Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: alex kurtzman, paramount, star trek, star trek: discovery

Star Trek: Discovery EP Alex Kurtzman on Show's Legacy, Fan Reactions

Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman breaks down the evolution and legacy of Discovery, fan feedback, augmented reality, and more.

Discovery had to walk before modern Star Trek could run in the current Paramount+ era. That's what executive producer Alex Kurtzman found out while developing the series from conception to its fifth and final season fans will start seeing in April. Since the return to television in the streaming era, Star Trek has since developed two live-action spinoffs with Picard (that ended in 2023) and Strange New Worlds, a series of shorts with Very Short Treks, and two animated series with Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds with more on the way with Discovery-spinoff film Section 31 starring Michelle Yeoh and upcoming Starfleet Academy series. Kurtzman spoke with TrekMovie.com about the series' legacy, fan feedback, and how augmented reality has changed the franchise.

How Discovery Boldly Went Where No Other Star Trek Series Gone Before

When it comes to the precedent Discovery made since the last Star Trek series Enterprise, "I think there are two things. First, there would be no modern age of Star Trek without Discovery. Whether you loved it or you hated it, it kicked open the door for more Star Trek. The idea was never to make one show that pleased everybody," Kurtzman said. "It was to make a lot of shows that please individual segments of the fandom. Because as everyone knows, there is no one-size-fits-all all with Star Trek fans. So I think the key for us was—I didn't set out to build the Star Trek Universe when we did Discovery, but that is, in fact, what happened. And I'm really, really proud of that. And I think fans will see that there wouldn't be what exists now without it. The other thing is, obviously [Gene] Roddenberry had an extraordinary track record for representation on screen and TOS set the bar. And I think we quadrupled down on it with this show. I believe we're living very much in his shadow. Hopefully, he'd be proud of it."

As far as if any of Discovery is driven by fan feedback, "Oh, it's always a factor. We listen to the fans a lot. We see what people are saying online. And we talk about what of it feels resonant, what do we feel is truthful," Kurtzman said. "You always know when you when someone makes a point, you kind of feel in your gut. 'Oh, that's, that's a very fair point.' So we're always open to feedback. I think it's actually a really important part of making Trek, Trek." The EP admitted how the franchise's use of the AR Wall has revolutionized how filming every project. "It's changed a lot. It changes like every six months. And we're even having conversations now about how to integrate it in Starfleet Academy slightly differently than what we've done on 'Strange New Worlds', 'Discovery', and 'Section 31'. So it's a huge tool. But like any digital tool, it needs to be used very thoughtfully. I think that what I like more than anything is to create a world that feels grounded. And sometimes it can sort of make you feel like you're inside a video game. So we're really trying hard to make sure that's not the feeling."

Season five of Star Trek: Discovery, which stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Emily Coutts, and David Ajala, premieres on April 4th on Paramount+.

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