By Chris Snellgrove | Published
right now, Project Hail Mary is the hottest sci-fi movie of the year: not only did it have an (interstellar) opening weekend, but it earned $54.5 million in its second weekend, showing that this blockbuster has some serious space legs. It currently sits at a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that the film is loved by critics and audiences alike. After 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 are heavily influenced by the original Star Trek – except for the current crop of Star Trek shows.”
Instead of taking notes, however, they could have asked one man: Andy Weir, the novelist Project Hail Mary supported. He is also the author of The Martianwhich means you have two years to create popular sci-fi fiction that is turned into blockbuster movies. Recently, the best-selling author appeared on the Critical Drinker podcast and offered a blunt assessment of the modern state of Star Trek: “those games are sh*t.”
Andy Weir In Modern Star Trek
Surprisingly, Andy Weir made a major appearance on the Critical Drinker podcast to help make the connection. Project Hail Mary. Host Will Jordan talked about how the movie is especially popular with old-school Star Trek fans who can’t find the movie’s style of entertainment (fun, interesting, and hopeful) anywhere else. This led Weir to quote an unnamed critic’s analysis 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 crop of Star Trek shows.”
Finally, Andy Weir shared his thoughts and admitted that he didn’t hate all of NuTrek. “I love it Strange New Worlds. I think it’s great….Lower DecksI thought it was exciting and fun. Everyone else, they can go.”
Star Trek Rejected a pitch from Andy Weir
After this, Weir revealed that he has something important about the modern state of Star Trek: “I set up a Star Trek show at Paramount, and I was on Zoom with the producers of the shows with all the plans and I spent a lot of time talking with. [executive producer Alex Kurtzman].” According to Weir, Kurtzman, “as a person, he’s 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. Every NuTrek show, save Picard (which only ran for three seasons) was canceled early, too 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 critically acclaimed film adaptations would have been a good idea.
Is It the Right Time to Fire Alex Kurtzman?
If nothing else, the cancellation of Starfleet Academy and the slow entry of the NuTrek era may serve as a wake-up call for Paramount. Alex Kurtzman’s contract is up this year, and the studio is about to be bought by Warner Bros., so there’s never been a better time to hire new creators to usher in a new era of Star Trek.
