Alex Kurtzman talks ‘Star Trek Discovery season 2 plans, expect it in 2019
Star Trek: Discovery has found new life on CBS, streaming via CBS All-Access; the network netted 9.6 million viewers to kick off the new show. Discovery co-creator Alex Kurtzman spoke with the outlet recently, nearly two years since the announcement of the new Star Trek series.
One just one episode: “It’s a very complicated, elaborate process. We’re not kidding around with the visual effects. It’s four to five months just for the visual effects, per episode. Many people are waiting with arms crossed to see if it’s going to be worth the money. The way I always think is that no one ever complains about paying for Game of Thrones. We have to deliver that level of spectacle and experience so the audience feels that this isn’t something they could get on network television and it feels worth it [considering All Access comes with a monthly fee]. Then you go do the mix and that can usually go one or two days and we need four. We’re mixing a movie; every episode is huge.”
“Star Trek Discovery”: Doug Jones at Lt Saru, Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou
Fans may be shocked to learn the turn around on a single episode: “It’s about three to four months, which is part of why we wanted to push the date. What we recognized was that CBS had never made a show of this scale before. I say that without judgment because very few people have. If you really want to bring a film experience — with all the requisite trappings — it was going take a lot more time. I would have been very scared to do a show in less time because having had production experience, you would not have been able to deliver something that felt worth the expectation. And the expectation on this show is very high.”
Looking ahead Kurtzman said that: “We have a larger picture for season two — if we’re lucky to get a season two order. As you’re breaking the season you get bunch of ideas you love and realize they won’t fit in this season, so you put them on index cards and up on the board. We have a bunch of those as well as a big idea that emerged mid- to late-season one for something we want to do for season two. That’s now become the spine of what we want to do for season two. We have an emotional compass pointing toward a big idea for a second season. But given the scope of this thing, we’re also focused on finishing strong. Hopefully we’ll get an order for season two. I don’t know that we’ll have a tremendous amount of downtime between seasons. There have been many iterations of Trek that have run for a very long time. I only want to keep it going for as long as it feels fresh and like we have stories to tell. One of the great things about streaming is that we’re not obligated to 22 episodes, which allows us to tell more stories. So as long as we feel we are not compromising quality or scope, I’m down for whatever Trek becomes.
Kurtzman doesn’t care for the marathon season orders, “I always like less. I’d never do 22, that’d be a big mistake. If we get a second season, I’d like us to agree on a number in advance so we can make sure we are planning accordingly.”
Due to the amount of work going into the production of Star Trek: Discovery, fans probably shouldn’t expect the second season until early 2019 at the earliest, according to Kurtzman.
“Ideally, on the early side of 2019.”
Check out the full interview at THR HERE
