TV William Shatner reflects on the secret of Star Trek's enduring popularity By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on March 27, 2021 11:00AM EDT Watch the full episode of Couch Surfing streaming now on PeopleTV.com, or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device. Since its debut in the 1960s, Star Trek has been a franchise that's lived long and prospered. The beloved sci-fi TV series, created by Gene Roddenberry, has spawned countless television spin-offs and movies, and garnered legions of fans. And the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, has some ideas about just why the series has endured. "We're on the verge of extinction," the actor said ominously while sitting down for the latest episode of PeopleTV's Couch Surfing. "We are poisoning ourselves out of life, and the Earth will survive and this little cancer, mankind, that's growing all around her will die off the way a body gets a temperature and kills the germs off. Mother Earth will get rid of us because we're a pestilence. But we don't have to be. And we can join with the rest of life that makes it here on Earth with equanimity." Everett Collection Shatner added that Star Trek, which imagines life on Earth and beyond far in the future, offers a sense of optimism amid the dread. "The fact that Star Trek exists 400 years from now is sort of a promise that if we do those things, we will, your children, your grandchildren will continue to live and live in fairly decent circumstances if you follow what we're supposed to follow," he mused. "Star Trek says we exist 400 years from now, so there's hope. That's what the audience gets, is the hope. That's the message of Star Trek, and that's why I think Star Trek is popular." The franchise remains robust today, with three series currently on air and many other TV and film projects in development. Watch the video above for more from Shatner. Related content: William Shatner celebrates 90th birthday by creating an AI version of himself for future generations Prodigy revealed as next series in Star Trek franchise for Paramount+ Star Trek star Sonequa Martin-Green still can't believe she's in Space Jam: A New Legacy Close