This may be a daring observation, but The Marvel Cinematic Universe is, on a philosophical level, kind of the opposite of “Star Trek.” The MCU, after all, worships at the feet of a superpowered freelance military force who frequently gather together to commit acts of overwhelming combat violence. Superheroes live in a parallel world of moral absolutes, however, so we can rest assured that heroes are behaving heroically. Heroes use their access to miracle technologies to build more powerful weapons and upgrade their super-suits. They rarely try to improve medicine, undo capitalism, or reallocate resources; the MCU hasn’t ever mentioned that world hunger is solved. 

“Star Trek,” meanwhile, takes place in a world of moral pluralism. There aren’t “heroes” and “villains” in “Star Trek” in the traditional comic book sense (at least not when it’s operating at peak efficiency), but merely people who have differing philosophical viewpoints. We constantly test our morals in “Star Trek,” and hardly ever use violence to solve problems. War is anathema. Everyone has agreed to forego money to serve the greater good. Miracle technologies are used to eliminate want, as replicators can create food and resources out of thin air, and faster-than-light ships can deliver anything anywhere. World hunger has indeed been solved. 

Despite their diametrically opposed viewpoints, though, many audiences flock to both. 

Multiple actors have appeared in both the MCU and on “Star Trek,” but one of the more notable stars of both has been Anson Mount. Mount currently plays Captain Pike on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” and reprised his role as Black Bolt in the MCU’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Mount also happens to know that MCU head honcho Kevin Feige is a huge Trekkie and he, as stated in a Comic Con appearance (Covered by PopVerse), once presented Feige with a special “Star Trek” gift. Feige is, according to official Paramount documentation, an honorary Lieutenant Commander on the U.S.S. Enterprise. 

Mount had previously played the role of Black Bolt on the MCU TV series “Inhumans,” a largely ignored series that few regard as official MCU canon. In “Multiverse of Madness,” Mount played an alternate universe version of the character, and only appeared in a few scenes, but it was Feige’s idea to bring Mount back into the fold, re-incorporating “Inhumans” into the MCU. It seems that Feige mentioned that he was a Trekkie when talking to Mount, and Mount decided to respond with a keepsake for his new boss. Mount was, after all, a Starfleet captain most of the time. 

As Mount said: 

“When Feige called me for ‘Doctor Strange,’ he let it slip that he was a huge ‘Star Trek’ fan, which I did not know. […] So, I had the props department make a very formal honorary commission to the Enterprise, naming him a lieutenant commander, and signed by both myself and Rebecca, and they put a badge right in the middle of it, and had it framed and sent to him. He wrote me and said that he cried when he opened it.” 

Rebecca Romijn plays Commander Una Chin-Riley on “Strange New Worlds,” serving as the Enterprise’s first officer. There is no word as to whether or not Feige put on the Starfleet insignia badge, or if he has visited the set of “Strange New Worlds,” but he was certainly moved by the gesture. The third season of “Strange New Worlds” is set to debut on Paramount+ later this year. The next film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Thunderbolts*,” is due in theaters on May 2. As far as anyone knows, neither franchise is currently slated to cross over with the other. Although, as the real nerds know, it’s happened in the past.