Andy Weir, the author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary, has managed to get two major blockbusters out of his sci-fi novels. When he's not thinking about a new way to mix modern science with a bit of fantastical fiction, it seems he's quite the fan of Star Trek. Enough to pitch his own series to Paramount, even if he's not a fan of seemingly every other show brought out in recent times for the franchise.
Speaking on the Critical Drinker podcast (caught by The Hollywood Reporter), Weir explained he was glad to see the back of the recently cancelled Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Weir admitted he liked some of the more recent shows, but thinks a lot of them aren't as good as classic Star Trek TV.
"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," Weir explained. "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 shit. He is a nice guy. But they didn't accept my pitch so, you know, fuck 'em."
Currently, there are no new Star Trek projects on the way from Paramount+, although two more years of Strange New Worlds and a season of Starfleet Academy are still to air. After that, it seems Star Trek could remain in stasis for a time.