Alex Kurtzman Teases Star Trek’s Future After Discovery Ends

Star Trek architect Alex Kurtzman gives some clues to the future of the franchise following the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery. It’s a pretty good time to be a fan of Star Trek, especially if you’re a Paramount+ subscriber. Picard has come and gone, and Star Trek: Discovery is gearing up for its final season next month. There’s even more content in the pipeline, and it’s all being overseen by Alex Kurtzman. Star Trek’s future on TV and streaming is looking bright, but some fans will wonder what the future holds, especially after Star Trek: Discovery ends with its fifth season. Luckily, we talked to the man himself to see what Team Star Trek has cooking.

ComicBook.com spoke to executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise ahead of the Season 5 premiere of Star Trek: Discovery. Kurtzman was asked a big-picture question regarding the ends of Picard and Star Trek: Discovery, which kicked off this new era of Star Trek, and if we’re heading into a new phase of Star Trek storytelling.

“I think that contrary to what some people think, we’re not really in the volume business,” Kurtzman said. “It’s not about turning out lots of shows, it’s about turning out shows that mean something. So for me, I think I’m looking for every show to be different than the one that came before it. That’s really the only thing that matters. I’m not looking at this as, ‘Okay I’m planning out the next 20 years, what are we going to do?’ I’m really thinking more, ‘What’s a story we haven’t told, a crew we haven’t met yet, and an adventure we haven’t gone on?’ That is really the qualification.”

He added, “What I don’t want is for you to feel like, ‘Well, I don’t really need to watch this show because I’ve already watched that show, so I’ve gotten my fill of Star Trek.’ I want each show to feel individualized and specific. And a lot of that has to do with trusting different voices and different showrunners to come in and give their read on Star Trek, and tell their version of a story that’s interesting to them. And that’s the way you keep it fresh.”

What the future of Star Trek looks like

Alex Kurtzman then began to tease some of the Star Trek projects already in development and production. “I’m really excited about the things that are upcoming. We’re in the middle of shooting Section 31 with Michelle Yeoh right now. We start Starfleet Academy in the late summer. Everything is feeling different and special. There’s some more coming up behind it that I’m really excited about. For me, it’s about continuing to feel fresh.”

Variety published a big report about all the Star Trek projects coming to Paramount+ soon. In their writing, fans got some confirmation of the 32nd-century setting for Starfleet Academy. Producer Alex Kurtzman talked about he challenges of setting the series all the way in the future. There were some comments from production designer Matthew Davies about working to develop the design language for the Starfleet Academy show. They have a ton of space up there in Pinewood Toronto, so they were able to really reach for the stars.