Every Sept. 8, Trekkies around the world celebrate Star Trek Day, marking the 1966 premiere of the original series. And while the adventures of Kirk, Spock, Picard, and Burnham have spanned galaxies, Toronto has had a recurring role in the saga — from comic book cameos in the 1960s to modern-day sound stages.
Nathan Phillips Square Goes Intergalactic
When Toronto City Hall building opened in 1965, its space-age curves and saucer-like council chamber gave Toronto a futuristic new landmark. It didn’t take long for Star Trek creators to borrow it for alien worlds. In 1969, the building appeared in a Star Trek comic called The Ghost Planet where a ruined city still sported the unmistakable twin towers of Nathan Phillips Square. Twenty years later, City Hall surfaced again, this time on TV. In Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 1989 episode “Contagion,” the Enterprise crew discovered ancient Iconian portals — and one flashed a view of Toronto’s City Hall among its possible destinations.
Even beyond fiction, the city hall grounds has hosted the franchise: in 1991, George Takei, James Doohan, and Nichelle Nichols joined thousands of fans there to celebrate Star Trek’s 25th anniversary.
And, Toronto politics collaborating with Star Trek extends to people occupying said city hall, such as Mayor Olivia Chow, a trekkie who used to dress up in Star Trek garb with her late husband Jack Layton.
A Hometown Connection: William Shatner
Toronto’s role in the Trek universe also comes through one of its most iconic actors. William Shatner, born and raised in Montreal, cut his acting teeth on Toronto stages in the 1950s. Long before he became Captain James T. Kirk, Shatner was honing his craft with the Stratford Festival and the Toronto theatre scene. His Toronto roots cement the city’s place in Trek lore.
Pinewood Toronto: The Star Trek Stage
Fast-forward to today, and Toronto isn’t just a backdrop — it’s the production home of the franchise. Since 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has been based at Pinewood Toronto Studios, where sprawling sound stages house everything from starship bridges to Federation headquarters. In 2024, one of the facilities at 225 Commissioners St. was officially renamed The Star Trek Stage to honour the city’s role in bringing modern Star Trek to life. It’s where new stories such as Star Trek: Section 31 are continuing the mission, building on a Toronto production community that includes art departments, wardrobe facilities, and workshops that could rival a Federation star base.
And, the latest instalment, Star Trek: Section 31, also featured another Toronto actor — Humberly Gonzalez.
Gonzalez says working on a Star Trek production is a right of passage for Toronto actors
“As a Canadian, it’s such a rite of passage to do Star Trek. We have Pinewood Studios, first of all. And within Pinewood Studios, we have the Star Trek stage. Everybody knows that it shoots there. So if you’re an actor or an upcoming actor in the city, you know about that and you want to be a part of it,” she says. “It’s really a showstopper, the sets, the costumes, the makeup, the prosthetics, the team, it’s such a family. It’s very niche.”
What’s Next
The Star Trek franchise celebrated Star Trek Day in style by announcing a milestone year as the franchise prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026.
As well, there will be the premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+, starring Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, and the continuation of Strange New Worlds with future seasons already on deck.
It was already announced that Strange New Worlds would be filming its new season beginning later this month back on the Star Trek stage in Toronto.
Fans can also look forward to creative collaborations with LEGO, digital comics through WEBTOON, and the launch of Star Trek: Scouts, an animated YouTube series for preschoolers. Meanwhile, a scripted podcast, Star Trek: Khan, dives into the infamous villain’s backstory with Naveen Andrews in the lead role.
On this Star Trek Day, Torontonians can look up at City Hall or glance down at the waterfront studios and know: their city isn’t just part of Canada’s cultural fabric — it’s part of the final frontier.
