Project Hail Mary Author Andy Weir Knows How To Get Star Trek Back On Track [Exclusive]

Andy Weir, the author of the hit novels "The Martian" and "Project Hail Mary," has seen the state of modern "Star Trek" and feels he knows how to fix it. In brief, he wants to get back to basics. In a new interview with /Film's Jeremy Mathai, Weir said he feels that the franchise should focus on making a TV series — not a movie — about a Starfleet vessel on a simple mission of exploration into deep space. No bells and whistles, no gimmicks. Just plain, baseline "Trek."

What does Weir mean by getting "Star Trek" back on track? Well, the franchise has experienced a lot of ups and downs throughout its 60-year history, and we're at a point where, many might agree, "Star Trek" became a little too ambitious for its own good. Starting in 2017, "Star Trek" churned out eight (!) original shows (nine, if you count "Very Short Treks"), and one TV movie. The two current Trek shows — "Strange New Worlds" and "Starfleet Academy" — will run their course next year. There are currently no new "Star Trek" shows in active production. 

The franchise had an excellent run from 1987 through 2005 (the beginning of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" through the end of "Star Trek: Enterprise"), but by the end of that era, the saga had kind of petered out, and audiences had lost interest. "Star Trek" experienced a resurgence in 2009 with J.J. Abrams' reboot movie, and that carried through two hit sequels. That era, however, could never get its feet underneath it for a fourth movie, and that, too, petered out. Now the Paramount+ era is petering out as well.

Andy Weir thinks a single show about exploration might be the way forward.

In his interview with /Film, Andy Weir rightfully pointed out that "Star Trek" has always functioned best when it is a weekly, episodic TV series about varied adventures throughout the galaxy. Weir feels that making a new movie at this point would be unwise. He also notes that this proposed new series wouldn't have to rely on nostalgia, existing characters, or the USS Enterprise. To quote: 

"[I]f I was the boss of 'Trek' [...], I would try to establish ... You've got to make a show, a series. I personally wouldn't try to go straight to films. I would go back to a series, a streaming show maybe that's just called 'Star Trek,' and then work from there. It doesn't have to be about the Enterprise. 'Star Trek' is a rich genre that has lots and lots of cool stuff in it. It could have that same feel. It could be about a different ship exploring strange new worlds and new civilizations." 

Weir pointed out that "Star Trek" follows a specific DNA, which is, in his words, "this is a spaceship that goes out, finds new things, and has adventures." For him, "Star Trek" shouldn't aim higher than that, especially not after a decade of streaming shows that reached in all directions at once. The Paramount+ era has seen many shows taking place across the timeline of "Star Trek," with some being episodic and some being serialized. Some contain R-rated levels of violence, while others are aimed at toddlers. It's all too much.

Of course, the idea of a "Star Trek" series about a single starship, not the Enterprise, going on weekly adventures in deep space was the premise of 1995's "Star Trek: Voyager." Weir feels, though, that "Voyager" was not exactly what he means. He also thought that its immediate predecessor, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," while amazing, wasn't quite the "Star Trek" of a generation previous. Weir said that the original 1966 "Star Trek" made use of the franchise's DNA, as did "Next Generation," but after that, each show became a departure from the desired norm. He said:

"'Voyager' departed from it a little too much. People didn't like it. 'Deep Space Nine' had its own completely cool story. It was more of a political thriller, and they got away with it, but they didn't try to be 'Star Trek' with a slight twist. They're like, 'We're "Babylon 5." We're doing our own thing. We're doing it in the Star Trek universe, but we're doing our own thing.' So that's what I would do with Star Trek, is go back to the basics, go back to a ship exploring the cosmos."

"Babylon 5" is another sci-fi series, contemporaneous with "Deep Space Nine," that was also set on board a space station and that involved a lot of political intrigue. /Film loves "Deep Space Nine," but some people, like Weir, argue that it wasn't quite true to the Trek spirit. There wasn't enough trekking for his taste, one might suppose. But if the franchise did some simple star trekking, Weir would be happy.

With a new film in development, the folks in charge seem to be taking a different approach.