By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago
Right now, Project Hail Mary is the hottest sci-fi movie of the year: it not only had an (interstellar) opening weekend, but it earned $54.5 million in its second weekend, showing that this blockbuster has some serious space legs. It’s also currently sitting at a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving the film is loved by critics and audiences alike. In the wake of its success, producers across Hollywood are frantically taking notes to learn what everyone wants to see in modern sci-fi.
“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.”
Instead of writing notes, though, they could have asked one man: Andy Weir, the writer of the novel that Project Hail Mary is based on. He’s also the writer of The Martian, meaning that he is two for two on crafting beloved sci-fi tales that are transformed into blockbuster films. Recently, the bestselling author appeared on the Critical Drinker’s podcast and offered a blunt assessment of the modern state of Star Trek: “those shows are sh*t.”
Andy Weir On Modern Star Trek
Unsurprisingly, Andy Weir primarily appeared on the Critical Drinker’s podcast to help plug Project Hail Mary. Host Will Jordan mentioned how the film has been particularly resonant with old-school Star Trek fans who can’t find the movie’s style of entertainment (fun, adventurous, and optimistic) anywhere else. This led Weir to quote an unnamed analyst’s assessment of Alex Kurtzman’s NuTrek era: “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.”
Eventually, Andy Weir unpacked his thoughts and admitted that he didn’t hate the entirety of NuTrek. “I like Strange New Worlds. I think it’s pretty good….Lower Decks, I thought, was entertaining and fun. All the others, they can go.”
Star Trek Rejected A Pitch From Andy Weir
After this, Weir revealed that he has something of a personal stake in the modern state of Star Trek: “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].” According to Weir, Kurtzman, “as a person, is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are sh*t.”
Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but it certainly seems like Paramount made a mistake not accepting Weir’s pitch. Every NuTrek show, save for Picard (which was locked in for only three seasons) has been canceled early, and Project Hail Mary is currently taking the box office by storm. In retrospect, it seems like a Star Trek series from a guy with multiple best-selling novels and multiple commercially and critically acclaimed film adaptations would have been a good idea.
Is The Time Right To Expel Alex Kurtzman?
If nothing else, the cancellation of Starfleet Academy and the slow implosion of the NuTrek era might serve as a wake-up call to Paramount. Alex Kurtzman’s contract is up this year, and the studio is about to acquire Warner Bros., so there has never been a better time to hire new creators to usher in a new era for Star Trek.
