In the fourth season finale of Star Trek: Discovery, "Coming Home," released for streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday, March 17th, 2022, Discovery introduced viewers to an important figure: the President of United Earth. This key figure was played by a real-life political figure, Stacey Abrams.

Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 through 2017, and she was the minority leader from 2011 through 2017. Then, Abrams ran for Georgia governor as a Democrat in 2018, making her the first Black female major-party nominee in the history of the United States. Although the election was awarded to GOP candidate Brian Kemp, Abrams refused to concede on the grounds of voter suppression. As a direct result of losing the gubernatorial election, Abrams founded the Fair Fight Action in 2018, an organization that fights voter suppression.

In 2019, Abrams delivered the response to the State of the Union address, making her the first Black woman to do so. And in December 2021, she announced she would be running for Georgia governor again in 2022.

Stacey Abrams Cameo as United Earth President

In "Coming Home," Abrams—a long-time fan of Discovery—played a vital role as the President of United Earth when she appeared in the finale's final minutes. However, the special guest star's arrival was foreshadowed by dialogue about her devotion to service in the face of catastrophe earlier in the episode. Once she arrives at Federation Headquarters, which is currently in orbit above Earth, the President announces United Earth will rejoin the United Federation of Planets.

The final scene of Season 4's finale with Abrams is a turning point for the series' narrative, which established in season three's "People of Earth" that Earth had left the Federation before the U.S.S. Discovery had arrived in the 32nd Century. While the crew of Discovery remained a part of the Federation throughout Season 3 and 4, seeing the planet choose to rejoin is an important moment for Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew, given many of them have ties to Earth.

The barrier-breaking actress Marin-Green told Deadline it was also a critical moment for her as an individual. She said about working with Abrams, "She's a legend in the making and a civil hero, and she was an absolute delight to work with...and she whipped out some acting chops too! "

It is no surprise that Abrams brought some serious talent to the Discovery set. She is a SAG-AFTRA cardholder with previous acting experience (she provided narration for an episode of Black-ish). As an outspoken Trekkie, she also co-hosted the "Trek the Vote to Victory" event in support of Joe Biden in October 2020.

Stacey Abrams Part of Long-Term Strategy for Series

Michelle Paradise, Discovery's executive producer & co-showrunner, told Deadline that an appearance by Abrams as Earth's President was part of a long-term strategy for the series.

We knew rebuilding the Federation was always going to be a two-season arc. When we started Season 3, the Federation was in disarray; in episode 303 we learn that Earth was no longer in the Federation, so we knew at that point that Earth returning would symbolize the Federation coming back together again. So, coming into Season 4, we knew that would happen with Earth at the end of the season… and as we got about halfway into breaking the season, we realized we’d need someone to bring that moment to life, an Earth President to say those words – that Earth wanted to rejoin – and honestly, there’s no one better for that than Stacey.

We knew that she was a fan of the show and of Trek in general, and for us, there was no one better to be that President. Alex and I reached out to her, and she was kind enough to get on a Zoom with us. We pitched her the very basics of that part of the season – just that Earth would rejoin (she didn’t want spoilers, so we shared just enough to give her context) – and then talked to her about who this character is and what she represents. We asked if she’d be interested, and she was kind enough to say yes. It was just an amazing thing. She did such an incredible job, it was a privilege for all of us to get to work with her, and we’re so grateful she joined us for that.

Besides, having a special guest star like Abrams isn't unheard of in the Star Trek Universe, and feels like a fitting tribute to Trek history. In 1993, NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison appeared as Lt. Junior Grade Palmer in a sixth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Then, in 1996, in the Season 2 episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Investigations," King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan (then the crown prince) appeared as an uncredited extra. King Abdullah planned to repay the favor by building a Star Trek area in the sadly never-completed Red Sea Astrarium theme park resort.

Will Abrams reprise her role as the President of United Earth in the forthcoming fifth season of Discovery? While she will undoubtedly be busy with her gubernatorial bid for the foreseeable future, if there's one thing that people can say about Trekkies, it's that they'll find a way to make time to boldly go. Don't count her out yet!