Author Walks Back Controversial ‘Star Trek’ Comment After Backlash
Author Andy Weir, who wrote the hit book The Martian, is currently making headlines after some blunt comments he made about the Star Trek franchise.
During an appearance on The Critical Drinker podcast, Weir was very honest about his feelings regarding the newer versions of the series. He admitted that while he likes a few of the current shows, he is not a fan of most of the modern projects led by producer Alex Kurtzman.
The situation became even more interesting when Weir revealed that he had actually pitched his own idea for a Star Trek show to Paramount. He spent time on a Zoom call with the showrunners, but they ended up rejecting his idea. On the podcast, he joked about the rejection by saying, But they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, f** ‘em. He also used some very strong language to describe the quality of the newer shows.
These comments quickly went viral and caused a lot of debate among fans and other writers. Don Winslow, who is also a famous author, posted on social media that writers should stand up for each other. He told Weir that he owed Kurtzman an apology for attacking his work in such a harsh way. Many people felt that Weir was being a bit too mean since he is a professional in the same industry.
Weir decided to listen to the criticism and posted an open letter of apology on Facebook. He explained that his jokes were meant to be funny and that he felt his words were being used as salacious sound bytes out of context. He made it clear that he still thinks Kurtzman is a very nice person, even if he doesn’t like the shows. He wrote, I was trying to be funny, but in retrospect it comes off as disrespectful and mean. So I’m sorry for that.
#ProjectHailMairy author Andy Weir has published an open apology to #StarTrek boss Alex Kurtzman after saying the modern “shows are shit”:
— Variety (@Variety) March 30, 2026
“I feel like my quotes were taken out of context as salacious sound bites,” Weir wrote on Facebook. “I was trying to be funny, but in… pic.twitter.com/MVncJfqceV
The author also admitted that he isn’t used to having so many people watch what he says. He mentioned that it has been ten years since the media really cared about his opinions. He told his followers, I’m a blunt person – always have been. He also joked that in a few months, he will go back to his cave to write more books and people will stop paying so much attention to him.
This drama is happening while Weir is celebrating a huge win at the movies. The film version of his book Project Hail Mary is currently the number one movie at the box office. It stars Ryan Gosling as a man in space who has to save the world with the help of an alien. The movie was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and has already made over $300 million globally in just its first two weeks.
#AndyWeir shared that he is a longtime fan of #StarTrek, but emphasized that he is not a fan of the newer Star Trek shows made by Paramount:
— ScreenRant (@screenrant) March 29, 2026
"I don’t like a lot of the new Trek. He, as a person, is a really nice guy. But at the same time, those shows are sh*t. He is a nice guy.… pic.twitter.com/5sVmIHGmSv
Fans of Weir’s work have a lot to look forward to in 2026. Aside from the success of Project Hail Mary, his other book Artemis is also being turned into a movie. People love his stories because they use real science to solve big problems. Even though he got into a little bit of trouble for his Star Trek comments, his career is doing better than ever.
It is refreshing to see a famous person admit they made a mistake and apologize so quickly. Everyone says things they regret when they are trying to be funny, and it’s good that he didn’t try to hide from it. At the same time, it is also okay for people to have strong opinions about the shows they love or hate.
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