gates McFadden, each episode focuses on a different chapter in Star Trek history, starting with its inception at Lucille Ball’s legendary production company Desilu to the more recent film and television adaptations. The series will also delve deep into Star Trek lore, including The Animated Series and the never-produced 1970s Phase II project. According to History, The Center Seat will offer “The definitive in-depth journey honors the creative pioneers in sci-fi excellency and shares the impactful, sometimes risky, decisions behind pivotal moments in television history and how they ultimately made it to the small screen.”

The new docuseries includes interviews from the cast, crew and experts who worked on Star Trek, including Nichelle Nichols, Brent Spiner, Kirstie Alley, Walter Koenig, Kate Mulgrew, Denise Crosby, Wil Wheaton, John De Lancie, Nicholas Meyer, Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, Nana Visitor, Robert Picardo, Penny Johnson, Ethan Phillips, Diana Muldaur, Nicole de Boer, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Tim Russ, John Billingsley, John Dykstra, D.C. Fontana, Rick Berman and F. Murray Abraham.

Brent Spiner in The Center Seat

The Center Seat is directed by Brian Volk-Weiss and is produced by The Nacelle Company, the same team behind History’s 2016 50 Years of Star Trek documentary and the popular Netflix docuseries The Movies That Made Us and The Toys That Made Us . The new docuseries promises to unveil “lesser-known stories about the franchise from the importance of addressing timely topics, the creation of the character Spock, the unrelenting fans that kept the show on air, and the reruns that gave it new life.”

You can subscribe directly to History Vault , or add it as an Amazon Channel . In both cases, there is a one-week free trial.

Find more news and analysis on Star Trek documentaries at TrekMovie.com .

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Any news on whether this is exclusive to the History Channel in the US?

I checked the schedule ahead for the next two weeks for the the History Channel on Canadian cable and this series isn’t showing at all. (Ancient Aliens is in the Friday 10:00 pm slot.)

Since the trailer isn’t geoblocked, it seems like the show should be available here at some point.

History in Canada is owned by Shaw (along with Global, Showcase, HGTV among others). Bell apparently has exclusive rights for Star Trek shows, so this is airing on Sci Fi right after Discovery and will likely eventually wind up on their streaming service Crave.

…was really hoping this would be released on Netflix, like the “…That Made Us…” series. Since History Channel is featured on Hulu, hoping it will be available there.

This looks awesome. I really hope that Gates gets to continue her podcast as well. I’m still waiting for her Patrick Stewart episode since he is the only TNG cast member left to do.

But I am excited about this show

I agree. Gates was a natural podcaster. Many interesting stories I’ve never heard before. The one with Marina Sirtis was especially cool. Everyone should check out investiGates.

Coolness. And it’s super easy to watch, too.

I will be setting my DVR or this one ASAP.

Do we know if it is a weekly drop on History Vault or will they release all the episodes at once?

Wow sounds really good! And with DIS and PRO both airing in November as well, it feels like we have three Star Trek shows to watch next month! :)

Its nice its such a long documentary series and maybe TM will have a discussion page for each episode. The only thing that bothers me is it sounds like only the first four episodes will be accessible if you have History channel but have to pay for the other six. But if it’s good I’ll definitely pay to watch the rest.

If they ignore the wild ‘n’ crazy party manimal side of Roddenberry, I am kickstarting my own project– enough with the endless repetition of the same old feel-good Treakle.

Well, great, the History Vault isn’t available in the U.K. We fans outside the U.S. are already losing out on not getting to see Prodigy and now this…frustrating. Fingers crossed the History Channel might eventually carry the whole series internationally.

Does anyone know if this series will be shown in the UK?

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Each episode of the series follows a section of the franchise’s history. The first episode follows The Original Series , for example, while the second episode covers The Animated Series . There are also two additional thematic episodes, one focusing on the starships of the franchise, and the other on the many guest actors who have appeared in Trek.

The Center Seat is an entertaining documentary series. It features the same lively documentary filmmaking that has become Volk-Weiss’s signature if you’ve watched either of his Netflix shows, and as a result it’s a very watchable production. Volk-Weiss — who we spoke to last fall about this series — knows how to make documentaries fun, and The Center Seat significantly improves on his previous Star Trek complete history project, the 50 Years of Star Trek released in 2016.

Part of what makes The Center Seat enjoyable is that the 10-episode length gives it room to explore under-developed parts of the Star Trek story in previous documentaries. The Animated Series gets an episode to itself, as do each of the Rick Berman-era Star Trek shows including Star Trek: Enterprise . A highlight of the series is the Star Trek: The Motion Picture episode and the discussion of the difficult writing process for the script and the personality clashes between Gene Roddenberry and Harold Livingston.

But while The Center Seat is certainly entertaining, this is a documentary series better suited for fans who are looking for an entrée point to learning about the history of the Star Trek franchise — rather than fans already very familiar with the story of the franchise and looking for something new.

The Center Seat does not provide much information that has not already been covered elsewhere, and there has been some controversy over certain historical details as presented in the show, and over inclusion of at least one Star Trek writer/historian whose previous works have been called into question for factual inaccuracies.

But while The Center Seat itself doesn’t get too deeply into parts of Star Trek that have not previously been covered, I strongly suggest checking out companion podcast The Center Seat Aftershow,  hosted by Volk-Weiss and frequent convention guests and Star Trek historians John and Maria Jose Tenuto.

Particularly worth your time are the interview episodes with Generations director David Carson and recurring Star Trek director and producer David Livingston, and the one with longtime writer/producer Brannon Braga.

These podcast episodes, which are longer form interviews, allow for the interview subjects to dive much deeper – though in Volk-Weiss’s excitement to interview his subjects the discussion often strays too often into non- Star Trek projects and the Tenutos get too little opportunity to speak and ask questions. I wouldn’t mind a few more episodes of that show even though there aren’t new television episodes to pair them with.

The Center Seat ’s televised episodes also makes some unusual choices about which elements of the series to explore in more detail than others, sometimes to the series’ benefit and sometimes to its detriment. For example, The Center Seat dives into both the challenges working with Jennifer Lien — which led to the actress’ departure from the series — as well as the tension on set between Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan, and Ryan’s mid-series relationship with producer/showrunner Brannon Braga, which most other Voyager projects have avoided.

This is a delicate, yet important part of the Voyager story — and while the rift is seemingly healed today, it’s one that gets tiptoed around too often. The Center Seat takes it head on, which is one of the more in-depth examination of the tensions on set that’s been conducted since Jeri Ryan first publicly revealed them.

But then in the Enterprise episode has a diversion that focuses on Jolene Blalock’s acting, with interview segments discussing the former model’s need for an on-set acting coach during the show’s first season, troubles with ratings and Paramount management, and the show’s cancellation… but very little about the content of the series itself.

There’s lots of other interesting angles the Enterprise episode could have pursued in more detail.

Sometimes, it feels like Volk-Weiss’s own tastes about the various Star Trek productions shine through a little too clearly, especially when you match the tone of each episode with his comments about the series on the aftershow podcast. That detracts a bit from the overall project, particularly for the later Berman-era shows that are undergoing a revival in the fandom (namely  Voyager  and  Enterprise ) which  no longer quite match the “everyone thinks the show is bad” framing the documentary occasionally posits.

The way that the series was released by The History Channel was also deeply frustrating. While the first four episodes, covering through the end of the TOS movie era, aired on The History Channel, the remaining six episodes were reserved for History’s streaming service, History Vault. This is an objectionable ploy by History Channel executives to encourage sign ups for their streamer — and The Center Seat suffers from it because many fans are not likely to hop over to a streaming service that offers them little else besides the remaining six episodes of this Star Trek documentary.

(They do have a free seven-day trial period at least, which gave me plenty of time to watch all the episodes and cancel the service without needing to pay for it.)

The most enjoyable episode of The Center Seat for me was actually the episode on guest stars, because we heard from some Star Trek guest stars who do not often appear at Star Trek conventions. If The Center Seat continues, which Volk-Weiss has indicated in interviews is a possibility, I hope they continue on the path of cutting together thematic episodes rather than the linear approach to the history of the franchise.

Though given nobody has yet done much by way of a documentary on the Kelvin Timeline movies or the ever-expanding Paramount+ era, that could explore some interesting ground that nobody has yet documented.

Overall, The Center Seat does not quite balance its enjoyable storytelling with giving long-time fans a new experience, which the Star Trek episode of The Toys that Made Us absolutely succeeded at. But if you are newer to the franchise or have some free time and episode re-runs aren’t catching your eye, The Center Seat is going to deliver you a very watchable ten hours of television.

The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek is available to stream today in the USA, with four episodes on The History Channel and an additional six episodes on History Vault. The series will debut in the UK on the IMDB.tv service on March 18.

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History Channel honors a sci-fi legacy with 'The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek' series (exclusive)

Director Brian Volk-Weiss discusses the making of his 10-part deep dive into "Star Trek" history.

This past September 8 marked the 55th anniversary of the premiere for creator Gene Roddenberry’s " Star Trek ," a “Wagon Train To the Stars” series that Lucille Ball’s production company took a huge gamble on to spawn a multi-billion dollar franchise spanning the entire pop culture sphere.

Starting tonight (Nov. 5), The History Channel celebrates that sci-fi legacy with " The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek ," a new 10-part docu-series directed by Brian Volk-Weiss ("The Movies That Made Us," "The Toys That Made Us"). 

Narrated and executive-produced by Gates McFadden, who portrayed Dr. Beverly Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," each episode reveals a specific chapter in the half-century history of "Star Trek," from the genesis of "The Original Series" to a constellation of spinoffs and sequels seen in theaters and on television. (If you're wondering how you can watch any "Star Trek" series, check out our Star Trek streaming guide to see where to catch the sci-fi franchise online.)

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"The Center Seat" also spotlights fresh interviews with "Star Trek" alumni like Nichelle Nichols, Brent Spiner, Kirstie Alley, Walter Koenig, Kate Mulgrew, Denise Crosby, Wil Wheaton, John De Lancie, Nicholas Meyer, Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, Nana Visitor, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Diana Muldaur, Nicole de Boer, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Tim Russ, John Billingsley, John Dykstra, D.C. Fontana, Rick Berman and F. Murray Abraham.

The initial four episodes of "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" debut on the History Channel weekly starting Friday, Nov. 5 at 10pm ET/PT, with six additional episodes available on "History Vault," the network's subscription video service. 

Space.com spoke with series creator/director Brian Volk-Weiss to learn more about this tremendous "Star Trek" undertaking, who he was most excited to interview, his childhood memories of "Star Trek," and why actress Kirstie Alley wore a bathrobe in "The Wrath of Khan."

Space.com: What made you turn your attention to “Star Trek” and how did you approach this ambitious docuseries?

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Brian Volk-Weiss: Well, structurally we had a lot of advantages that other docs haven't had because we were making ten episodes simultaneously. So we knew even before we paid for a box of paperclips that we could dedicate an hour to the original series, an hour to the animated series, an hour to " Star Trek: Enterprise ." That was a real luxury, and to the best of my knowledge, I’m not aware of anybody else having that with another "Star Trek" doc.

The inspiration was Ken Burns. I remember being a kid hearing that there was like twenty hours coming out about Gettysburg? How could you possibly do twenty hours? Then I finished it and wished it was 40 hours on Gettysburg. So that was the mentality we really tried to bring to it. We have the luxury of doing the deepest dive ever, documentary-wise, into "Star Trek." That’s what we set out to do and we’ll find out soon if we accomplished it or not.

Space.com: Growing up, what were your earliest memories of  "Star Trek?" 

Volk-Weiss: I have two memories that are my first of "Star Trek." My first is being on a ski lift with my mom in Massachusetts and her explaining the show to me. She was talking about the original series and telling me how television works. That’s how young I was. And the other memory, I don’t think I was ever more traumatized in a movie than watching the Ceti eel go in and out of Chekov’s ear [" Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" ].

Space.com: Dropping down the research rabbit hole on "The Center Seat," what were some surprising facts you discovered?

Volk-Weiss: Well, we learned a lot! I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ve seen "The Wrath of Khan" three or four hundred times. So I'm interviewing Kirstie Alley and she was going on about coming to Hollywood to be Vivian Leigh. But she learned that Vulcans were the furthest you could be from Vivian Leigh. It was her first job in show business and she couldn't turn it down and she used her charm to make the character more like Leigh.  

But there's no character less than her than Saavik and I was a bit confused. So she says, "Brian, did you ever notice the first time you see Saavik her hair is in a bun, no makeup whatsoever and the last time you see her, her hair is down and she's wearing mascara, she's got eyelashes, and lipstick on?" I told her I've never noticed that. She said, "have you ever seen a scene in any other 'Star Trek' movie or TV show where there's a character in a bathrobe in an elevator?" She explained that she was really young and pretty and she was toes-to-neck covered up with no makeup. Every day she tried to push hair and makeup and director Nicolas Meyer to let her look like herself. That's my crazy piece of trivia that I learned.

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Space.com: Who were you looking forward to interviewing most for this project, and who did you really want but couldn't get?

Volk-Weiss: Patrick Stewart is the person we wanted most but didn't get. A close second place was Avery Brooks [Captain Sisko]. But I knew before we started that he's famous for not doing interviews about "Star Trek," so my expectations were managed. The interview I was most looking forward to, because his writing changed my life, was Nicolas Meyer.

Space.com: What do you feel is the most underrated "Star Trek" movie or series?

Volk-Weiss: I'd have to say it's a tie between "Star Trek III: The Search For Spock" and "Star Trek: VI: The Undiscovered Country." I think "Star Trek III" is a fantastic movie. It has humor, stakes, pathos, it has emotion and great dialogue. The stealing of the Enterprise?! One of the greatest moments in all of "Star Trek." David getting killed? The Enterprise being destroyed? A lot of very important things happen in "Star Trek III," but it has the bad luck of coming after what I consider the best "Star Trek" movie ever made, and the bad luck of coming before the most fun and successful of the original series’ movie era.

And then "Star Trek VI" is a great story, a relevant story even today. You got to finally see Sulu become a captain. You got to see Captain Kirk in action one last time. Both movies are wonderful and I don’t think they get the love they deserve.

Space.com: Are you pleased with the direction of the newer "Star Trek: Discovery" series and animated shows, and if handed the keys to the franchise where would you take it?

Volk-Weiss: Here's my positive answer. I'm very pleased with " Star Trek: Lower Decks ," and I'll leave it at that.  

If I were put in charge, I would have all the shows be about exploration and have them be more about what I call the "Riddle of the Week," and less about building mythologies. To me, "The Original Series," "The Next Generation," and "Deep Space Nine" worked because these were brilliant casts. The actors they hired and the writing are all A-Plus. And that was half the battle. 

The other half is the "Riddle of the Week." There would be a problem at minute six and they would have it resolved by minute 46. To me that’s what "Star Trek" is. A great cast with great writing. These are people you’d want to have dinner with but they’re solving mysteries.

Space.com: The series finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise" was polarizing at best.  What were your reactions to that strange and unsettling last episode?

Volk-Weiss: To this day, it is without a doubt the best "Star Trek" pilot, which doesn't say a lot. I feel like "Enterprise" is the opposite of every other "Star Trek" series. "The Next Generation" took about two years to find itself. "Deep Space Nine," I would argue, took three years to find itself. "Voyager," if somebody thinks it found itself, I’d say maybe year three or four. "Enterprise's" first season, I think it's the best season in "Star Trek" history and most of season two is pretty good too. But them getting into the 9-11 stuff in the future with a laser beam across Florida, when all we want to see is first contact with the Romulans and the foundation of the Federation? The plotline between the humans and the Vulcans in season one was brilliant. 

I'd already tapped out of it by the time the finale ran so I didn't see it before I'd heard from people for years about how offensive and bad it was. By the time I did watch it I thought, "yeah, this sucks as bad as everyone says it does." It was really peculiar. Rick Berman was trying to wrap up his tenure and it really was about him, not so much about "Enterprise."

Space.com: What are you most pleased with after completing "The Center Seat" and what do you hope fans take away from it?

Volk-Weiss: I don’t make these shows for myself. I made this for the "Star Trek" community, and if the community loves the show then I'll be very happy. If they don’t love it I'll be sad. So I'm not going to say I’m pleased with anything until a month after it premieres and I hear what everybody else thinks. If they’re happy, I'll be pleased. If they’re not, I'll try to do better next time.

And Gates McFadden, who narrates the show, took it upon herself to book the hell out of it. We don't have Brent Spiner or Kate Mulgrew without her. I waited until the last minute to pick the narrator. Luckily, Gates said yes and I think her voice-over makes the show. I was very blessed.

The first four episodes of "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" will premiere on the History Channel each week starting Friday, Nov. 5 at 10pm ET/PT, with six additional episodes available on " History Vault ," the network's subscription video service, which is available for $4.99 a month.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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Qs Son Has an Awesome New Role in the Star Trek Universe

• Q Jr. is redefining his role in the Star Trek universe by taking a more proactive approach than his father.
• The miniseries Sons of Star Trek explores the complex relationship between Q Jr. and other characters like Jake Sisko and Alexander Rozhenko.
• Sons of Star Trek #2 delves into Q Jr.'s motivations and his desire to find his own path separate from his father's.

Warning: contains spoilers for Sons of Star Trek #2!

Q Jr has an awesome new role in the Star Trek universe, one that improves on his father’s work. In the new miniseries Sons of Star Trek , Q Jr has sent Jake Sisko , Alexander Rozhenko and Nog to an alternate universe. In issue two, as the trio work to return to their own reality, Q Jr explains why he is subjecting them to this treatment, hinting at his new role.

Sons of Star Trek #2 is written by Morgan Hampton and drawn by Angel Hernandez. Alexander has grown frustrated with Q Jr. Jake and Nog, also fed up with Q Jr’s machinations, ask why he is doing it. Previously, Q Jr had only said he was trying to help them. When pressed, Q Jr explains that his father had put humanity on trial for their savage and violent nature. Q Jr likens his father to “judge, jury and executioner.”

Q Jr then explains he sees himself more as a social worker, who addresses problems before they get out of hand.

Q's Son Is Stepping Up His Game in the Star Trek Universe

Q jr has inherited his father's propensity for testing humans.

Sons of Star Trek is a spin-off of IDW’s flagship Star Trek title as well as its sister book Star Trek: Defiant. Jake and Alexander both played large roles in those books. During Day of Blood, both of them were forced to reevaluate their relationships with their fathers. Jake reaffirmed his relationship with his dad. For Alexander, there is now, for the first time ever, a chance that he and his father, Worf, can reconcile their differences. Nog, who in his short years has become a highly regarded Starfleet officer, has also joined them, as has Q’s son.

Born to restore order to the Q Continuum in the wake of a civil war, Q Jr instead becomes a petulant child, albeit a powerful and omniscient one.

Q, the Star Trek franchise’s resident trickster figure, regularly pushes boundaries and buttons in his many appearances. Debuting in the Star Trek: The Next Generation premiere “Encounter at Farpoint,” Q puts Picard and his crew on trial for the crimes of humanity. Although exonerated, Q continues to pester Picard. However, there is almost always a method to Q’s madness–including creating his son: Q Jr. Born to restore order to the Q Continuum in the wake of a civil war, Q Jr instead becomes a petulant child, albeit a powerful and omniscient one.

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Q Jr. Could One Day Surpass His Father

Q jr, like jake, alexander and nog, is seeking his place in the universe.

At its core, Sons of Star Trek is about the relationships these four share with their dads. Q Jr, who entered the world with unrealistic expectations placed upon him, is eager to carve out his own niche in the Star Trek franchise. He sees his father as being unnecessarily harsh at times, and wants to do better. Q Jr does not want to see events spiral out of control and force a potentially deadly intervention from his father. However, he still has a lot to learn, but Q Jr is off to a great start with his bold new role.

Sons of Star Trek #2 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

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What I Hope My 14-Year-Old Learned at Berkshire Hathaway’s 2024 Annual Meeting

Life lessons from this year’s trek to Omaha to see Warren Buffett.

A couple years back I brought my son Isaac to the Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A BRK.B annual meeting and wrote about it for Morningstar.com. I got some nice feedback, mostly along the lines of “Awww.” I also got trolled on social media, along the lines of “What kind of obsessive dad takes a kid to a shareholder meeting instead of Disneyland?” Fair question.

Honestly, it wasn’t my idea to drag 14-year-old Isaac back to Omaha, Nebraska, last weekend. Our 2022 trip was partly revengeful travel to compensate for a pandemic-derailed spring break. This year’s meeting came at a busy time, so I wasn’t exactly jumping to do an eight-hour drive through Chicago rush-hour traffic, endless Iowan cornfields, and prairie lightning storms. It was Isaac who insisted. He had emerged from the 2022 meeting a bit of a Berkshirehead and wanted to see how Charlie Munger’s passing would change things. He also thinks Warren Buffett is hilarious.

For me, the Berkshire meeting is as much about values as value investing. I promise Isaac was not the only minor among the more than 30,000 “Woodstock for Capitalists” attendees at the CHI Health Center. Since Isaac predictably replied to his mother’s questions of “How was it?” and “What’d you learn?” with “Good” and “Stuff,” I’m listing some virtues I hope he absorbed from this year’s meeting:

Kindness. When a representative of an environmental justice group in Nevada asked a challenging question on utility rates and renewable energy investment , the response was thoughtful and courteous. No matter what or how he’s asked, Buffett treats the question with respect. “Kindness is free,” he said, noting that “the world isn’t better if you’re richer.” Buffett has signed the “ The Giving Pledge ,” committing 99% of his wealth to philanthropy. Kindness is also essential to the Berkshire business model. Owners want to sell to Berkshire because they know they’ll be treated well. I got a classic 14-year-old response when I stressed this point to Isaac: “Yeah, I know it’s important to be kind, Dad.” OK then.

Friendship. Asking investing successor Greg Abel to weigh in on a question, Buffett accidentally said: “Charlie?” Warm laughter and applause filled the arena (including from Abel). The traditional opening movie was dedicated to Munger’s life and legacy, including some of his most memorable quotes (such as, “I’d rather throw a viper down my shirt than hire a compensation consultant”) and Buffett crediting him as Berkshire’s “ architect .” It’s clear how friendship with Munger enriched Buffett’s life and how their partnership enriched Berkshire . Isaac was disappointed that Berkshire subsidiary Jazwares sold out of their Warren and Charlie Squishmallows (for his younger siblings, of course).

Humility. Buffett took personal responsibility for a failed investment in Paramount PARA . He answered several questions on artificial intelligence by admitting he knows nothing about it, except that it’s potentially transformative and prone to deepfake scams. Though he is one of Apple’s AAPL largest shareholders, Buffett quipped there might be a little man inside the iPhone for all he understands about the technology (that elicited a guffaw from a digital native 14-year-old). Buffett described himself as someone who wants to know if something works, while Munger needed to know how it worked. Understand and acknowledge limitations. But no, Isaac, you can’t skip homework because Algebra falls outside your “circle of competence.”

Gratitude. Buffett repeatedly stressed his luck at winning the “birth lottery,” to have found something he loves to do and people he loves working with. He thanked others throughout the meeting. Though Buffett attributed his and Munger’s longevity to luck (“Charlie never did a day of physical exercise and did not watch what he ate,” while Buffett seems to subsist on See’s Candies and Coke), it’s likely that disposition has contributed. When asked if he worried about the national debt, Buffett replied, “I’m not a worrier.” That said, he does “think about it” and expressed concern. I told Isaac a positive attitude was not necessarily a substitute for vegetables and swim practice.

Reading. When asked if he was starting out now with a small sum to invest, Buffett said he’d wade through 20,000 pages of stock information to identify opportunities. He has read The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham at least five times. Munger once said, “In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time—none. Zero. You’d be amazed at how much Warren reads—and how much I read. My children laugh at me. They think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking out.” I’m keeping this quote in my back pocket for the next time Isaac spends too long on his PlayStation.

Security. One questioner asked why Berkshire isn’t spending its cash pile, which grew to a record $189 billion in the first quarter . As Buffett wrote in the 2008 Berkshire shareholder letter : “We never want to count on the kindness of strangers in order to meet tomorrow’s obligations. When forced to choose, I will not trade even a night’s sleep for the chance of extra profits.” Buffett explained the current cash as a function of a few compelling investment opportunities. Maintaining liquidity gives Berkshire the ability to “be greedy when others are fearful” and to take advantage of those “occasional times when we’re the only ones willing to act.” I decided to spare Isaac yet another lecture on the benefits of deferred consumption and the miracle of compound interest.

Succession Planning. Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the meeting and was held out as an example of successful corporate baton passing. Ensuring continuity is critical to legacy building. What future Berkshire leaders Greg Abel and Ajit Jain lack in humor and folksy wisdom, they make up for in intelligence and integrity. Their comments on Berkshire businesses BNSF, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and Geico were insightful. Abel ably (sorry, had to do it) summed up Berkshire’s culture: “We treat our shareholders as partners and our managers as owners.” Isaac told me he might not want to drive eight hours to hear Abel and Jain speak, but he does not plan to sell the Berkshire investment that he will inherit. My succession planning at work.

Global citizenship. The meeting’s first questioner traveled from Hong Kong and asked if Berkshire would be investing more in China. Several hailed from Germany. One young man had made the trip from New Zealand, another from Malaysia. A passionate Canadian asked if Buffett would allocate more capital north of the border, and an Indian extolled the merits of his home market. Buffett said Berkshire would remain mostly domestic in its investments. But he also keeps tabs on most global markets, repeatedly mentioned Berkshire’s Japanese holdings, and explained the company would continue to participate in the global economy through its US-based businesses. Even in the middle of America, Isaac and I felt the importance of global connection.

Patriotism. Buffett repeatedly stressed his luck at having been born in America. As he reminded us in the 2020 pandemic-era shareholder letter : “In its brief 232 years of existence … there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America … Never bet against America.” In this year’s meeting, Buffett wore Berkshire’s $5 billion-plus tax bill as a badge of pride and chided other companies for pursuing tax shelters. “It is beyond arrogance for American business or individuals to boast they have ‘done it alone,’” he once wrote, crediting much of Berkshire’s success to the “American tailwind.” Patriotism is also good business for Berkshire. “We want the US government to think we’re an asset and not a liability or a supplicant,” said Buffett, alluding to times Berkshire is able to provide liquidity on favorable terms. On the drive home, Isaac and I reflected on the opportunities enjoyed by generations of our family in this country. In a divisive election year when its problems will be highlighted, America’s many strengths should be remembered, too.

“Thanks for coming. I hope you come back next year,” Buffett said in closing, before quipping: “I hope I come back next year.” Isaac and I hope you do too, Mr. Buffett.

Morningstar, Inc. licenses indexes to financial institutions as the tracking indexes for investable products, such as exchange-traded funds, sponsored by the financial institution. The license fee for such use is paid by the sponsoring financial institution based mainly on the total assets of the investable product. A list of investable products that track or have tracked a Morningstar index is available on the resources tab at indexes.morningstar.com. Morningstar, Inc. does not market, sell, or make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in any investable product that tracks a Morningstar index.

The author or authors own shares in one or more securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar’s editorial policies .

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About the author, dan lefkovitz.

Dan Lefkovitz is strategist for Morningstar Indexes, responsible for producing research supporting Morningstar’s index capabilities across a range of asset classes. He contributes to the Morningstar Direct℠ Research Portal, authors white papers, and frequently hosts webinars on index-related topics.

Before assuming his current role in 2015, he spent 11 years on Morningstar’s manager research team. He held several different roles, including analyst and director of the company’s institutional research service. From 2008 to 2012, he was based in London, helping to build Morningstar’s fund research capability across Europe and Asia. Lefkovitz also participated in the development of the Morningstar Analyst Rating™, the Global Fund Report, and edited the Fidelity Fund Family report from 2006 to 2008.

Before joining Morningstar in 2004, Lefkovitz served as director of risk analysis for Marvin Zonis + Associates, a Chicago-based consultancy. During this time, he coauthored The Kimchi Matters: Global Business and Local Politics in a Crisis-Driven World (Agate, 2003).

Lefkovitz holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from the University of Chicago.

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Q&A with Star Trek actor and Montgomery Fellow George Takei

Takei, who visited campus from may 2 to 4, engaged with students on topics including asian american visibility and lgbtq+ rights..

From May 2 to 4, Star Trek actor George Takei visited campus through the Montgomery Fellows program. The actor participated in several events, including a fireside chat with the Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association and a talk at the Hanover Inn titled “From Internment to Stardom.” According to the Montgomery Fellows program’s website, the fellowship aims “to bring outstanding luminaries from the academic world as well as from non-academic spheres to campus.” The Dartmouth spoke to Takei about his acting career, background and role as a Montgomery Fellow.

What is your role as a Montgomery Fellow? 

GT: I feel very honored. I was invited to speak about the internment of Japanese Americans, which is something that I consider my legacy because it’s too little-known today. Despite many history books that have been written and many historians who teach it at the university level, there are so many Americans who don’t know that egregious chapter of American history. Because of our race — because we looked like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor — there was a wild, rampant hysteria. 

Japanese Americans were yelled at and attacked on the streets. Graffiti began appearing on Japanese American businesses, homes and cars. My father’s car had three letters painted on it in red: J-A-P. The government came down with a curfew. Japanese Americans had to be home by 8 p.m. and stay home until 6 a.m. If you were caught out at night, you were immediately arrested and thrown into jail. Our bank accounts were frozen. Our money was drained out. The government took it. Most Japanese Americans lost their life savings by the freezing of our bank accounts. It was an outrage. It’s this kind of history that Americans need to know. 

How have your background and childhood experiences — particularly, your internment during World War II — impacted your acting career?

GT: The kinds of roles that existed when I started out in the business in the late 1950s were very limited, very stereotypical and very unattractive. We had to be salespeople for much more humanized kinds of opportunities and ultimately advocate for writers who shared our perspective. Gene Roddenberry was an extraordinary example of that. Visionary and idealistic, he created a science fiction show where the story took place in the 23rd century. He created a society that valued diversity, recognizing that as the strength of the Starship Enterprise. You saw that in the makeup of the leadership crew: a North American as the captain, a European engineer, an African American woman and an Asian character who was the helmsman of the ship.

After initially studying architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, you transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, where you began pursuing theater. What inspired you to shift toward acting?

GT: Like the fact that I’m gay, I was born with that passion for acting. I remember in imprisonment, they periodically showed us Hollywood films. I remember seeing “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with Charles Laughton, but they also showed us films from Japan — samurai movies — that were imported before the war. 

My passion grew within me as I grew up. After the war was over, my father bought us a portable radio and I discovered radio drama. We were out of prison, but society still hated us. The only place we could find to live was on Skid Row, and this radio transported me out of Skid Row away into the world of Manhattan, with gangbuster sirens going in the big city at night, or into cowboy shows with galloping horses.

Who would you consider to be your biggest role models, both professionally and personally?

GT: I don’t know the names of those Japanese actors that I saw while we were in the prison camp, but later on, Toshiro Mifune from so many Samurai movies was my role model. Shortly after being released, my parents took me to see Errol Flynn in “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” and I was absolutely transported to medieval England and Sherwood Forest. 

But as I grew older, Richard Burton was the star of the very first feature film I was in, and he was really a charismatic person and a wonderful friend. He had to struggle through a lot of hardship. He was born into a poverty-stricken Welsh coal miner family with 17 siblings. He was number 15 of that many children. Because his mother was sickly, he was raised by his older sister. English was not his first language — it was Welsh. I found him a fascinating person, and I became a fan of his. He was a Shakespeare actor as well as a wonderful movie star. 

As both a devout Buddhist and a member of the LBGTQ+ community, how have these two identities intersected in your life?

GT: Buddhism accepts the reality of life in many ways — like the Starship Enterprise. The world is full of diversity. Selecting and ranking that diversity and suppressing others is a human creation, and that’s our weakness. Working toward tapping into the diversity and variety of people that can contribute to making life a better situation is something that’s still going on, particularly on college campuses. 

What do you see as the most pressing challenges facing Hollywood and the entertainment industry in the 21st century?

GT: Change is constant, and technology is rapidly changing. Hollywood is no longer Hollywood. It’s international. Storytelling is now told by high tech, and how it is disseminated and consumed is changing dramatically. How it is created has also changed dramatically. There’s no longer Hollywood. It’s all over the world, and a different vantage point is coming from that diversity, from Indian films, to Eastern European films, to Asian films of different cultures.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

DSG fails vote of no confidence in College leadership

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Campus encampments live updates: protests yield mass arrests, college clarifies stance on professor annelise orleck’s arrest, faculty gather on green in response to protester arrests, petition for emergency faculty meeting, former office manager of the dartmouth pleads guilty to embezzling more than $223,000 from student newspaper, verbum ultimum: drop the charges against charlotte hampton ’26 and alesandra gonzales ’27.

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