While fans ponder the future of the Star Trek franchise and an adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary racks up big bucks at the box office, Weir has managed to stir up some controversy by making negative comments about modern Star Trek projects. As we reported yesterday, the author took an appearance on the Critical Drinker podcast as an opportunity to bash some of the latest Star Trek shows, saying, “All modern science fiction has been influenced by Roddenberry Trek, except modern Trek,” and saying that most of the shows that have been headed up by Alex Kurtzman “are shit.”
Weir did mention that “I like Strange New Worlds, I think it’s pretty good. I didn’t hate Enterprise. I thought it was kinda weird but… Lower Decks I thought was entertaining and fun.” He also said that he once had a Zoom pitch meeting with Kurtzman, who is “a really nice guy.” Still, his comments were negative enough to get a lot of people talking about them.
Now, Weir has written an apology to Kurtzman.
Mea Culpa
Weir took to Facebook to write, “Open letter to Alex Kurtzman:
Hey, Alex. Andy Weir here. I’m posting to apologize about stuff I said on the Critical Drinker’s podcast. I feel like my quotes were taken out of context as salacious sound bytes. I hope you saw the other parts where I said how much I like you as a person and what a nice guy you are. Also how I like SNW and LD.
I was trying to be funny, but in retrospect it comes off as disrespectful and mean. So I’m sorry for that. I was also trying to be self-deprecating when I said “But they didn’t like my pitch so fuck ’em!” but out of context it can read like I actually meant it. I’m a blunt person – always have been. And it’s been 10 years since the media cared what I had to say about anything so I kind of forgot to watch my words when I have a film in theaters. In a couple months I’ll be back in my cave writing novels and no one will care again.
Anyway, if you want to talk about it in real time – even if it’s just to rip me a new one – I’m happy to hop on the phone or Zoom.“
There no word on whether or not Kurtzman has accepted his apology.
Well, I’m too far out of the loop to have an opinion on this matter. I’ve never read an Andy Weir novel. I haven’t seen Project Hail Mary. I haven’t even watched The Martian yet. I have watched the Star Trek movies, but I haven’t watched the TV shows, classic or modern. So here’s someone I have no familiarity with complaining about things I know nothing about, then apologizing for it.
I turn it over to you who are more informed than I am: do you think Andy Weir should have apologized to Alex Kurtzman for what he said on the Critical Drinker podcast?
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