Alex Kurtzman has taken a lot of flak for where Star Trek has gone since Star Trek: Discovery debuted in 2017. Many fans weren't happy with the new series, but they've softened as Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have been added to the roster. Star Trek: Picard got essentially the same reception as Discovery, but that hasn't seemed to bother Kurtzman who feels you can't make one show that's going to please everyone.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times to talk about where things stand with the franchise now that Discovery has come to an end, Kurtzman clearly isn't feeling the pressure of making a one-size-fits all series.
"I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that’s for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the “Star Trek” audience. It’s a misnomer that there’s a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that’s going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let’s make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids’ comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There’s something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way."Alex Kurtzman
And he's aware of the fan pushback. It had to have been expected after diving into a franchise that hadn't had a television series since 2005. But he sees it as healthy debate and acknowledges that the Star Trek fanbase is very outspoken.
"One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with “Star Trek” is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base."Alex Kurtzman
Kurtzman's "something for everyone" philosophy clearly didn't work for many fans who are staunchly opposed to what they call Nu-Trek, but several of the new series that debuted under Kurtzman's watch have been embraced by the fan community. Some even earned a strong, dedicated following as proven by the massive fan campaign to save Prodigy when it was cancelled by Paramount+ last year.
The next series coming to Paramount+ is Starfleet Academy which will be set in the Discovery time period. After that, there's a movie and who knows what else? Kurtzman doesn't think Star Trek is ever going to end.