Alex Kurtzman explains how ‘Section 31’ embodies the values ​​of Star Trek and the future of the franchise – TrekMovie.com

Before the Friday release of Star Trek: Section 31TrekMovie had the opportunity to speak to executive producer Alex Kurtzman and director Olatunde Osunsanmi, although Alex ended up doing most of the talking in our short conversation. We talked about how this different kind of Star Trek can still fit into Roddenberry’s vision, Trek is getting into movie streaming and what’s on the horizon for the franchise after Skydance takes over Paramount later this year.

It was said that Section 31 is aimed at a wider audience and it’s a different flavor of Star Trek. So what essential elements of Star Trek do you think still needed to be included in this mandate?

Alex Kurtzman: Anthony, you and I have talked about this a lot. I think you can’t do Star Trek, ultimately, without reinforcing (Gene) Roddenberry’s vision of a more optimistic future and I don’t need to tell you that there have been so many debates among fans over the notion of Section 31 ever since. New deep space and what it represents. One of the things we care about is that if Star Trek is a mirror that stands up to the world and tells allegorical or metaphorical stories about how we live our lives, then you’re talking about what it takes to protect that. vision. If you are in the Federation or Starfleet, then you are obligated by oath to live by certain rules, to live within the Federation. We make a point at the beginning of this film to say that this story takes place out of Federation space, but the people you’re about to see want the same things a traditional Starfleet officer would want. These are just not the people who have it in themselves to wear a uniform on a spaceship in the traditional sense. But they’re protecting the same thing, which is that for Starfleet to be what it is, for this vision of Star Trek to be maintained, you need people operating in the shadows and in the gray areas. that the Federation has defined. does not always allow it. And that’s obviously a conversation that’s happening in our world.

But where the rubber meets the road is in the tone. If we made a really dark Star Trek, I think people could legitimately say, “Wow, that doesn’t feel like Star Trek.” ” But we really tried to tone down the conversation by creating, first of all, something really fun by inserting very deliberate and specific references, obviously Rachel Garrett being the most acute reference, to what it means to be in the Federation and being part of Star Trek and Starfleet. And in the end, to offer you a fun, funny and moving story that, like “the wagon train to the stars”, also orients itself towards a Western paradigm. It’s actually a redemption story for Georgiou’s character.

It has also been stated that streaming movies like this could be the new thing in Star Trek, so are you already planning another one and could it be a sequel to Section 31 or something different?

Olatunde Osunsanmi: Well, I’ll start by saying, I hope we’re planning another one. I wouldn’t necessarily know about all of that. It will depend on what the fans say about this one. And we would like to do another one, especially another one Section 31. Until the rest of the universe… (points to Alex).

Alex Kurtzman: Yeah, we’d love to. That would be wonderful. Some stories are better told in two hours, others are better told over five seasons. And our job is to figure out which is which. We had a great time doing this. Everyone who did it had a great time. So we are absolutely open to more.

Would this streaming movie format be a way to do something like (Picard followed by season 3) Star Trek: Legacy concept?

Alex Kurtzman: Of course

Lower decks And Prodigy fans are also turning to a streaming animated film as a possible hope for more…

Alex Kurtzman: It would be wonderful to be able to do that. Yes, the short answer is yes. We would love to do that. And at the same time, what I want to make sure of is that when we’re telling a story, we have a very, very good reason for telling a story. And that we can say it the right way. And sometimes that means doing it as a series, and sometimes that means doing it as a movie. I don’t think we want to create one just for the sake of creating one. We want to create one because it’s the right thing to do.

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This question may be too difficult to answer, but are all big decisions being postponed until Skydance takes over (expected around mid-2025)? And have you had any preliminary discussions with members of Skydance to talk about the future of the franchise?

We didn’t do it. I have tremendous respect for (Skydance CEO and new Paramount CEO) David (Ellison) and for Skydance. We haven’t had any conversations because they haven’t engaged with the company yet. But here’s what I know: I know that David Ellison is a very big Star Trek fan. He was one of the producers of the films we made and he loves it. He likes her very much. So I’m sure those conversations will eventually happen.

At present, we are focusing on Strange new worldswhich is about to start (production on season 4), and we are two weeks away from the end (production) of season 1 of Starfleet Academy. And man, doing these shows is such a full contact sport that I’ll be honest with you, we have more than enough on our plate right now. I think the moment we start to do too much, the quality of the show suffers, and our job is to protect ourselves from that.

A second season of Academy has already been announced, will you try to get started quickly?

We have already started. Yeah, the (writers) room is already working on season 2.

So do you think you would shoot this this year? Sooner or later?

Yeah, it’ll probably be mid-year.

More interviews and Section 31 come

TrekMovie also interviewed members of the Section 31 casting today, so keep an eye out for that after the film premieres Friday as we discuss some spoilers. TrekMovie will also publish some early thoughts from editors who have seen the Section 31 film late tonight after the embargo lifts (spoiler-free), with a full, detailed review on Friday.

TrekMovie is also attending the New York premiere happening right now, so look for red carpet interviews from that event in the coming days.

TrekMovie is at the #Section31 premiere in New York, ready for red carpet interviews. #StarTrek

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