Nathan Fillion's Favorite Sci-Fi Universe Isn't Firefly

Nathan Fillion Ai generate 

Nathan Fillion has built one of the most eclectic sci-fi resumes in Hollywood — captain of a rogue spaceship, a green-ringed troublemaker in the DC universe, even a brief stint among the Guardians of the Galaxy. So when he sat down at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend to talk about "The Rookie" heading into its ninth season, it says something that the conversation drifted straight into which fictional galaxy he'd actually want to live in — and that his answer wasn't the one built around his own career.

Not Firefly, Not Guardians  Star Trek

Fillion didn't hesitate when asked which sci-fi universe he'd pick as his favorite. Rather than name-checking "Firefly," the cult series that made him a genre icon, or the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise he's popped up in twice, he pointed to "Star Trek." His reasoning had less to do with spaceships or aliens and more to do with economics: in the Trek universe, money has been phased out entirely, and replicators mean nobody goes without. As he put it, there's no more money — everything you need is basically free. That's the kind of low-stakes, needs-are-met existence that appeals to him more than any high-adventure premise.

It's a refreshingly practical answer, honestly. Most actors asked this question default to whichever franchise they're currently promoting, or lean into nostalgia for the project that made them famous. Fillion instead picked apart the actual mechanics of a fictional economy — which, if you think about it, might be the most honest way to judge a sci-fi setting. Would you rather dodge Imperial patrols in a beat-up freighter, or live somewhere post-scarcity where your biggest worry is what hobby to pick up next? Framed that way, his pick makes a lot of sense.

Even Within Trek, He's Picky

Fillion didn't stop at just naming the franchise — he went a layer deeper, revealing exactly which era of "Star Trek" shaped him. While he has affection for the original 1960s series, he was clear that "The Next Generation" is the one that really stuck, having grown up watching the crew of the Enterprise-D navigate the galaxy under Picard's command. It's a generational answer as much as a personal one — plenty of fans who came of age in the late '80s and early '90s point to that exact same crew as their formative introduction to the franchise, and Fillion's pick puts him solidly in that camp rather than with the purists who swear by Kirk and Spock.

What This Means Looking Ahead

There's a bit of irony here worth sitting with: despite decades of steady sci-fi and superhero work, Fillion has never actually set foot in the "Star Trek" universe itself, at least not on screen. Given how many legacy actors have popped up in modern Trek productions for cameos or full arcs, it's not unreasonable for fans to start wondering if this is less an offhand comment and more a subtle nudge toward producers currently expanding the franchise across streaming.

In the meantime, Fillion's calendar is packed with projects that couldn't be further from a post-scarcity utopia. He's set to reprise his role as the hot-headed Guy Gardner in HBO's upcoming "Lanterns" series next month, and he'll return to the DC universe again next summer in the "Superman" sequel "Man of Tomorrow." Whether or not the "Star Trek" comment turns into anything more than a fun soundbite, it's a reminder that even actors best known for one universe often dream about a completely different one when the cameras stop rolling.