Andy Weir Apologizes to Alex Kurtzman After Slamming 'Star Trek' Shows
Ethan Peck as Spock, Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga and Carol Kane as Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Marni Grossman/Paramount+
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Andy Weir is apologizing to Alex Kurtzman for his comments bashing the recent crop of Star Trek shows.
The Project Hail Mary writer’s comments about Paramount+’s Star Trek shows went viral over the weekend after media outlets picked up his remarks on a podcast last week.
Weir talked about how he pitched a Trek show to executive producer Kurtzman and Paramount+ that was rejected and said that while Kurtzman was “a really nice guy” he thought “those shows are shit.” Weir also noted that he did like two of the Kurtzman-era titles — Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks (while seeming a bit gleeful over the news that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy would end after just two seasons).
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“Hey, Alex,” Weir wrote on Facebook. “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.”
Weir continued: “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.”
Weir concluded: “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.”
On the podcast, Weir had said, “Yeah, I saw a … I forgot who it was — I wish I could remember who it was who said it, some analyst — he said something like: ‘All modern science fiction TV shows and movies have been heavily influenced by the original Star Trek — except for the current batch of Star Trek shows,’” Weir said.
And then he later added, “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 shit. He is a nice guy. But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, fuck ’em.”
After the comments started circulating, Crime 101 author Don Winslow scolded Weir on X, writing, “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.”
Project Hail Mary once again ruled the weekend box office, now up to $300 million globally to become Hollywood’s biggest movie so far this year.
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