Toronto's mayor, Olivia Chow, displays her passion for 'Star Trek' with a model starship in her office, honoring her late husband's words and the franchise's connection to the city. Toronto has become a hub for 'Star Trek' productions, with various series and movies filmed at studios in the area.
Olivia Chow has a model starship in her office. It’s the USS Toronto , a Parliament-class vessel slightly bigger than her hand. An accompanying plaque features a quote from her husband, Jack Layton, who died in 2011. “Always have a dream that will outlast your lifetime,” it reads. Layton, the former federal NDP leader, was a fan of “ Star Trek .” Chow, the mayor of Toronto , says her fandom began in the 1960s, when she was still living in Hong Kong.
She remembers watching “Star Trek: The Original Series,” then known simply as “Star Trek,” every day after school, along with “Batman” and “Mission: Impossible.” Chow arrived in Canada in 1970. “Captain Kirk with his yellow uniform was what I remembered,” she says of the iconic character played by Canadian actor William Shatner. Today, Chow leads a city that has become a second home to the “Star Trek” franchise. “Star Trek: Discovery,” which premièred in 2017 on CBS All Access and ran for five seasons, was filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios just east of the downtown Distillery District. During production of its final season, one of Pinewood Toronto’s sound stages was renamed the Star Trek Stage in honour of the studio’s connection with the sci-fi franchise. The stage is 18,000 square feet, slightly larger than an NHL rink. The upcoming “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” series on Paramount Plus — already renewed for a second season — is also being shot at Pinewood, as was the movie “Star Trek: Section 31,” releasing on Jan. 24 and starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” a spinoff of “Discovery,” is shot at a CBS film studio in Mississauga, west of Toronto. John Weber, president and CEO of Toronto-based Take 5 Productions, says many factors would have compelled CBS, which falls under the Paramount corporate umbrella, to bring “Star Trek” north, including a familiarity with the Canadian market. “It’s not any one facto
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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's Star Trek ConnectionToronto Mayor Olivia Chow displays a model USS Toronto, a Parliament-class Star Trek vessel, in her office. Chow, a lifelong fan since her childhood in Hong Kong, shares her memories of watching 'Star Trek: The Original Series' and her admiration for Captain Kirk. The news also highlights Toronto's growing prominence in the Star Trek universe, with several productions, including 'Star Trek: Discovery', 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy', and 'Star Trek: Section 31', filmed at Toronto studios.
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