Alex Kurtzman promises more animated Star Trek for the small screen
Star Trek producer Alex Kurtzman is making good on his promise to deliver more Trek-related projects to the small screen. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kurtzman has promised at least one more animated series to go with Star Trek: Lower Decks, a half-hour comedy from Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty). Additionally, CBS All Access will be getting two more Star Trek: Short Treks short-form series, both of which will be animated.
“Our goal is to not only expand the definition of Star Trek and what has qualified as traditional Star Trek, but also to tell stories that are both self-contained in a very short period of time that also connect to the larger picture of what we’re doing, not only in Discovery but in the world building of Trek in general,” Kurtzman said. “And you get to tell these very intimate, emotional stories that are side stories to characters. So you get the benefit of the experience in and of itself but then when you watch Discovery you’ll see that these were all setting up things in the world of season two.”
Kurtzman also said there will be a “minimum of two” animated series, so it sounds like they could be exploring more options in the future. “What’s exciting about it is not only looking at each animated series as what’s the different tone,” Kurtzman began, “but what’s the different technology we can apply to these things so that visually they’re entirely different?”
The producer also said he’s interested in making content “that feels right,” including trying to put together another animated series that would appeal to children, saying that “It’s important to me to find a way to go back and reach younger kids in a way that Trek should and never really has.”
There’s also the upcoming series Picard later this year, which will take a very different perspective on things while exploring the power vacuum left after Romulus was destroyed — as well as how it affected the eponymous former Starfleet Captain himself.
Meanwhile, Star Trek: Discovery, which re-launched the franchise for the small screen, will return to CBS All Access for Season 2 on January 17, 2019.
