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Author Andy Weir, who penned “The Martian” and current box-office champion “Project Hail Mary,” has publicly apologised to writer/producer Alex Kurtzman for his comments regarding the “Star Trek” franchise.
Kurtzman has been overseeing the past decade of “Star Trek” on TV from “Star Trek: Discovery” in 2017 through to “Starfleet Academy” this year. Both shows he served as co-showrunner on, while he was credited as an executive producer on “Picard,” “Lower Decks,” “Strange New Worlds,” and “Prodigy”.
Weir appeared on the Critical Drinker podcast last week, and his comments about the Paramount+ “Star Trek” shows went viral over the weekend as he spoke about how he had pitched a “Star Trek” show to Kurtzman and Paramount+ and that pitch was rejected.
He first framed things, saying “I’m Gen X, so my sci-fi was like original series Star Trek reruns and Lost in Space reruns” before then getting into “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The newer “Star Trek” shows, however, have had only mixed success with him:
“I’ll give you my opinion, and I’m just a consumer. I like Strange New Worlds. I think it’s pretty good. I didn’t hate Enterprise. I thought it was kind of weird. Lower Decks I thought was entertaining and fun. All the others. they can go.
And here’s another thing: I pitched a Star Trek show to Paramount and I was in Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows and spent a lot of time talking to [executive producer Alex Kurtzman]. I don’t like a lot of the new Trek. He, as a person, is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are s—. He is a nice guy. But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, f—‘ em”
At another point, he cheerfully said, “It’s gone baby! It’s all gone” when the topic of the cancellation of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” came up.
Now, in a posting on Facebook, Weir had a message for Kurtzman, saying:
“Hey, Alex. Andy Weir here. I’m posting to apologise for stuff I said on the Critical Drinker‘s podcast. I feel like my quotes were taken out of context as salacious sound bites. I hope you saw the other parts where I said how much I like you as a person and what a nice guy you are. Also, how I like SNW and LD.
I was trying to be funny, but in retrospect, it comes off as disrespectful and mean. So I’m sorry for that. I was also trying to be self-deprecating when I said ‘but they didn’t like my pitch so f–k ’em!’ But out of context it can read like I actually meant it. I’m a blunt person – always have been. And it’s been 10 years since the media cared what I had to say about anything so I kind of forgot to watch my words when I have a film in theaters. In a couple months I’ll be back in my cave writing novels, and no one will care again.
Anyway, if you want to talk about it in real time – even if it’s just to rip me a new one – I’m happy to hop on the phone or Zoom.”
“Crime 101” author Don Winslow scolded Weir over the weekend, posting on X: “Congrats on the success of Project Hail Mary and The Martian. I’m a real fan. But when you have your moment don’t use it to crap on other writers’ work. For the record, Alex Kurtzman is a visionary writer, creator, producer and you owe him an apology… writer to writer.”
Questions remain about the future of the “Star Trek” franchise in the wake of the cancellation of the latter show and Paramount-Skydance’s still nebulous plans to reboot the franchise. At last report back in November, “Spider-Man: Homecoming” scribes and “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” writer/directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley were attached to pen and direct a film.
Between now and late 2027 there’s still at least three more seasons of “Star Trek” shows to air with “Strange New Worlds” fourth season this year, and then final seasons of both it and ‘Starfleet Academy’ next year. All three have been filmed already.
Source: THR
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