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

Star Trek: Kurtzman & Paradise on "Discovery," Developing New Series

Star Trek EP Alex Kurtzman on developing a new series in the Paramount+ era & EP Michelle Paradise explains how it applies to "Discovery."

While Star Trek fans have no shortage of ideas on new stories that can be expanded, the current gatekeepers of the franchise, like Alex Kurtzman, develop new shows for the long term, and it's a very involved process. As Discovery, the first Star Trek series in the Paramount+ era, enters its fifth and final season, Kurtzman provided a deep dive into the dedication needed to make a series a reality. Sadly, it hasn't included the in-demand conceptualized sequel series Legacy from Picard season three showrunner Terry Matalas. Star Trek: Picard wrapped in 2023, leaving the fate of every character open-ended for new adventures.

Star Trek: Alex Kurtzman on Creative Process, Developing New Projects

"It's a communal conversation," Kurtzman told Collider, "Meaning I talk to the head of the studio, David Stapf, who's been incredibly supportive from the beginning, from 'Discovery's' launch, and then we go, and we talk to the Paramount+ folks, and we tell them 'Here's what we're thinking. In order to get to this show, we're going to need to start planning really two years ahead, which means you have to start putting things in development.' It's actually a small group of people. And then once you figure out what show everybody wants to make, then it becomes a question of what it costs to make it."

Star Trek: Discovery executive producer Michelle Paradise broke down how it applies to her series. "We have a pattern budget which is the number that we want to hit for any given episode. Because our premieres and finales are typically larger, because we wanna launch with a bang and end with a bang, we just know that if we go over the pattern in the episode or in a particular area of the episode that in later episodes, we're gonna need to make that up. So it's really a matter of just making sure that we are diligent about that and keeping track along the way. So that by the end of the season, we have hit our pattern for all of the episodes, even if one or more went over."

Kurtzman also discussed the smaller budgeted episodes present their own opportunities. "In fact, I think from a dramatic perspective, it's great because it forces you to tell stories that are just focused on character. Nothing else. If you say like, 'Sorry, you don't get any explosions this episode, you don't get anything, any of the bells and whistles. You just have to write people in a room.' It forces your brain into a different space than you're usually in, which is a great thing — if you're doing it right, it's a great thing for character." For more, you can check out the interview here. Season five of Star Trek: Discovery, which stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Oyin Oladeyo, Emily Coutts, Wilson Cruz, and David Ajala, premieres on April 4th on Paramount+.

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