Specifically, Weir said he was sorry for coming off as “disrespectful and mean” rather than funny. However, being disrespectful, mean, and unfunny is often the M.O. of the person interviewing him: conservative influencer Will Jordan (known for his YouTube channel Critical Drinker). For context, Jordan set up the question about modern Star Trek by suggesting it was good news that the Trump-friendly Ellisons had taken over at Paramount. In his post today, Weir admitted that it came off poorly when he said, “They didn’t like my pitch, so fuck ’em!” after explaining that Paramount had shot down one of his Star Trek ideas. Despite expressing regret over how he came across, the author also argued that his quotes “were taken out of context as salacious sound bites.” In the interview, he mentioned he was friendly with Kurtzman personally, and that he’s a fan of Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks.
Weir seems to be tiptoeing around the bigger talking point, which is the ongoing culture war firestorm over recent Star Trek entries. Before it was canceled by Paramount, the latest installment in the series, Starfleet Academy, became a target of conservative activists like Trump advisor Stephen Miller and Jordan himself. As these sorts of nonsensical internet wars tend to go, the discussion became less about the show’s actual merits and flaws and more an excuse to whine about how Star Trek, the series famous for television’s first interracial kiss, had suddenly gone “woke.” Weir’s comments about modern Star Trek being “shit” were celebrated by a right-wing echo chamber happy with last year’s change in Paramount leadership. The only Star Trek shows still in production are the second and final season of Starfleet Academy and the final two seasons of Strange New Worlds. At this point, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising if Paramount ends up handing the reins to a proud “NuTrek” hater.
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