Summary
- Alex Kurtzman’s influence on modern Star Trek is undeniable, from creating Paramount+’s franchise to overseeing its expansion in TV and movies.
- Star Trek (2009) introduced a new era of fans to the franchise, setting the stage for its continued success in pop culture for years to come.
- Star Trek: Discovery and subsequent series have pushed the boundaries of storytelling and reignited interest in the diverse worlds of Star Trek.
Perhaps no one is as influential in modern Star Trek as Alex Kurtzman. Not only did he help create and conceptualize Paramount+’s Star Trek franchise, but he also penned the screenplays for J.J. Abrams’ first two Trek films. Star Trek (2009) helped introduce a new era of fans to the world of Star Trek and proved to studios that the franchise could still be successful. With his production company, Secret Hideout, Kurtzman helped bring Star Trek into the age of streaming television with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017.
Alex Kurtzman officially began his entertainment career as a writer on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-off, Xena: Warrior Princess. Alex went on to work on the television show Alias and wrote the screenplays for Mission Impossible III and the first two Transformers films. Kurtzman also co-created Fringe with J. J. Abrams and Roberto Orci and Sleepy Hollow with Roberto Orci, Phillip Iscove, and Len Wiseman. After working together on Fringe, Kurtzman teamed up with Roberto Orci and J.J. Abrams again for Star Trek (2009), his first official foray into the Star Trek universe. Here is Alex Kurtzman’s growing Star Trek legacy.
In 2018, Alex Kurtzman signed a five-year deal with CBS Television Studios to oversee and continue to expand
Star Trek
as a franchise. Kurtzman’s production company, Secret Hideout, recently extended this deal through 2026.
Related Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show
Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while setting up new streaming and theatrical movies.
9 Star Trek (2009)
Co-screenwriter with Roberto Orci
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Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and directed by J. J. Abrams, Star Trek (2009) reinvigorated the Star Trek franchise, introducing a whole new generation to the voyages of the USS Enterprise.Star Trek (2009) begins with the destruction of the USS Kelvin, the death of Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth), and the birth of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). Having traveled back in time and out for revenge, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) wreaks enough havoc to create the alternate Kelvin timeline.
Star Trek (2009) centers on the future Captain James T. Kirk as he attends Starfleet Academy, where he meets Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña), and Spock (Zachary Quinto). The Starship Enterprise later faces off against Nero, saving Earth, but is unable to prevent the destruction of Vulcan. With its action-packed plot and a solid cast, Star Trek (2009) became a box office hit, ensuring that Star Trek remained a fixture of popular culture for years to come.
Star Trek (2009) Where to Watch
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Director J.J. Abrams Release Date May 8, 2009 Writers Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , Gene Roddenberry Cast Chris Pine , Zoe Saldana , Zachary Quinto , Simon Pegg , Karl Urban , Anton Yelchin , John Cho , Leonard Nimoy , Eric Bana , Bruce Greenwood , Winona Ryder , Tyler Perry
8 Star Trek Into Darkness
Co-screenwriter with Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof
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In the sequel to Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness adapts the story of one of the most popular original Star Trek films, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Aboard the USS Enterprise, Kirk and Spock embark on a mission to apprehend Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who turns out to actually be the notorious tyrant, Khan Noonien-Singh.
Related 10 J.J. Abrams Star Trek Movie Positives You Only Notice On Rewatch
J.J Abrams rebooted Star Trek in 2009 with a new USS Enterprise crew & the creation of the Kelvin Timeline, ushering in a new era of modern Star Trek.
Captain Kirk eventually sacrifices himself to save the Enterprise just as Leonard Nimoy’s Spock did in Wrath of Khan, but is revived using Khan’s blood. Like Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness leans into blockbuster sci-fi action, forgoing the more cerebral aspects of Trek. With a screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, the controversial Star Trek Into Darkness did well at the box office (though not quite as well as its predecessor) and received mostly positive reviews from critics, though mixed reviews from Star Trek fans.
Star Trek Into Darkness Where to Watch
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Director J.J. Abrams Release Date May 16, 2013 Writers Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , Damon Lindelof Cast Anton Yelchin , Karl Urban , Simon Pegg , Benedict Cumberbatch , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , John Cho , Chris Pine , Alice Eve , Peter Weller
7 Star Trek: Discovery
Executive Producer, Showrunner
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Star Trek: Discovery brought the franchise into the era of streaming television, opening with a dark, heavily serialized season that was unlike anything Star Trek had done before. Beginning as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Discovery had plenty for Trek fans to love and also introduced countless new fans to the franchise. Centering on Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Star Trek: Discovery featured a new starship with an experimental spore drive and a cast of incredibly compelling characters.
Alex Kurtzman helped create
Star Trek: Discovery
along with Bryan Fuller, and Kurtzman served as showrunner from the second season on. He was joined by Michelle Paradise as co-showrunner beginning with
Discovery
season 3.
Star Trek: Discovery’s 5 seasons experimented with genres and tone but always managed to feel like Star Trek. At the end of Star Trek:Discovery season 2, the USS Discovery traveled over 900 years into the future, farther than any other Trek show had before. This allowed Star Trek: Discovery to move away from established canon and tell new stories about the Federation of the 32nd century.
Star Trek: Discovery Where to Watch
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Cast Sonequa Martin-Green , Doug Jones , Anthony Rapp , Wilson Cruz , Mary Wiseman , Blu del Barrio , Callum Keith Rennie , Eve Harlow , Oded Fehr Release Date September 24, 2017 Seasons 4 Showrunner Alex Kurtzman
6 Star Trek: Picard
Executive Producer
Star Trek: Picard Where to Watch
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Cast Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Jeri Ryan , Michelle Hurd , Ed Speleers , Gates McFadden , Todd Stashwick , Michael Dorn , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton , Marina Sirtis , Amanda Plummer , Isa Briones , Alison Pill , Santiago Cabrera , Evan Evagora , Orla Brady , John de Lancie , Whoopi Goldberg Release Date January 23, 2020 Seasons 3 Showrunner Michael Chabon , Akiva Goldsman , Terry Matalas Expand
5 Star Trek: Lower Decks
Executive Producer
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Star Trek‘s first animated comedy that has become popular with old and new fans alike, Star Trek: Lower Decks leans to a deep love of the franchise with smart writing and lovable characters. Following the lower deckers among the eclectic crew of the USS Cerritos, Star Trek: Lower Decks crams numerous jokes and references to past Trek into every episode. In many ways, Lower Decks acts as a love letter to the entire Star Trek franchise, while also being pretty great Star Trek all on its own.
Related Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 – Release Date, Trailer, Cast, Story & Everything We Know
Great news: Star Trek: Lower Decks is coming back for season 5. Bad news: It’s the final season of Lower Decks on Paramount+.
Loosely based on the TNG episode of the same name, Lower Decks takes place in Star Trek’s TNG era, and has connections to Star Trek: The Next Generation,Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. Lieutenants Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), in particular, are wonderful additions to Star Trek’s roster of great characters, and their adventures even crossed over to live-action on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Where to Watch
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Cast Tawny Newsome , Jack Quaid , dawnn lewis , Noel Wells , Eugene Cordero , Gabrielle Ruiz , Fred Tatasciore , Jerry O’Connell Release Date August 6, 2020 Seasons 5 Showrunner Mike McMahan
4 Star Trek: Prodigy
Executive Producer
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Another first for the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Prodigy is a CGI animated series geared specifically toward a younger audience. Following the ragtag crew of the USS Protostar, Prodigy serves as a sequel of sorts to Star Trek: Voyager, as a hologram of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) helps guide the young Protostar crew. Along the way Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and his friends learn some important lessons about what it means to be a Starfleet officer.
After being canceled by Paramount+ and removed from the streaming service, Star Trek: Prodigy was picked up by Netflix for its second season. In Star Trek:Prodigy season 2, Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher made a surprise appearance as a Traveler working to save the universe. Admiral Janeway, Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) also played larger roles, becoming mentors for the Protostar kids. While Star Trek:Prodigy season 2 brought the story full circle with a satisfying conclusion, it also left the door open for more adventures with Dal and his friends.
Star Trek: Prodigy Where to Watch
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Cast Rylee Alazraqui , Brett Gray , Kate Mulgrew , Ella Purnell , Dee Bradley Baker , Angus Imrie , Jason Mantzoukas , John Noble Release Date October 28, 2021 Seasons 2 Showrunner Dan Hageman , Kevin Hageman
3 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Executive Producer
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Star Trek: Discovery season 2 introduced Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Lt. Spock, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One. These characters proved to be so successful that they became the leads of their own spin-off, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Following Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise, Strange New Worlds takes Star Trek back to its roots of exploration and episodic adventures.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
season 2 featured
Star Trek
‘s first-ever musical episode.
With pitch-perfect casting and stunning visuals, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has swung from scary Gorn stories to tragic time travel stories to musicals and crossovers and everything in between. Strange New Worlds has added depth to characters like Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and introduced some truly wonderful new characters to the Star Trek universe as well.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Cast Melissa Navia , Babs Olusanmokun , Ethan Peck , Jess Bush , Celia Rose Gooding , Rebecca Romijn , Bruce Horak , Anson Mount , Christina Chong , Paul Wesley Release Date May 5, 2022 Seasons 2 Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers , Akiva Goldsman Where To Watch Paramount+
2 Star Trek: Section 31
Executive Producer
Related Section 31: Release Window, Cast, Story & Everything We Know About Star Trek’s First Streaming Movie
Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines Star Trek: Section 31, and here’s what we know about Paramount+’s first Star Trek streaming movie.
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Although much about the plot of Star Trek: Section 31 remains unknown, Georgiou appears to be working with Section 31 to recruit a team for an important mission. Set during Star Trek’s “lost era,” Section 31 also features a young Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), who appeared as Captain of the USS Enterprise-C in TNG’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” A Section 31 teaser trailer released during San Diego Comic-Con 2024 hints at an action-packed spy thriller unlike any other previous Star Trek project.
Star Trek: Section 31
Director Olatunde Osunsanmi Writers Craig Sweeney Cast Sam Richardson , Omari Hardwick , Robert Kazinsky , Kacey Rohl , Humberly González , Joe Pingue , Michelle Yeoh
1 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Executive Producer & Co-Showrunner
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In another spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow a group of young cadets at the Starfleet Academy of the 32nd century. Created by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, Starfleet Academy also features Tawny Newsome as one of the writers and voices behind the scenes. As Lt. Beckett Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks, Newsome has already proven her comedic chops and has become one of the major voices in modern Star Trek.
With Holly Hunter as the Chancellor and Paul Giamatti as an unnamed villain, Starfleet Academy already has a stellar cast, including several Star Trek legacy characters. Robert Picardo will reprise his role as the Doctor, raising the question of what exactly the Emergency Medical Hologram has been up to in the last 800 years. Mary Wiseman will also return as Lt. Sylvia Tilly, as will Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno and Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance. The Star Trek franchise has become a many-headed beast since Alex Kurtzman first signed on and remains a resounding success in his more-than-capable hands.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Cast Holly Hunter , Paul Giamatti Seasons 1 Writers Gaia Violo , Tawny Newsome , Alex Kurtzman , Noga Landau Showrunner Alex Kurtzman , Noga Landau Where To Watch Paramount+