Our Mission / Team
Created by Laz Marquez & Heather Rae, “Women Make Trek” was born from a mutual love of the “Star Trek” Universe, art & design and the incredible wealth of artistic talent working today who you may or may not be aware of. We are explorers & curators of a legacy that has been beaming for 55 Years and counting.
Our main goal is to highlight the strength and contributions of the Women who have made “Star Trek”, in all of it’s iterations, what it is. This isn’t just a post of artwork on social media, these pieces of art are accompanied with honest and emotional stories on how these Women/Actresses have impacted the artists’ lives. Behind every piece of artwork is a spark that leads to wonder, and we look to share that in a deeper way. Be gone character counts, you don’t belong here.
As we hit warp-speed on this initiative, we will also expand and build new ideas that will bring fans & talent together in new & exciting ways. In the meantime, explore the amazing talent and their artwork and hopefully get inspired by their work!
Laz Marquez
I grew up as a sensitive boy, knowing in my bones that I wanted to be an artist. Hey, there’s pictures of me drawing at 2-Years Old, but the quality might not be great these days. The subject matter that always inspired me was based in the fictional worlds I was consuming regularly on TV & Movie Theaters. I would constantly draw my favorite characters in crayon or colored pencils. And guess what? They were always the strong, protagonist women characters I adored. Then, one day, after my grandfather passed out after “Jeopardy”, I discovered “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and saw these amazing women, in space, doing incredible things! Tasha Yar was my favorite (gay man here), but there was a strong medical officer, and an EMPATH! Wow!
All of this said, my love never died for the Star Trek Universe. I’m still as much of a geek about it as I ever was. And those incredible women (most of whom I’ve met in person now at conventions), still inspire me each day. I was raised by a single mother, with two sisters most of my life and have ALWAYS identified with the struggles, perseverance and strength of women.
In addition, the passing of my mother Maria to Breast Cancer years ago, has lead me to this initiative.
We strive to promote the strength of women in the Star Trek Universe. This includes our beautifully talented Artists. This includes the amazing actresses who imbued so much into their characters. This includes the cast and writers who continue to open the doors to new possibilities. And this includes YOU for supporting this. Thank you kindly from the bottom of my heart.
Heather Rae
There’s a myth about Star Trek that pre-dated my exposure to the show as a teen. Although an episode of Star Trek: Voyager was my first introduction to the franchise - and the first Star Trek series to feature a lead female Captain - I had been told by others that Star Trek wasn’t for me. Girls don’t like Star Trek. Star Trek is for boys. I changed the channel and wouldn’t revisit Star Trek: Voyager for another 5 years.
When I finally found my way back to Star Trek, it was through a man who’d been raised by a Trekkie mother. I would soon realize how many women had laid the brickwork for the franchise, not only on screen, but behind the scenes and within fandom. Women like D.C. Fontana, BJo Trimble, Lucille Ball and Jeri Taylor all played pivotal roles in Star Trek’s success. Clearly, Star Trek was for everyone.
When Laz reached out to me about the #WomenMakeTrek initiative, I knew I wanted to help. Our community thrives when representation is present. Seeing women on screen, learning about the history of the franchise and the roles women have played, hearing about how those women have affected fans and how the women themselves connect to their roles, characters and the greater humanity of the Star Trek community - what a brilliant and valuable initiative to play a role in!