On this edition of SNAPSHOTS, we are continuing our round of interviews that recently took place at Trek Long Island 4 at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge NY!

After 17 years, nothing makes me so happy than to praise anybody from the DMV who made it big. And my friends, this was the interview I drove six hours for. We have one of the best, one of the finest of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy! Our guest grew up in the Georgetown area and called MoCo or Montgomery County home. He is representing one of two DMV stars on Starfleet Academy.

He plays Cadet Jay-Den Kraag and does an amazing job giving a new spin on Klingons. 

Let’s welcome to SNAPSHOTS, Karim Diané!

Karim, how are you doing?

Oh my gosh, what an introduction. Geez, I’m like, you, who you talking about? You talking about me?

I am definitely talking about you. I mean, anyone from the DMV deserves the best introduction.

Well, thank you. I appreciate that, buddy.

Starfleet Academy, who would have known that two of the leads come from the DMV, you play Jay-Den Kraag. What an amazing character story arc we have seen this year. I could not take my eyes off the character. I want to know when you got the call to play Jay-den. How did it feel?

How it felt? I was just kind of confused. When I got the audition, I was like, “I’m not gonna get this, like this is this is Star Trek.” Then, I heard back a couple weeks later. I’m like, “Wait!?!” Even when I got the call back, I was, “Oh, they just want to throw me in there to test me against who they actually want to pick.” But then it was when I was in that callback session that it was something that she said that I was like, “Oh, I’m about to get Star Trek. I think they want me for real.” I remember calling my manager afterwards, saying “Bro, I’m about to book Star Trek. This is crazy.” Even before I got the job, I was just really excited. A little bit perplexed but just looking forward to hopping in really.

I bet, it sounds like you are a Star Trek fan. Am I correct?

I’m a Trekkie, stop playing with me.

I’m not playing because I got to ask. Aside from Academy, what was your favorite show, your character, and movie of all the Treks out there?

I really loved the first Star Trek movie that came out in 2009, right? It just felt very modern, very tangible. I love Captain Kirk’s character in that movie. He just came off as so silly, goofy, fun, that’s the energy that I like. For the TV show, Lower Decks 100%. It’s just so unserious. I’m unserious. It was made for me. And favorite character, Mariner for sure. I love Tawny Newsome. I will follow her wherever she goes.

I agree especially that she not only co-wrote an episode for the Academy, but it was one of the most powerful episodes, especially for African Americans, because it told the story of Sisko through Jake, and we got to see it through Kerrice’s eyes. It was really a moment for us.

Yeah, for sure. I love that episode. I dare say, my favorite episode. I obviously love the Klingon episode, but I really love what Tawny wrote. I cried, and Kerrice’s performance is amazing. I think that’s an episode people will re-watch for a very long time to come.

I definitely agree! I also want to touch on the Klingon episode, because it really explored a dynamic that we rarely seen in Klingons, especially within the 32nd century. So, once you talk about your thoughts on that particular episode?

I love Eric’s writing so much. From my episode and the second season, he’s a phenomenal writer, but I’m so enthusiastic about this messaging of being a warrior and going to battle isn’t always a physical thing,

Right?

Some of our best warriors in this world on earth have never picked up a sword in their life. I’m just so enthusiastic about that message, because there’s sometimes the strongest way to win is with words, honestly.

Since you play a medical cadet in Starfleet Academy, if you had to choose your position on the bridge of a starship, what position would you choose, and why?

Captain, baby, because that’s where I belong. That’s actually not my answer, to be honest, because imagine literally 200 people asking for your attention at the same damn time. Oh my god, I don’t want that life. I probably wouldn’t be captain. I don’t think I’m built to be a scientist. I play one on TV, but I’m not. I don’t know the formulas and stuff. You know what I’m gonna be Whoopi Goldberg. I’m gonna be the bartender, because I’m a dealer of joy, and I love talking to people, making them feel good. Let’s talk about our memories, our past, our future.

Now I gotta ask the basic question I always ask our people, what is your favorite thing about the DMV if you can pick one thing or two things?

My favorite thing about the DMV at this moment is the African American Museum. It is the most amazing structure I’ve ever seen in my life. I have visited it multiple times, started from the bottom, gone all the way to the top, started at the top, gone to the bottom. I’ve taken people there; I’ve gone by myself. It is just the most amazing collection of our history in this country.

It is stunning, and I feel like I fell in love with the city again, going to that, because that doesn’t exist anywhere else. If you haven’t gone to it, go to it, and if you live in a different state, it is worth driving or flying out just to go see it. It’s amazing. Yeah, that’s my final answer.

Stay tuned for more SNAPSHOTS from Trek Long Island 4!

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias to books to dictionaries to magazines. I’m also an avid television viewer, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD, earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked on red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my lifelong journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

See author's posts