Coming for Lieutenant Erica Ortegas fromStar Trek: Strange New Worldson Twitter? You better believe that’s a paddlin’ – and it’ll be delivered by none other thanMelissa Naviaherself. The actor who plays the helmsman of the USS Enterprise under Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is active on Twitter and not afraid to push back against critics of the character she plays, especially when she perceives those critiques to be queerphobic.
Navia has shared that some of her willingness to speak up against nonsense was inherited from her mother. In one instance, she shared a story about how her mother demonstrated that the gendered toys offered in McDonald’s Happy Meals should not be gendered. “I’d whisper to my mom to just say ‘for a boy’ but she’d always proclaim, ‘For a GIRL who wants the toy in the BOY’s meal.’ Her indignation at gendered absurdity has emboldened me to this day,” Navia Tweeted on July 23rd, 2022.
It isn’t just faceless Twitter users against whom Navia will push back, however. She even issued a public response to William Shatner, who questioned how Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry would perceive the currently ongoing Trek shows during a panel appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.
“Curious: Has Mr. Shatner seen any episodes of Disco or SNW? Or Lower Decks? Didn’t he not watch himself on TOS?” Tweeted Navia on July 26th, 2022. She concluded that the general consensus was that he had not bothered to actually watch the material on which he had commented, concluding that she would change her position if “the man himself tells [her] differently.”
Lest you think Navia only Tweets clapbacks at her detractors, think again: the actress also spends plenty of time Tweeting about personal interests (like birds), the shows she’s watching (like Dickinson) and her favorite movies (like Hook), and the love of her life, the late Brian Bannon.
Ortegas' Gender Play in “The Elysian Kingdom” Made Fans Angry
But while she may be passionate about these topics,she’s also passionate about defending not just her character but those who see themselves in Ortegas, who some perceive to be queer-coded and who engage in some gender play in the episode “The Elysian Kingdom.”
“There is a tiny clique of oblivious men on here who are threatened by Ortegas’ haircut and, to compensate, harass Trek fans and give out about my bosses,” Tweeted Navia on July 26th. “If you encounter, better not to engage. But if you do, tell them to take up their issue directly with me, the keeper of the cut.”
While the helmsman of the USS Enterprise will eventually be replaced by Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), it seems clear that the position will be vacant because Ortegas has been promoted to Captain of her own ship – possibly the USS Navia.
