The last time we saw Michelle Hurd’s Raffaela ‘Raffi’ Musiker was during the finale of Star Trek: Picard on the bridge of the newly christened USS Enterprise-G. And while we have yet to find out what the future holds next for the first officer who is now serving under Captain Seven of Nine, Hurd herself spoke to IGN this week about her hopes for the character, how Star Trek changed her life, and how you can meet her and many other Star Trek legends at this weekend’s ST-SF: Trek to San Francisco convention.
ST-SF: Trek to San Francisco is set to take place at the Hyatt Regency SFO Hotel in San Francisco from March 8-10 and marks a big moment for fans. Alongside taking place at the future home of Starfleet Headquarters, ST-SF: Trek to San Francisco will kick off the return of regional Star Trek cons for Creation Entertainment, the same company that operated over 100 of these types of events per year during its peak in the ‘80s. According to Hurd, this is great news because there really isn’t anything quite like a Star Trek convention.
“One of the things Jonathan Frakes told me about becoming part of the Star Trek family on my first day of Picard Season 1 was, ‘Michelle, just get ready. When this show drops it's unlike any other gig you ever had. You immediately have 10 million families worldwide,’” she laughs. “Because of this, conventions have been phenomenal because I’m able to interact with people and see how profoundly Star Trek affects and unites us.”
Conventions like ST-SF on land are wonderful, but Hurd recently sailed aboard Star Trek: The Cruise and also had a great time. In addition to celebrating the life of the late Star Trek actor Kenneth Mitchell and playing D&D with Anthony Rapp, Wil Wheaton, and Dungeon Master Todd Stashwick, Hurd also had a very special thing happen while hosting a game show.
“One of the first things I had to do on the cruise was host Star Trek Trivial Pursuit,” Hurd said. “I had just gotten the questions moments before I had to get up in front of the 300 people and was a bit worried because I'm dyslexic. I got up and I started to talk and then I just stopped and said, ‘You know what? I'm just going to put the cards on the table. I'm totally dyslexic so you're going to hear me say some words that might sound bumpy, but just be gentle with me, have some grace, and it'll be fine.’
“What’s amazing is that, for the rest of the week, I had so many people come up to me to let me know how much that moment meant to them because they're dyslexic or someone they love is on the spectrum. They said it really made them feel seen and heard to just say it out loud and not be ashamed of it.”
The actress connects those moments to her Star Trek character as well.
“I always say that Raffi is perfectly imperfect,” she continued. “Because really, aren't we all perfectly imperfect? So that was an amazing thing. I feel like the Trek family is such an empathetic one. We all get it. We all get that we're different and unique and interesting, not perfect. We support each other. It got me so emotional during the whole week. I was just like, they're saying thank you for letting us know that you're with us and we're all the same. It was beautiful.”
Gene Roddenberry’s Impact
Hurd also talked about how Star Trek has changed her life for the better. To help stress her point, she took us all the way back to the beginning.
“Fifty-eight years ago, Roddenberry had some kind of wild crystal ball that he knew that he needed to create something or that we needed to have something created that would hold a mirror up to society, let us see what we're doing, and try to embrace the concept of inclusivity, diversity, and hope for a better tomorrow,” she said. “Who would think that by doing a show, those elements would become so much more enlightened and powerful in your present-day activities? But that's what Star Trek has done for me.
“I’m biracial, and back in the day when it wasn't so popular or cool to be biracial or to have Black and white parents, there were a lot of challenging moments. And my father knew how important it was to have his three Brown girls see themselves represented in this world. And so we, as a family, would sit down and watch the original Star Trek reruns to see Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura on that bridge. She gave us the permission to be bold and brave and say, ‘I'm supposed to be here. I'm allowed to be here.’ So I can only hope that there are some Brown and Black little kids with crazy hair that get to see me and say, ‘I'm here. I'm here in the year 2400 in space with my hair and everything.’"
What the Future May Hold for Star Trek: Legacy
Looking forward, Hurd is just as excited as we all are for the potential and heavily rumored Star Trek: Legacy spin-off series that would theoretically continue the adventures of the Enterprise-G crew and other beloved Star Trek characters in the 25th century. While she has no concrete news on the proposed series, she does have certain hopes for this possible next chapter.
“I absolutely think that Raffi loves Seven of Nine,” Hurd said of the Jeri Ryan character. “I think she would be a happy person to just be on a journey with Seven, whether they're in a relationship or not. And I shouldn't say whether they're in a relationship or not. They are. They're in a relationship because they're in each other's lives.”
She also hopes that Raffi’s addiction backstory will continue to be fleshed out if Legacy moves forward.
“I really want to see how Seven, Raffi, and Jack Crusher navigate the universe, but I also think that it's important to continue to tell the journey of people who are or who have been addicts,” she said. “Because once we have it, we're there forever. What’s a better way to put that pressure on her than to be Number One and know that she has a responsibility not only to her captain and somebody who she cares very deeply for, but to Starfleet as well?
“I think we could also continue to push and explore what it’s like having Seven of Nine as the first queer Star Trek captain without it being the focus. It should just be life and see how we navigate in it. Just like me talking about being dyslexic. I'd love for us to be able to reveal more of the things that people who look like they are presenting as ‘neurotypical normal’ are actually struggling with and going through. I think it would be phenomenal because you'll get an audience that is finally seeing themselves represented.”
We may have to wait to see where Raffi’s adventure actually goes next, but if you find yourself in the San Francisco area this weekend you can chat and even take a picture with Hurd, Ryan, and many more members of the Star Trek family. You can find all the info you need on ST-SF: Trek to San Francisco right here.
For more from the world of Star Trek, check out our chat with Sonequa Martin-Green about becoming Star Trek: Discovery’s Captain Burnham, or our discussion with the Discovery cast about what to expect from the final season.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
