STAR TREK executive producer Alex Kurtzman extends deal until 2026

Alex Kurtzman, the showrunner-in-chief of Paramount+'s Star Trek franchise, has extended his deal with the streamer for another five and a half years. Kurtzman will continue to create, produce and spearhead Star Trek shows for Paramount until the end of 2026, in a deal worth $160 million.

Kurtzman began his association with Star Trek as a producer and writer on the JJ Abrams-directed movies Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). He was recruited by new streamer CBS All Access (as it was then) to help Bryan Fuller and his team helm the first Star Trek television series in over a decade, Star Trek: Discovery (2017-present). Fuller left during pre-production, reportedly over budget and creative issues, and Kurtzman was promoted to showrunner. With Star Trek: Discovery a huge hit for the nascent streamer, Kurtzman has overseen the franchise's expansion to incorporate multiple spin-off shows: Picard, Lower Decks and the to-debut-shortly Prodigy and Strange New Worlds. CBS and Paramount merged last year, with CBS All Access being rebranded Paramount+. It seems that the new corporate overlords are happy enough with the franchise's popularity to retain Kurtzman's services.

However, Kurtzman has proved a divisive figure with long-term Trek fans, due to a relaxed attitude to continuity and a perceived focus on cutting-edge visual effects over character. A repeated criticism is that major character development too often happens off-screen, and sometimes audiences are asked to care about the fate of a background character who's barely uttered a line of dialogue on-screen. His plots are often incoherent and muddled. However, some of his work has been better received; Lower Decks, in particular, has attracted critical and fan acclaim for its respectful-but-fun take on Star Trek's mythos. It also sounds like Kurtzman is adopting less of a direct role in each show to focus more on the business of running the whole franchise, with individual writers and showrunners much more responsible for each show. It sounds like he's becoming more like Rick Berman once Deep Space Nine and Voyager launched, entrusting shows to individual writers whilst making more big-picture, financial decisions behind the scenes.

It also sounds like active development has resumed on several projects previously put on hold. Kurtzman had indicated that five shows was a "sweet spot" for Star Trek and he didn't want to put another one on the air until one of the existing shows - probably Picard, since Patrick Stewart (who recently turned 81) is unwilling to play the role for a long run - reached a natural conclusion. However, the article suggests that they have resumed development on the Michelle Yeoh-starring Section 31 and an unusual new take on Star Trek, focusing on the Next Generation/Deep Space Nine character of Worf.

According to ill-informed YouTube channels, Kurtzman has continuously been on the edge of being fired and his shows cancelled for the past four years. No doubt they will continue to report that this will be the case.

Paramount reveals more information on STAR TREK's future on TV

On 4 March, US streaming service CBS All Access will be rebranded as Paramount+, a move that the company hopes will attract a swathe of new subscribers. The streamer is weaponising nostalgia on a formidable scale, recently announcing plans to reboot shows such as Frasier and Rugrats in an attempt to attract new (or old) viewers.

CBS All Access itself has enjoyed surprising success, wracking up 20 million subscribers in its first three years on air (reportedly a target the streamer had not expected to reach until several years later). Although not troubling the likes of Netflix (who have more than 100 million more subscribers), it's an impressive performance for a service with a limited roster of shows only available in the United States. Much of this success has been credited to the Star Trek franchise: every legacy episode  of the original series and spin-offs is on the service, along with new shows Discovery, Picard and Lower Decks, and the forthcoming Prodigy and Strange New Worlds.

The Star Trek team, led by Alex Kurtzman, has also several more shows planned, with one announced: Section 31, to be headed by Michelle Yeoh. However, that series has been delayed several times, reportedly being gazumped in the production schedule by Strange New Worlds. In a new interview with Deadline, Kurtzman has confirmed that Section 31 is currently on hold pending one of the existing shows finishing. The feeling was that the fan hunger for Strange New Worlds was greater than for Section 31 (fan anticipation for which is, it has to be said almost non-existent).

In the same interview Kurtzman also confirms that they have decided that five is the sweet spot for Star Trek shows in simultaneous production, and will not bring in a new show until one of the current shows finishes. Discovery is currently shooting its fourth season, Picard and Lower Decks are both filming their second years and Strange New Worlds is just about to start shooting its debut season, whilst Prodigy is wrapping production on its first season ahead of an anticipated mid-2021 debut.

Intriguingly, Kurtzman also confirms that Picard has a relatively short shelf-life, determined by the availability and health of lead actor Patrick Stewart, who turns 81 this year. What that shelf-life is, is unclear, but it indicates that the plan might be to wrap that show after two or three seasons rather than it being an ongoing concern, as Discovery and Strange New Worlds are.

Kurtzman also indicates that will no MCU-style big crossover plans for the franchise, with the plan being to keep the shows separate for the time being.

The move may be part of a decision by Paramount - which re-merged with CBS last year after a decade of separate operations - not to put their eggs all in one basket. CBS All Access was seen as being too reliant on Star Trek fans, whilst the plan now seems to be to bring in other shows and franchises to help boost Paramount+'s success.

Star Trek: Prodigy, is the next show to debut on the streamer. A 3D-animated series aimed at a younger audience, the show will have the first-ever all-alien cast in Star Trek, and will see Kate Mulgrew reprise her role as Captain/Admiral Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager in a recurring role.

STAR TREK: PICARD proves a big hit for CBS All-Access

ViacomCBS - the newly-assimilated parent company of CBS - has confirmed that Star Trek: Picard has been a major hit for their streaming service, CBS All Access.

Building on the success of Star Trek: Discovery, which drove several million sign-ups to the service when it launched in 2017, Picard increased the sign-up rate even further.

CBS also confirmed it is continuing to develop the two new Star Trek series it has in pre-production - Section 31 and Lower Decks - and is developing two further projects. It is believed these projects include another animated series aimed at a more adult audience as well as a potential live-action TV series centred on Anson Mount's popular version of Captain Pike.

ViacomCBS is also developing a new Star Trek movie via its subsidiary Paramount Pictures. This film is believed to be the project headed by Noah Hawley and may involve an all-new cast of characters.

Star Trek: Picard runs until 27 March on CBS All Access in the United States and Amazon Prime in most overseas territories. Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery, with a major format shift propelling it into the far future, is expected to start airing in the summer. Section 31 and a second season of Picard are expected to start shooting in the coming weeks.