“Project Hail Mary” author Andy Weir slammed modern “Star Trek” shows as “s—” while revealing that he had pitched an idea for a “Star Trek” series in the past, during a podcast released Wednesday.
“Yeah, I saw, I forgot who it was — 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,’” Weir joked on the “Critical Drinker After Hours” podcast.
Weir, whose science-fiction novel “Project Hail Mary” was recently adapted into a successful blockbuster, told podcast host Will Jordan that he is a fan of the original “Star Trek” show, as well as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and cheered the cancellation of the recent “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” series.
“It’s gone, baby. It’s all gone,” Weir joked.
While Weir admitted that he was entertained by or “didn’t hate” some new “Star Trek” shows like “Strange New Worlds,” “Lower Decks” and “Enterprise,” he agreed with Jordan that the rest of the franchise shows “can go.”
Weir revealed that he once spoke to “Star Trek” producer Alex Kurtzman and other Paramount showrunners about a potential series but was ultimately turned down.
“I pitched a ‘Star Trek’ show to Paramount. I was in Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows, and I’m just pitching them my show. I spent a lot of time talking to Alex Kurtzman. I don’t like a lot of the new ‘Trek’ but I have to say he, as a person, is a really nice guy. It’s kind of interesting. I feel kind of bad for him, but at the same time, those shows are s—,” Weir said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Paramount for comment.
“Project Hail Mary,” based on Weir’s 2021 book of the same name, opened to critical and audience acclaim on March 20 and grossed over $140 million worldwide in its opening weekend, the highest opening of the year so far.
Conservative critics have also praised the film as a return to “old school wholesome entertainment” through an uplifting story without political messaging.
Weir gave some credit for the film’s success to Amazon MGM Studios, which distributed “Project Hail Mary,” for allowing “artistic people do their job.”
“I can’t even think of any studio — I mean, they gave notes on the cuts and stuff like that, but they weren’t up in our faces pushing us around,” Weir said. “And you know that that’s happening in the ‘Star Wars’ films and stuff like that. So I think part of the reason why [Project Hail Mary] ended up being such a good movie — I’m incredibly biased but whatever — is because the studio just let the artistic people do their job.”