‘Star Trek’ Nabs the Legacy Award & One More at the Critics Choice Super Awards

Genre films and television shows often get overlooked during awards season. Action, horror, superhero, science fiction, and fantasy movies and series often nab awards for costumes, special effects, and editing, but they rarely get recognized in the major categories.

This year, the Critics Choice Association decided it was time to address the issue head-on. They created a new awards show called the Critics Choice Super Awards to specifically honor these genre films and TV shows. In a nod to the fact that genre media often receive technical awards at the big award shows, the Super Awards didn’t include any technical categories. The only categories included were the Bests — Movie, TV Series, Actor, and Actress — for each genre.

The @CriticsChoice Super Awards starts now on The CW! pic.twitter.com/7zajt2amDC

— The CW (@TheCW) January 11, 2021

The entire show was done in a COVID-safe format. Presenters in-studio stayed six feet apart. Many presenters attended via video-conference. The winners in each category accepted their awards via pre-recorded videos.

Star Trek was honored with several nominations. The franchise itself was also honored with the inaugural Legacy Award, to recognize “the cultural impact it has had across multiple decades while continuing to appeal to and grow its loyal fanbase with new stories and characters.”

Here’s how things went for Star Trek at the show.

‘Star Trek’ Nabs Several Nominations and One Win

CBS All Access

Star Trek: Picard was nominated for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series. Patrick Stewart was also nominated for Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy series for his portrayal of Picard. Star Trek: Discovery was also nominated for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, and Sonequa Martin-Green was nominated for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series for her portrayal of Michael Burnham.

Neither Picard nor Discovery won in the Best Science Fiction/Fantasy series category. The award ended up going to The Mandalorian. 

Patrick Stewart won for Best Actor. He thanked the organization and then thanked his Star Trek: The Next Generation co-stars and crew. He sent them his love and signed off.

Sonequa Martin-Green did not win for Best Actress. The award went to Natasia Demetriou for What we do in the Shadows.

Star Trek: Lower Decks nabbed the most nominations of all the Star Trek series. The show was nominated for Best Animated Series. Its two lead actors — Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome — were nominated for Best Voice Actor and Best Voice Actress in an Animated Series.

Lower Decks did not win for Best Animated Series. The award went to BoJack Horseman. Jack Quaid did not win for Best Voice Actor. Will Arnett won for his role on BoJack Horseman. Tawny Newsome did not win for Best Voice Actress. The award went to Kaley Cuoco for Harley Quinn.

‘Star Trek’ Honored with the Legacy Award

CBS All-Access

Stewart and Martin-Green accepted the award on behalf of the Star Trek franchise.

Martin-Green thanked the Critics Choice Awards for the win and then spoke about the impact that the Star Trek universe has had on the world. She said that Star Trek has always asked people to look forward to a better future, a future where everyone has what they need and everyone is included. She went on to say that Star Trek was really about infinite love and looking for “our better angels” at every opportunity. She then passed the metaphorical mic to Patrick Stewart.

Stewart said that he and Green represented the “heart” of Star Trek. Though polar opposites on the outside — a young Black woman and an older white man — they represented the range of what Star Trek included, every kind of being imaginable. He went on to say that in these times, the inclusivity and hope provided by the Star Trek universe are needed more than ever.

Though Star Trek‘s wins were few for the night, receiving the inaugural Legacy  Award was a testament to how Star Trek shaped the genres being honored at the Super Awards.