We’ve never needed Gene Roddenberry’s vision more than we need it now – Isaacs

Star Trek actor Jason Isaacs has said the world has “never needed Gene Roddenberry’s vision more than we need it now”.

The 57-year-old, also known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, starred as Gabriel Lorca in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, which aired in the UK on Netflix.

Isaacs was speaking ahead of an online production staged on behalf of a veterans’ charity in Scotland on Thursday night.

Asked about a return to Star Trek, he told the PA news agency: “It’s Star Trek, the door’s open for anything. There are no rules.

“The only thing is I wish we could speed up the clock and get the Federation running Earth right now because we need collaboration.

“We need countries to work together for the best of us, and to have a vision together to be the best that we can be, and that is so manifestly absent in so many different countries as people pull their drawbridges up. Both literally and economically.

“We’ve never needed Gene Roddenberry’s vision more than we need it now.

“I only hope that Lorca makes a reappearance like the creators do – I know because they’re friends of mine and I talk to them – if we can think of some fabulous way for him do it because the Lorca we had in season one just had a cracking story.

“I don’t want to go back just to put the costume on again, I want to go back if I have another cracking story.

“I’d be quite happy if that was it but I’ve kept the costume and they’ve got my phone number.”

Isaacs also praised the humanity of The OA, another Netflix series he was involved with.

Brit Marling created and starred in the mystery series, with its second season ending on a cliffhanger before it was cancelled.

Calling it “the most original thing I’ve ever read”, he said: “Something about The OA is indefinably human and it gave people some kind of hope for humanity.

“It sounds incredibly grandiose and yet that’s how I’ve had it put to me, so I can only repeat it back to you.

“I thought it was stunning. I was crushed when it was cancelled, as we all were, because they had all five seasons planned out, which is never true of those puzzle shows.

“They knew how it was all going to overlap and how it was going to pay off.

“I’m thrilled that Netflix let us make those two seasons but their own internal logic and ratings and money decisions of theirs – I wouldn’t want to do that job.”

Isaacs is taking part in a Theatre of Wars production on behalf of Bravehound.

The event is free on Thursday night with tickets available by registering online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/theater-of-war-uk-bravehound-tickets-111553124398.

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