Andy Weir should be solely celebrating the success of Project Hail Mary right now, but he's found himself running damage control for his own words. As the writer of the 2021 sci-fi novel on which the Ryan Gosling movie is based, Weir's slick storytelling style is once more being brought to the forefront of pop culture. As he himself has acknowledged, the last time the media paid him this much attention was when The Martian was adapted in 2015.
On a recent appearance on the Critical Drinker YouTube channel, Weir is quoted as seemingly insulting Star Trek's entire modern era, all of which has been overseen by producer Alex Kurtzman. The Project Mail Mary author has since walked back the sentiment in an open letter of apology to Kurtzman. The apology can be found on Weir's Facebook page. While the post reads as sincere and genuinely regretful, he actually only mentions two modern Star Trek shows that he likes.
Which two modern-era Star Trek shows Andy Weir says he likes
Weir's rant about modern Star Trek included the reveal that he once pitched a show to Paramount that would have fleshed out the franchise even more. It was rejected, which resulted in the author's self-professed playful outburst of: "They didn't like my pitch, so f*** 'em!" and called all of Kurtzman's Star Trek efforts "sh**." Weir's apology retracts these statements, saying his words were taken out of context, and that he hoped Kurtzman also saw other clips where he praised the franchise's modern era.
He specifically names Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks. The former is a legacy prequel (if there is such a thing) to The Original Series, and the latter is an animated sitcom that's still somehow part of the main Star Trek canon. Weir's hastily reevaluated thoughts on the other modern-era shows aren't mentioned in the social media post, but it stands to reason that the two he mentions are comfortably at the top of this list.
Andy Weir has chosen the best two modern Star Trek shows to praise
I feel like I'm in the rare minority that has found something to enjoy in every modern Star Trek show. While I understand that the Kurtzman era has been incredibly divisive, I think it's been more good than it has bad. While shows like Discovery and Starfleet Academy fall near the bottom of my list, there were still episodes, storylines, and character moments that made their production more than worthwhile. That said, they do feel the least like the franchise's classic era, so I get why long-standing Trekkies don't particularly gravitate toward these shows.
Weir would appear to be of a similar train of thought to me in this respect. At the very least, these ultra-modernized Star Trek shows don't make his top two. Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks are SOLID choices for those spots, though. Both capture the spirit of the older Star Trek shows perfectly, while adding their own spin to a formula that could easily feel outdated in the wrong hands.
Furthermore, Weir has sidestepped the mistake that I've seen many Trekkies make: avoiding Lower Decks just because it's animated. It's joyously chaotic, often comes dangerously close to breaking the fourth wall, and somehow also serves as an obvious love letter to Star Trek at large — the good and the bad. For those who haven't seen it, I encourage you to follow in Mr. Weir's footsteps. Lower Decks is just as good as the brilliant Strange New Worlds and fills a tastefully different space.
What's going on with Star Trek right now?
Star Trek's TV renaissance began when Discovery premiered in 2017, and since then, it's been a constant deluge of content. It hasn't all landed that well, but fans can't fault Paramount's commitment to the franchise over the last decade. Unfortunately, the recent cancellation of Starfleet Academy means there are no Star Trek shows in active production for the first time since its return to the small screen.
There are still banked episodes of Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, but those will be exhausted sometime in 2027. Furthermore, Kurtzman's contract with Paramount is set to expire at the end of 2026, and there's been no solid update on whether it'll be renewed. A new Star Trek movie has been announced, but even that has gone quiet in recent months. So, Star Trek is currently in a nervous holding pattern to see what's next for the iconic sci-fi franchise.
Paramount+ is the streaming home of Star Trek.