Spoilers Q&A With Alex Kurtzman about Season 2 and the Finale

[Tuskin38]

http://ew.com/tv/2018/02/11/star-trek-discovery-finale-season-2-interview/

good read, some bits about the enterprise in there as well.

 

[cultcross]

Our goal was always to humanize the Klingons and present their point of view and inner emotional life as more than two-dimensional characters at a time of war when we were endeavoring to tell a story about how both sides have a legitimate point of view.

I'm really not sure how I see that through the writing. If anything, the Klingons were the most one-note villains they've ever been. As presented, the Klingons 'point of view' was, what? Racial purity?

Season 1 was about the Klingons and the Federation at a time of war. Season 2 will not be about that. We want to move on.

Awesome. Although Tyler is apparently back properly for season 2. I'll reserve judgment on that until I see what they're doing with him. Apparently also going to follow up on the Green Spore and Mirror!Georgiou. I hope the season isn't going to all be picking up threads from season 1.

Here’s what I can tell you: The show is still called Discovery. The show is not called Enterprise. So figuring out a way for the Enterprise to work in that framework is the task of our story-breaking for season 2 right now.

Seems the E will be sticking around for a bit then, not just making a cameo or setting up a spin-off.

First, there’s no barrier on what we can do in the show versus the films, and since the films are in different timelines we’re fortunate not to worry about that.

Thankfully someone finally said that in black and white.

 

[lawman]

Nothing about Kurtzman has ever suggested to me that he either understands or cares one bit about Star Trek, or about decent storytelling in general. His entire writing career marks him as a hack.

I'm skeptical that they really "planned the finale from the beginning of the season," but if it's true, it's all the more disappointing how incredibly contrived it seemed. I have no conceptual problem with the war being resolved by female characters, but there is nothing the show ever put on screen that would make me think "L’Rell had to be the one in power for the war to end."

If the writers set out to "humanize the Klingons," they failed. Period.

I am also perplexed by his assumption that fans will "obviously... be wondering who's on board the Enterprise." Who's wondering? We pretty much know who's on board the Enterprise in this era: Pike, Number One, Spock, Boyce, etc. If he's promising "surprises," there are damn few possibilities... basically every familiar character except possibly Scotty is either too young or otherwise occupied. And meanwhile he's still trying to be cagey about whether they'll even show the Enterprise bridge? Gaah.

 

[dahj]

I liked this smaller arcs thing in Season 1, it'd be nice if the Enterprise stuck around for a few episodes, maybe a a joint mission, and then they went their separate ways exploring the Galaxy.

 

[Tuskin38]

Who's wondering? We pretty much know who's on board the Enterprise in this era: Pike, Number One, Spock, Boyce, etc. If he's promising "surprises," there are damn few possibilities...

It has been 3 years since ‘The Cage’ in-universe, the crew roster could have changed.

Boyce may have retired, Number One may have been promoted. I think Spock needs to be there because of a line in TOS.

 

[Hythlodeus]

As presented, the Klingons 'point of view' was, what? Racial purity?

unification of the houses under T'Kuvma and his followers vs. seperation of the houses. the war was just a (failed) plan to achieve unification that backfired once T'Kuvma had died and his ship too damaged to lead the war

Seems the E will be sticking around for a bit then, not just making a cameo or setting up a spin-off.

a spin-off about the starship Enterprise? funky idea, I don't think anyone would want to watch it

 

[INACTIVERedDwarf]

I'm skeptical that they really "planned the finale from the beginning of the season," but if it's true, it's all the more disappointing how incredibly contrived it seemed.

If DSC was their idea of a planned plot, I dread to think.

But we are talking about the Damon Lindlhof school of writing here - Prometheus was such a plausible movie - "let's play peekaboo with the space cobra" (as Quentin Tarantino said, the film lost him at that point lol).

 

[cultcross]

I'm skeptical that they really "planned the finale from the beginning of the season," but if it's true, it's all the more disappointing how incredibly contrived it seemed. I have no conceptual problem with the war being resolved by female characters, but there is nothing the show ever put on screen that would make me think "L’Rell had to be the one in power for the war to end."

I'd believe they wrote the finale, because it fitted in nicely with the first half of the season, ties into The Vulcan Hello, and felt like it had just been delayed by the extra episodes. If they had pre-written all the MU episode stuff, then they really need to revisit their plotline writing.

 

[Tuskin38]

Well the MU was an idea way back when Fuller was still at the head, the people who took over delayed it (Fuller wanted it earlier in the season)

 

[Danlav05]

How far are you along toward casting a Captain Pike? And will we see younger versions of other TOS characters on that bridge? Or is that not permitted with the deal you guys have in terms of what you can do on the show vs. the films?
There are some assumptions in the question that you’re asking.

In terms of designing that Enterprise bridge set, for Discovery you went for a mix of modern and retro, while the 2009 film had its own look. What are you going for in terms of the look of the Enterprise bridge?
That’s another sneaky question because you’re presuming we’ve designed an Enterprise bridge.

You just said we’ll be surprised at who is on the Enterprise! Are we going to only hear their voices through the Discovery’s coms the whole season?
I said “on the ship,” not “on the bridge.” Here’s what I’ll say: We have to stay consistent design-wise with the Enterprise, obviously we can’t mess around with that. That being said, the technology and the look of the Discovery is so far past TOS merely as a function of the time in which these [shows were made]. Our goal is to be interpretive in a way that feels it’s protective of what the Enterprise would look like if, in theory, if we were to build any Enterprise sets. But if we built it like it looked in The Original Series, there would be a massive visual disconnect. Figuring out a way to bridge that gap would theoretically be the work of a production designer — were there to be any designs like that.

This screams that they're going to tease us but ultimately not give us a lot.

 

[Scotty]

Alex Kurtzman:

Here’s what I can tell you: The show is still called Discovery. The show is not called Enterprise. So figuring out a way for the Enterprise to work in that framework is the task of our story-breaking for season 2 right now.

I would believe this if it hadn't been for the finale where immediately after only seeing a glimpse of the Enterprise the soundtrack and end credits music comepletely change to that of TOS.

 

[Cyrus]

Interesting that he feels they need to answer "why Spock never talked about her sister?". That is a silly question that doesn't need to be addressed in this show. Spock was a private person. Never talked sbout his parents until they showed up, never talked about his brother until he showed up. So he never had a reason to mention the sister. And I doubt if they can come up with anything that would be a satisfactory answer anyway.

 

[Tuskin38]

Alex Kurtzman:


I would believe this if it hadn't been for the finale where immediately after only seeing a glimpse of the Enterprise the soundtrack and end credits music comepletely change to that of TOS.

While I love the TOS Ending music, it was unneeded here, the TOS theme stinger which she appears on screen was fine.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

If DSC was their idea of a planned plot, I dread to think.

But we are talking about the Damon Lindlhof school of writing here - Prometheus was such a plausible movie - "let's play peekaboo with the space cobra" (as Quentin Tarantino said, the film lost him at that point lol).

Haha I remember that

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[seigezunt]

Maybe he's talking about humanizing the TOS Klingons.

 

[mos6507]

Nothing about Kurtzman has ever suggested to me that he either understands or cares one bit about Star Trek, or about decent storytelling in general. His entire writing career marks him as a hack.

There's only one thing that points to him understanding or caring about Star Trek. Him SAYING he does. That's about it.

History is full of people taking over franchises, saying how much they love it, then botching it.

 

[The Wormhole]

I skimmed over it, it mostly just seems a long-winded way of saying absolutely nothing. Typical of the Bad Robot Cadre, of which Kurtzman originated.

 

[Lord Garth]

Good interview. He avoided answering anything he shouldn't be answering at this point. What he did answer makes sense.

 

[fireproof78]

History is full of people taking over franchises, saying how much they love it, then botching it.

People love different things about franchises.

And you don't have to be outside of it to botch it up. Looking at you "The Matrix"

 

[uniderth]

But if we built it like it looked in The Original Series, there would be a massive visual disconnect. Figuring out a way to bridge that gap would theoretically be the work of a production designer — were there to be any designs like that.

Should have thought of that before you left us with this turd.

It goes back to the 2009 movie, when we were going back to the original bridge crew and setting up an alternate timeline and blew up Vulcan, there were all these huge moves that we recognized would either be totally embraced or totally rejected. And to our delight, they were embraced.

HAHAHAHA! hahahaha!