Star Trek is at a critical juncture, as its 60th anniversary approaches. Most recently, the cancellation of Starfleet Academy sparks major questions about the future of the franchise. Uncertainty also looms over Alex Kurtzman's stint as the head of the TV side of the IP and the timeline for a new show announcement. At the same, author Andy Weir is catching heat from another noted author over comments made about the Gene Roddenberry-birthed franchise.
Weir is having a moment right now as the film adaptation of his acclaimed 2021 novel, Project Hail Mary, is crushing at the box office and getting rave reviews. Of course, the noted sci-fi author had some clout due to his previous works, but he now has people talking due to sharing critiques of Star Trek's latest era.
Andy Weir Had Some Harsh Words For Aspects Of Star Trek's Current Era
Andy Weir was a guest on a podcast hosted by The Critical Drinker, who is known for his "anti-woke" philosophy regarding Star Trek and other science-fiction shows. The conversation about Trek's new direction started when the host said that he'd prefer if Paramount Skydance retconned the entirety of the new era of Trek. From there, Weir shared his own views:
I like Strange New Worlds. I think it's pretty good. I didn't hate Enterprise, I thought it was kind of weird. But Lower Decks, I thought, was entertaining and fun. All the other ones, they can go.
While Weir does enjoy some of the new Star Trek, it would seem he's not a fan of Discovery, Picard, Prodigy and Starfleet Academy. That said, his actual comments aren't as inflammatory as I'd originally assumed, though I would love to hear more about what it is he does and doesn't like about the new era.
Weir then said he approached the franchise about pitching a show, but it was shot down. He also talked about the experience and his impression of Alex Kurtzman, based on their meeting:
I pitched a Star Trek show to Paramount, and I was in a Zoom with the showrunners of all of the shows. And I'm just like pitching them my show idea. And so I actually spent a long time talking to Alex Kurtzman. I don't like a lot of the new Trek, but I have to say he as a person is a really nice guy. So, it's kind of interesting. I feel a little bad for him, but at the same time, those shows are shit. He is a nice guy. But you know, they didn't accept my pitch, so you know, fuck ‘em. No, I don't know [laughs].
To note, the comments read as being a lot more inflammatory than Weir's actual tone, which felt like he was being more jokey than aggressive. Either that, or Weir possibly realized in real time his comments could catch on, especially as Project Hail Mary continues to dominate the box office, and he tried to soften it. In any case, the sentiments are out in the wild, and not everyone is happy with them.
How Writer Don Winslow Called Out Andy Weir
Weir's comments made rounds amongst Star Trek fans and apparently, other celebrated writers as well. Don Winslow, who is known for The Power Of The Dog, The Force, Savages, Crime 101 and many other books, wasn't a fan of what his fellow novelist had to say. In a post on X, he publicly called out Weir and asked that he issue an apology:
[Andy Weir] Congrats on the success of Project Hail Mary+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 & you owe him an apology...writer to writer.
After that initial tweet, someone asked why Winslow would make a statement about the comments. With that, Winslow continued in a second post:
Writers stand up for other writers. It's how and why the Writers Guild was formed. And you don't take your moment in the sun to attack another writer because they didn't buy your pitch.
To be clear, it seems Winslow is not mad at Weir for having an opinion on Star Trek but more so for publicly bashing Alex Kurtzman as a creative. Kurtzman, of course, has written a chunk of Trek episodes for the new shows and is involved in the creative oversight of each of them.
Andy Weir Apologizes To Alex Kurtzman
Whether Don Winslow was responsible for this or not, Andy Weir decided to publish an open letter to Alex Kurtzman on Facebook as an apology. The writer explained that he didn't think before speaking, and tried to clarify his stance on what was said:
Hey, Alex. Andy Weir here. I'm posting to apologize about stuff I said on the Critical Drinker's podcast. I feel like my quotes were taken out of context as salacious sound bytes. 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 fuck '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.
Good on Weir for speaking out, as some might've just waited for the heat to die down after the comments. Here's hoping Alex Kurtzman sees the message and is appreciative of the comments.
While the Star Trek team has no confirmed plan on the TV side, Paramount Skydance has made it clear there's an intention to release a theatrical movie. Writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were hired specifically for that reason, though there haven't been any updates about progress on that front. With no active shows in development on the 2026 TV schedule, the field is wide open for the movies to make a comeback. I'd be curious as to how Andy Weir would feel about additional feature films compared to the recent shows.
The good news is there is still new Star Trek to enjoy, so hold onto that Paramount+ subscription. Strange New Worlds Season 4 is expected to release later this year, and then 2027 will bring us its fifth and final season, along with Season 2 of Starfleet Academy. Here's hoping that by then we have some answers about what's next for Trek-related TV projects.
