Alex Kurtzman wasn’t always the boss of the Star Trek universe. The executive producer and co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery and Picard on CBS All Access got his start in that final frontier as a co-writer and producer on J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness films.
But now that he’s in charge of all the new Trek content heading going forward, Kurtzman can take a step back and pay his respects to the man who started it all way back in 1964: Gene Roddenberry.
“I hope that he recognizes that, well… First of all, he’d probably take issue with me for the amount of conflict the characters have. I know that was a big thing he struggled with on Next Gen,” Kurtzman said of Roddenberry in the recently released Star Trek: Picard Official Collector’s Edition Book. “But my hope would be that he would recognize now, from his grand perspective in the sky, how much that opened the door for Star Trek’s endurance, and how much it’s iterated and changed and yet has remained, I believe, very true to his vision.”
"There isn’t really a day that goes by where we don’t think very consciously about how he would want the messaging of Star Trek to go, and is what we’re doing consistent with the messaging of Star Trek, as he envisioned it? It’s really important to all of us. I hope he would appreciate it. I hope he would be proud."
Pan American airways pilot, third officer E W Roddenberry, better known as Gene Roddenberry, creator of the Star Trek television series and franchise, circa 1947. (Photo by Keystone/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Kurtzman may be the boss for the two current and all future Star Trek shows, but he still likes to get his hands dirty. “I very much enjoy it,” he said. “My involvement, it’s not just in the writing of it. I post all the shows, so that means I cut them, and I’m involved all the way down to the color timing and mixing. That’s a lot of work.”
"My wife and son actually deliberately like to stay out of any knowledge of what I’m doing until it airs. So, when it airs, we all sit down and watch together, and I see it fresh through their eyes, which is really fun, because it’s the culmination of all the work, and now we get to sit together as a family and enjoy it. And, in a funny way, isn’t that what Star Trek has always been about? People sitting together as a family and loving it?"
Seeing how Trek has been a force for good in the lives of its fans gives Kurtzman a sense of satisfaction in what he does every day. “I’m now at the point where I’m eating, breathing, dreaming Star Trek. And I love it! I love it for one reason. The work itself is very challenging, but it’s also some of the most satisfying work I’ve ever done, and I think that the reason why is because I’m recognizing and seeing in so many people that I meet how critically important it is to their lives.”
"I see that Star Trek has influenced people’s lives in a real way. It’s not just a form of entertainment. It’s an inspiration for the kind of people they want to be, or the kinds of things they choose to pursue in their careers or the principles they want to live by. That’s put such a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders to deliver and to maintain that message."
“If Memory Serves” — Ep#208 — Pictured (l-r): Doug Jones as Saru; Ethan Peck as Spock; Sonequa Martin-Green as Burnham; Anson Mount as Captain Pike of the CBS All Access series STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Photo Cr: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2018 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
While Kurtzman is likely working on new ideas for Star Trek from the safety of his home, cast members from Discovery and Picard revealed to IGN what shows they’re binge-watching while sheltering in place.
- Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) is really into HBO’s The Outsider.
- Discovery’s Wilson Cruz (Hugh Culber) kicks it old school when he’s in the mood for a comfort show to watch. “When I need comfort I run to I Love Lucy, Golden Girls, Designing Women and Mary Tyler Moore. I love hilarious women!”
- Picard’s Brent Spiner (Data) just finished Babylon Berlin season 3 on Netflix.
- Picard’s Evan Evagora (Elnor) is obsessed with Netflix’s Tiger King.
- Picard’s Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) is into The Crown, Ozark and Schitt’s Creek.
- Picard’s Michelle Hurd (Raffi) is into a whole bunch of shows: Ozark, War of the Worlds, The Outsider, The Hunt, The Witcher, Fleabag, Happy and Survivor.
- Picard’s Isa Briones (Soji Asha/Dahj Asha) is getting ready to watch Devs because her co-star Alison Pill (Agnes Jurati) is in it.
- Speaking of Pill, she’s been enjoying The Plot Against America on HBO.
- Picard’s Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh) is watching Ozark, You, RuPaul’s Drag Race and Making the Cut. “Ozark and You are pretty dark so I gotta balance it with some drag queens and designers,” he says.
If any of these suggestions help you get through quarantine, thank these interstellar explorers.
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