Writer Eric Anthony Glover on Sci-Fi, Superman and Joining Starfleet Academy

Eric Anthony Glover is writing the heroes we need on television. Compassionate, aspirational, and therefore, inspirational. If you’re into sci-fi, you might’ve caught his credits on the CW’s “Tom Swift” and more recently, Glover is boldly going where a talented few writers have gone before: deep into the lore of “Star Trek” with the franchise’s latest addition to the Trek-verse, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.”

He found his way into the “Starfleet” writing room because, “One of my bosses on 'Tom Swift' remembered me fondly enough, and I felt the same way about her. When she got hired as a co-showrunner on 'Starfleet Academy,' she asked me to come along. While I felt that the opportunity was huge, I didn't have a ton of education going into it regarding 'Star Trek' in particular, and thankfully, she was still just as welcoming.”

Glover brushed up on key episodes at his co-showrunner’s direction, along with plenty of help from a Trekkie friend coupled with on-the-job learning. Sure, Glover found that “Sometimes there were slightly rude awakenings about what the show needed from me and how I needed to approach it. But overall, it was a very, very positive experience getting to know this universe.”

That’s the beauty of a writers’ room: every person brings their specialty to the table to create a cohesive, wonderful hour of television for show’s audience to enjoy. Just because someone didn’t grow up adoring the cult phenomenon, doesn’t mean they aren’t welcome now. That’s the beauty inherent to “Star Trek”—inclusion, unity, and compassion are core values.

The Power of Sci-Fi

“Sci-fi has been my bread and butter of entertainment since I was a kid. I grew up reading Goosebumps and Animorphs books. Watching television was just a complete exercise in geekery for me, and I was lucky enough to be able to apply that to my professional life. I've only been in this industry for maybe five or so years, but the two jobs I've had have been sci-fi, so I feel extremely lucky.”

Listening to Glover eloquently articulate why he loves sci-fi turns out to be a solid reason, perhaps, why it’s not only loved by so many—but also needed in our cultural consciousness, as well.

“People have power in sci-fi that they don't tend to have in real life. And often we're looking at conflict through the lens of someone who wants to do good and has the extraordinary ability to actually do good. With superheroes in particular, that's something that appeals to me. But even without them, I mean, the characters that I have written for in “Star Trek” and “Tom Swift” have technology in their hands; inventions, formulas, that allow them to save the day in ways that are cathartic for me in the real world. It takes a lot of hard work to do any good. It takes a lot of progress by inches. But there's a fantasy element to seeing people in extraordinary circumstances respond with extraordinary measures to what isn't right and being able to correct that quickly and entertainingly and bombastically. That's appealed to me for a long time.”

In a world where the call seems to be more and more for morally grey characters because they’re what are deemed more interesting, it can feel like the lawful good characters in the media we’re given are dwindling. Is it really because that’s what audiences want, or is it because that’s what the taste makers say they’re looking for?

The stories Glover’s contributed to defy that characters must be morally grey to be interesting, and herald decency and empathy in a way that’s endearing, entertaining, and quite frankly, necessary. There’s a reason he’s got ties to the Man of Steel, aside from just being a charming human to chat with.

“My friends call me Superman from how much passion I have for [him]. I’ve been in love with the character since middle school. A friend of mine said that one of the reasons Superman appeals to him is because when we think about power, we say things like, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ but the exception is Superman. It's someone who has these God-like abilities but is the gentlest soul with the most compassion. He chooses not to use his power disproportionately, but instead stops people from harming others. He weeps for people. He loves them fiercely. He wants the best for them. He is selfless. That’s the kind of person I'd like to be, and if more people acted that way, I think the world would be a much better place. So he's had my heart for a long time for a reason.”

His favorite? All-time classic: “Chris Reeves, in spades. He's just wonderful to watch. I rewatched the original ‘70s Superman just before seeing the 2025 one, and the kindness and self-assurance, the love that he has for people; it's just all emanating from him. It's so well written and so well acted. But it is hard to choose! There have been plenty of great incarnations.”

An Origin Story Made For TV

Glover’s own screenwriter origin story is ever-so-humbly: “I had a lot of help. I got into a couple of fellowships that happened to be running at the same time, and people who served as mentors to me in them were people I felt I could rely on. When I was looking for a new manager, I told them I was on the hunt. They both happened to know the same person. That person read my work, and he and his team, within six months, got me a couple of showrunner meetings, and the second one was for “Tom Swift,” which I ended up on. So, I had my mentors in my corner, these new reps in my corner, and of course, everyone who'd given me feedback on my work beforehand, peers in my writing group, friends; people who were invested in my success. They told me what I needed to hear in order for me to grow.

I'd say my skills were sharpened by a bunch of compassionate people in my life who took time to make sure that I was presenting my best self when giving samples to people. And those reps and those mentors really stepped up for me. And of course, the people who hired me, they gave me a chance, too, and I'm forever grateful for that.”

Glover joined that peer writing group while in his fellowships, and those relationships have stuck with him since, a testament to the theory that what you put out, you get back. It helps having solid writing chops and being the kind of person others want to be around.

“It’s a writing group that began before the pandemic. These are people that I text almost on a daily basis, and they've been critical to my development. They are in different stages of their own journeys when it comes to breaking in, but I've really come to trust their advice. They're funny and smart, brilliant writers of their own merit, and just being in their corner and having them be in mine has been just so mutually beneficial. I owe a lot to them.”

A solid lesson for screenwriters starting out: Writing feels like a lonely journey a lot of the time, but television and film is a collaborative medium. Not only do the humans making it benefit from having peers they can trust, so does good story.

Before Television, There Was Film

“I had a screenwriting class at Sarah Lawrence College, my alma mater for my undergrad years, and that was a feature writing class. Essentially, TV wasn't exactly what it is now, back when I was in college. So that was all I could imagine as my path. I got into my first fellowship with a feature. But then I had a fantastic teacher [in one of those fellowships] who showed me a bit of a formula for how to get into a pilot. And once I tried my first one, and once it got some traction, I just discovered this whole new subset of an entertainment industry I was already trying to break into and that paid a lot of dividends, much faster than being a feature writer at the time.

TV writing just seems to be the thing that has had the most momentum for me, but movies are a love of mine, too. I'd love, love to be in that space as well.”

Glover also has a published sci-fi graphic novel called Black Star based on an unproduced feature of his. “I feel really, really fortunate that that happened. I've written some digital comics since, and I'm looking to write more! Comics are, oh my gosh; movies, television and comic books, those are like Dream Team interests of mine! Being able to write in any one of those spaces for the rest of my life would make me extremely happy.”

And in a world of multi-hyphenate creators, does Glover feel like it’s a necessity to write all the things?

“TV isn't what it was even in a year ago. Or at least since the strike ... things have shifted. Things are a little bit harder. In my circles, for the most part, people are still invested in television. They haven't pivoted. They know that there are jobs out there, even though there are fewer of them. I certainly have friends who are all features, but they're the minority. For the most part, it seems like TV is still where most people are investing, including me.”

Optimism For the Next Gen With ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’

“The best thing I've gotten out of writing for Star Trek' is seeing how compassionate that institution is, how aspirational. It's an IP that's focused on making sure that our common humanity—even though we're talking about aliens most of the time—is paramount to our concerns.

"It's an intellectual property that is really focused on keeping its eye on the ball of what society should look like. It's just been an honor to write for a universe that is based so deeply in empathy and recognizing the dignity of other people who may not look or worship or sound like you.

"I have gotten so much out of seeing that kind of universe come to fruition in a new way on ['Starfleet Academy']. We were still trying to make something new with the show, but it was all within the same paradigm of, at the end of the day, the Federation. The Federation does the right thing. The idea that an institution that has thousands of people could still be working towards a common good, it's unfortunately refreshing,” Glover chuckles a little.

“I think 'Star Trek' kind of threads that needle of presenting very utopian values. We’re allowed to dream with this show about a better world in which we treat each other with respect and love constantly, and that that love is institutional, the bureaucracy that sometimes pops up is still trying to do the right thing—it's this massive movement of people who are trying to gather a community, who are inviting people in; passionately so. I got to play in a playground where kindness was the default, and I don't see that very often.”

In his role as Executive Story Editor, Glover was also fortunate in knowing “my ideas wouldn't necessarily be dismissed because I was one of the lower ranked people in the room. I was in a position where a lot of people who had more experience than me, or had higher titles than me, they could have thrown their weight around and used their positions as weapons. But instead, it was kind of a ‘best idea wins’ room where authority figures manned the ship and managed our vision. But other than that, it had a democratic feel to it. I felt that this was a room that invited the popcorning, invited as many ideas as we could generate from whoever could generate them. And that made me feel really good and like an equal. So. that was an amazing part of that experience.”

It was also nice for Glover to work with “Star Trek” experts, so “I just kind of got to still be myself, even though it would have been ideal to know everything from the jump."

"But part of being himself was “Really just pitching my heart out. I'd say my other role in the room, if we’re being less technical, is I was always the guy that was looking for and trying to add, like, a human heartbeat. I think there are other people who shared my tastes and my values when it came to making sure that we had upper arcs and character development.

"I love action. I'm a guy who likes space lasers and stuff; that's all fantastic. But I would say that my role when it came to what kind of part I would play in our typical conversations came down to, okay, what is this person's deal? How are they going to go grow through the season? How are they going to grow this episode? What do they want, and what's going to happen if they don't get it? Those were my priorities, even though I wasn't alone in that at all.”

And the Trekkies?

“The fans are so cool. My episode, co-written with the show’s co-creator Gaia Violo, just came out a couple of weeks ago, and I've gotten DMs and friend requests and tweets from people who said how much ['Vox in Excelso'] meant to them.

"I think I walked into this whole experience expecting that people would be a lot more fiercely protective of their baby, because 'Star Trek' means so much to them. And some people are, and I understand that passion for sure, but there were other people who were just open to what our show was trying to do, and they were effusive in expressing how much love they had for it. So, that's made it incredibly easy to handle,” Glover says with an easy smile.

Aside from the fans, Glover’s stories of fellow writers, the cast, and crew sound as welcoming and supportive as the Federation itself. He effuses on their merits, kindness and light in a way that rings true of my interviewee; and in an instant, it’s easy to understand why the show evokes the messaging and tone it does. It’s the Superman-esque creatives bringing it to life for us mere humans.

And because like attracts like, “I've been amazed at how many kind people there are in this industry. I've heard a lot about how cutthroat it is, and to a certain extent, of course, that's true. But what was mesmerizing from the very beginning of my own journey is how many people were willing to do things for me that I could not possibly repay them in any meaningful way, and they still helped. They were true altruists. I'm indebted to them forever, and I'll try my best to make sure that they're appreciated. I feel I have to pay that forward as much as I can. I hope anyone reading this will have the same takeaway.”

Parting Wise Words From the Screenwriting Trenches

At some future stardate from now, Glover might look back on his career and impart the following wisdom on himself; helpful to us other screenwriting cadets trying to work our way up the ranks still.

“Making sure that I keep in touch better with people I've met in generals. I haven't done the ideal thing of like, keeping a grid and keeping track of the last time I contacted someone. And genuinely, not from a networking perspective.

"People have short memories. They’ve got a lot going on, and the longer you wait to reach back out, the harder it'll be for them to remember why they love you, and why they should go to bat for you. It's not that anyone is purposely ignoring you, but after a certain amount of time has gone by, it's harder for people to make you a priority.”

And nothing beats a solid script. As writers, we may like to do anything but the writing sometimes, but if it’s a professional path you seek: The script really needs to be killer.

“So far, something that surprised me about what lends itself most to success—that even though I have killer reps who are assertive on my part, and even though I have friends who go to bat for me, even though I have a network of people who really do champion me, the number one x factor that seems to edge me a little bit closer to opportunities, are scripts that speak for themselves.

"I've had people come back to me and be like, ‘Hey, I read this script of yours’ that I didn't hand them because the script had enough juice in order to turn some heads and to let people, of their own volition, pass my work along. That's done so much networking for me that I didn't expect.

"We talk a lot about networking and making sure that we have relationships, and of course, that is crucial. But when you have a script that makes the mileage easier and more efficient for you, it just does so much of the heavy lifting. So, my personal take right now is just coming up with dynamite scripts, having them vetted by peers, by writers groups, not just by executives, not just by people who are compassionate with me, but those not afraid to tell me the truth as well. Those are just invaluable resources that make it so that these scripts of mine don't have as many blind spots and can make my calling card sing and speak for itself. The scripts are the heart of the matter.”

And for Glover, it’s his voice in particular that makes those scripts sing.

“I tend to get the most compliments about voice. People appreciate how relevant my scripts are. I tend to dress up social issues in sci-fi, that can go a long way with people. But largely the compliments are about my craft, the dialogue, how much suspense or how much fun they were having, how much catharsis there was.

"Even though I write sci-fi, there's a sample about the Black Panther Party, and that one tends to be meaningful to folks, because they can feel how much emotion was driving the writing of it. It's a very emotional script. A lot of heated opinions, a lot of characters who I care about from a historical perspective, become a mouthpiece for my own rage, my own anger about how our society works currently, and that seems to be what people tend to appreciate when they're telling me what they liked about my script. But it tends to come down to voice most of the time.”

Writing professionally has been Glover’s dream his whole life. It’s quite possibly the dream of most people reading this interview, too. So what would his parting words be to everyone following along; the newcomers still waiting for their own break. To himself back in the day, waiting to break in?

Glover chooses his words very carefully to explain, “It can be tempting and easy to pin a lot of your self-worth on your profession. And I think when you live in a system, in a society, that promotes exactly that, whether on purpose or not, I would have told myself to invest not only in the writing but in making sure that I was the kind of person who could feel whole and loved and confident whether or not my writing career was going okay.

"I exist in an industry that is not always the meritocracy, does not always reward hard work or kindness or efforts to be fair, and because of that, I cannot possibly measure my value by that system. I have to be able to look at my own life, the people I love, my sphere of influence, my family, my friends, and just know that I'm treating them right. Know that I'm being as decent as humanly possible from day to day. Being a successful writer? That's a hell of a bonus, and it's one that I've been able to enjoy for the past five years.

"More important than any of that is being a decent person, so that when things fall apart, when deals don't come through, when I'm being rejected, when an idea of mine doesn't land, when I'm pitching it, when a strike happens, when I'm on the back foot professionally, when all of it blows up; I’m still able to remember what matters in my life is that I treat people well, that they treat me well, too, and that we lessen the suffering of others. The rest is just icing.”

You can catch Glover’s episodes of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” streaming now on Paramount+.

*Feature photo: Eric Anthony Glover by Michelle Kinney