Project Hail Mary Author Says Modern Star Trek Has Lost Its Way: Here's Why

Alright, here’s a quick catch-up on the latest sci-fi headline: Andy Weir has done it again. His book adaptation Project Hail Mary just blew up the box office, nabbing the best opening for any movie so far in 2026. Not too shabby, especially on the heels of The Martian back in 2015. Basically, if Hollywood says Andy Weir, theaters say ‘take my money.’ There’s already sequel buzz swirling, plus talk of adapting his moon novel Artemis. You’d think this guy could write whatever space yarn he wants and studios would line up, right?

But here’s the fun twist: Andy Weir actually tried to get a foot in the door with one of the biggest franchises out there—Star Trek. As he tells it, he pitched a Trek show directly to Paramount. That wasn’t some casual email either; he was in Zoom meetings with literally the people running all the current Trek shows, and spent ‘a lot of time’ talking things over with executive producer Alex Kurtzman. So, pretty close to the mothership.

'I don’t like a lot of the new Trek,' Weir admitted on the Critical Drinker podcast. 'He [Kurtzman] is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are s***. He is a nice guy. But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, fuck 'em.'

You’ve got to admire the honesty. Weir’s no Trekkie purist, though—he actually likes some of what the franchise is doing these days (more on that in a sec). But first, for anyone keeping track, here's a whirlwind tour of the endless Trek timeline and all the recent spin-offs, courtesy of Paramount's assembly line:

• 1960s: The original Star Trek beams onto TV and eventually spawns a bunch of movies.
• 1987: The Next Generation launches, which somehow leads to the best and worst uniforms in TV history.
• 1990s/2000s: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise pile on.
• 2017: Star Trek: Discovery kickstarts the “new Trek” wave.
• After Discovery: Paramount spits out Picard (nostalgia central), the cartoon Lower Decks, for-kids Prodigy, the episodic Strange New Worlds, and Starfleet Academy (already axed, but a second season is apparently still coming... because that’s how TV works now).

The newer shows have been a battleground for fans—some love the fresh takes, others want them deleted from canon (Critical Drinker, aka Will Jordan, even says everything after Enterprise should just disappear). Andy Weir’s not that harsh, but he’s got opinions:

'Okay, you’re a little more severe than I am,' Weir told Jordan. 'I’ll give you my take as a regular viewer: I like Strange New Worlds. It’s pretty good. I didn’t hate Enterprise—I thought it was kinda weird. Lower Decks is entertaining and fun. As for all the others, they can go.'

There’s a running theme among old-school fans that modern Star Trek has drifted away from what made the OG show special. Weir even pointed out (and he admits he can’t remember who originally said this) that basically every new sci-fi movie or show is inspired by classic Star Trek—except, ironically, the actual new Star Trek shows. He also didn’t hide his excitement over Starfleet Academy getting canned: 'It’s gone baby! It’s all gone.'

Of course, these modern Trek shows have been sparking heated arguments for years. Some fans complain that the franchise has gotten 'too woke' or focuses too much on social issues. The wild part? The original Star Trek literally broke new ground on inclusion and social commentary (hello, first interracial TV kiss between Kirk and Uhura, back in 1968). So, yeah, this stuff has always ruffled feathers.

Looking ahead: The last season of Starfleet Academy is on deck, and fans get two more rounds of Strange New Worlds. After that? No one knows where Star Trek warps next. There’s still plenty of raw material in that universe—but for now, Andy Weir’s sticking with box office hits rather than Federation politics.