Andy Weir’s STAR TREK Comments Spark Heated Response From CRIME 101 Author Don Winslow
Things got a little heated in the sci-fi world this week after Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir took some blunt swings at the modern Star Trek shows. What started as a podcast conversation turned into a public back-and-forth when Crime 101 writer Don Winslow stepped in to defend the franchise and its creatives.
Weir, best known for The Martian and the novel behind the hit film adaptation of Project Hail Mary, appeared on The Critical Drinker podcast where the topic of modern sci-fi came up. During the discussion, he pointed to a critique he’d heard about the genre’s current state:
“‘All modern science fiction TV shows and movies have been heavily influenced by the original Star Trek – except for the current batch of Star Trek shows.'”
From there, the conversation turned more specific. While Weir did give a nod to certain entries in the franchise, he didn’t hold back overall:
“I’ll give you my opinion and I’m just a consumer. I like Strange New Worlds… 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.
“And here’s another thing: I pitched a Star Trek show to Paramount and I was on Zoom with the showrunners with all the shows and spent a lot of time talking to [Kurtzman]… 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, f*ck ’em.”
That last part lit the fuse.
Winslow, whose novella inspired the recent film Crime 101 starring Chris Hemsworth, didn’t let that slide. Taking to social media, he called out Weir directly, keeping it respectful but firm:
“Congrats on the success of Project Hail Mary and The Martian. I’m a real fan. But when you have your moment don’t use it to crap on other writers’ work. For the record, Alex Kurtzman is a visionary writer, creator, producer and you owe him an apology… writer to writer.”
He doubled down in a follow-up post, making it clear this was about principle as much as it was about Star Trek:
“Writers stand up for other writers. It’s how and why the Writers Guild was formed. And you don’t take your moment in the sun to attack another writer because they didn’t buy your pitch.”
At the center of all this is Alex Kurtzman, the producer steering the current era of Star Trek through multiple series, including Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy.
The franchise, which began with Star Trek: The Original Series under Gene Roddenberry, has grown into a massive universe spanning decades of films and TV.
Weir’s comments also come at an interesting time for Trek. Strange New Worlds is heading toward its final season, while Starfleet Academy has already been confirmed to wrap after its second season.
During the podcast, both Weir and host Will Jordan reacted positively to that news, which only added fuel to the conversation online.
Meanwhile, Weir is riding high off the success of the Project Hail Mary film adaptation, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling. The movie has performed incredibly well for Amazon MGM, proving that original sci-fi can still pull serious numbers without being tied to an existing franchise.
So now you’ve got two successful writers, both with major projects in the spotlight, clashing over one of the biggest sci-fi properties ever created. It’s the kind of debate fans love to jump into, especially when it comes to something as passionately followed as Star Trek.
Whether you agree with Weir’s take or side with Winslow’s defense of fellow creators, it’s clear that people still care about where Star Trek is going next. And if nothing else, this whole situation proves the franchise can still spark strong reactions nearly 60 years after it first hit screens.