White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted a one-sentence tribute to Patrick Stewart, and Wil Wheaton answered by calling him a Nazi and telling him to keep the Captain’s name out of his mouth. The rebuke came from Stewart’s castmate on Star Trek: The Next Generation, on behalf of a franchise whose central philosophy says people who differ belong on the same bridge.
Stewart played Captain Jean-Luc Picard on The Next Generation, and Wheaton played Wesley Crusher opposite him. Earlier that day, Wheaton had posted a photo of himself with Stewart and the words “Godspeed, Captain.” Miller’s tribute read: “One of the most impactful actors in the history of film, television and theater.”
Wheaton replied on Threads: “Stephen Miller, on behalf of Star Trek, and everyone who knew and loved him, keep my Captain’s name out of your f-king Nazi mouth.” He added: “He despised you, and everything you stand for.”
This was not Miller’s first post about Star Trek. In January, after Starfleet Academy premiered on Paramount+ on January 15, he reposted a clip captioned “Star Trek 2026 … Beyond parody …” and wrote: “Tragic. But it’s not too late for @paramountplus to save the franchise.” He followed with: “Step 1: Reconcile with @WilliamShatner and give him total creative control.” William Shatner answered several days later with a joke: “I am so on the same page with you @StephenM! The fact that they have not cured Hyperopia by the 32rd Century is an abysmal oversight on the writers! That is what you meant, right? I am ready to assume command of the series! Call me!” Paramount announced in March that Starfleet Academy would end after its second season.
The tribute to Stewart carries no politics. It names one man’s career and the three mediums he worked in. A viewer who disagrees with Miller on every policy can still read that sentence as the post of a fan.
Star Trek has a name for the idea that fans with different views share a franchise. The Vulcan philosophy IDIC, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, first appeared in the Original Series episode “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” on October 18, 1968. George Takei has described the series this way: “The Starship Enterprise was a metaphor for Starship Earth.” Rod Roddenberry, Gene’s son, has said the Enterprise crew came from a humanity that “had finally come together and realized that it’s our diversity that makes us special.” A franchise built on that premise has no entry exam for its audience.
Patrick Stewart was certainly on the left and advocated for a lot of their draconian policies, but one might also note though he was an LGBTQ activist, he defended the cake shop when the government tried to strong arm them over refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding. He was nuanced and seemed to care far more about policy than hating people like his compatriots. Captain Picard might have rightly said, “Shut up, Wesley,” in this instance.
Wheaton was not the only one. An X influencer account named “evan loves worf” (@esjesjesj) quoted Miller’s tribute with the words “He fing hated you.” The post drew 364,000 views, 22,000 likes and 781 reposts by the time of the screenshot. The account followed with “Sorry but like go f yourself” and then: “This goes for all you fascists suddenly having empathy for someone because you liked him personally.”
The second post tells readers that grief over Stewart is acceptable only for the right people. Miller’s tribute listed no policy. The replies listed several.
Does infinite diversity in infinite combinations include a fan who votes differently than the cast?
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Wil has a bunch of dicks in his mouth.
Wil Wheaton should keep our caption's name out of his f*ggit mouth. 😆