Andy Weir Says Star Trek’s New Shows Are “Sh*t” As Project Hail Mary Author Reveals Paramount Rejected His Franchise Pitch

Andy Weir reveals he had a Star Trek pitch rejected by Paramount, and he is not mincing words about his thoughts on the state of the franchise.

Weir is the author of the popular science-fiction novel Project Hail Mary, which has now been adapted into a Ryan Gosling-led movie that is proving to be a massive box office hit. He also wrote The Martian, another novel whose film adaptation became a critical and commercial success. His novel Artemis is also quite popular, and has its own movie adaptation in development, also helmed by Project Hail Mary directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

While on the Critical Drinker podcast, Weir shared that he is a longtime fan of Star Trek, and it had a significant influence on him: “I’m Gen X, so my sci-fi was like original series Star Trek reruns and Lost in Space reruns. And there wasn’t really much in the way of [new] sci-fi that was airing — where people are off in space doing cool things — until we got to [Star Trek: The Next Generation].”

Weir emphasizes that he is not a fan of the newer Star Trek shows made by Paramount, though. Following the announcement that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be ending with season 2, the Project Hail Mary author celebrated that “It’s gone, baby! It’s all gone.” Podcast host Matthew Marsden suggested that every show from Star Trek: Enterprise and onward be removed from the franchise’s canon. Weir admitted that “you’re a little more severe than I am,” before mentioning his rejected pitch and what he would remove from the canon. Check out the author’s comments below:

I’ll give you my opinion, and I’m just a consumer. I like Strange New Worlds. I think it’s pretty good. I didn’t hate Enterprise. I thought it was kind of weird. Lower Decks I thought was entertaining and fun. All the others, they can go. And here’s another thing: I pitched a Star Trek show to Paramount, and I was in Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows and spent a lot of time talking to [executive producer Alex Kurtzman]. I don’t like a lot of the new Trek. He, as a person, is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are sh*t. He is a nice guy. But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, f*** ’em.

As for what Weir doesn’t like about modern Star Trek, he explains, “I wish I could remember who it was who said it, some analyst – he said something like: ‘All modern science-fiction TV shows and movies have been heavily influenced by the original Star Trek – except for the current batch of Star Trek shows.'”

Given his extensive history with science fiction and Project Hail Mary‘s overwhelmingly positive reviews and enormous box office success, Weir would seem like a natural choice to join Star Trek. However, between his pitch being rejected by Paramount, his stance on the more modern series, and the overall uncertainty surrounding the franchise, him joining it seems unlikely.

Beyond Starfleet Academy ending with season 2 and proving to be divisive among the fandom, no Star Trek shows are in active development or production for the first time in over a decade. Other than Starfleet Academy season 2, the only other ongoing show is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Seasons 4 and 5 have not been released yet, but both have wrapped filming, and will mark the end of the series.

What modern Star Trek should be is a hotly debated topic that often goes beyond the realm of normal popular culture. Elon Musk and the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, are among high-profile figures who have criticized modern Star Trek and taken specific aim at Starfleet Academy. Weir comes with a different perspective as a bestselling author of science fiction, two of which have gone on to become beloved blockbusters, but his comments add to the divisive discourse surrounding the franchise.

Alex Kurtzman’s deal with CBS Studios lasts until the end of 2026, but per The Hollywood Reporter, he and his production company Secret Hideout are reportedly in talks with Paramount+ to renew or extend his deal. What happens with that deal is poised to shape the future of modern Star Trek television.