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Should we be worried about Star Trek: Discovery s2?

Photo credit: Netflix - CBS
Photo credit: Netflix - CBS

From Digital Spy

Star Trek: Discovery season two finally went into production on April 16, but has undergone big changes behind the scenes since.

Earlier this month, the CBS All Access show revealed it was making its second showrunner change with Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts – who had taken over from Bryan Fuller – leaving and executive producer and co-creator Alex Kurtzman taking over, as well as overseeing the writers room and directing the first episode of the new season.

"Discovery remains on course for season two in 2019 with new and continuing stories that build on its successful premiere season," CBS Television Studios said in a statement. At least it's good that the change (probably) won't result in further delays and we've known since the first season premiered that we'd have to wait until 2019 for season two.

So why is it we can't help feeling a bit worried about season two?

Photo credit: Netflix - CBS
Photo credit: Netflix - CBS

A showrunner change during production is never the optimum timing, but it feels like with everything season one set up, the early stages of season two are especially critical.

Only a few weeks before her exit, Berg was insisting that the show would fit into the prime timeline which had been the cause of most of the debate around the show in the first season. That season ended with the massive reveal of the USS Discovery coming face-to-face, or bow-to-bow, with the USS Enterprise itself, helmed by Captain Pike (who will be played by Inhumans star Anson Mount).

So whoever was going to be in charge for season two, they had to make sure that they avoided timeline inconsistencies which would definitely get noticed by Star Trek fans. The good news is that Kurtzman has been involved from the beginning, so it's not like he will implement wholesale changes to what was already planned in season two. What's more, Kurtzman has other Star Trek pedigree, having worked on the successful rebooted movie franchise.

Photo credit: Mike Coppola / Getty Images
Photo credit: Mike Coppola / Getty Images

But clearly something had been going wrong with the production of season two as the showrunner change is said to have come after the first five episodes were nearly complete, with Kurtzman taking over for episode six and beyond.

If that's the case, then maybe the change was a case of righting the course of the season, although it will be hard to say until we actually see the episodes and if there are any notable changes in story arcs. Kurtzman is the ideal person to steady the ship in season two and it certainly seems that CBS have faith in him, having just awarded him a new five-year overall production deal.

This deal will apparently lead to Kurtzman overseeing the expansion of the Star Trek TV universe with multiple shows already in development, reportedly including a series set at Starfleet Academy from Runaways bosses Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, an animated series and a limited series based around Khan Noonien Singh (or should that be John Harrison?).

We don't know yet whether that deal includes the potential return of Sir Patrick Stewart's Next Generation character Captain Jean-Luc Picard to the Star Trek universe in a rebooted series, set to be developed by Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman, who left Discovery after season one. CBS TV Studios hasn't yet confirmed the show is happening.

Photo credit: CBS via Getty Images
Photo credit: CBS via Getty Images

It means that Kurtzman is probably unlikely to stay as showrunner for Discovery's third season (should it get one), so we could see yet another showrunner join during season two if they want to prepare for the future as Kurtzman builds his Star Trek empire.

He has previous experience of building a franchise was with Universal's Dark Universe, writing and directing The Mummy and being one of the chief architects of the overall world, along with Chris Morgan – but perhaps it's best not to focus on that given how it turned out...

At least Star Trek already has an established fanbase and Kurtzman has been successful in bringing new fans to it with Discovery, yet it's hard not to feel that CBS are running before they walk. The first season wasn't without its flaws across its 15 episodes, so perhaps the better thing would have been to deliver an improved season two before moving on to expanding the world.

As it is, we can't help feeling a little concerned that not all of the focus is on the crucial second season of adventures for the USS Discovery. We might be left thinking CBS should have been more Marvel and less DC...

Star Trek: Discovery airs on CBS All Access in the US and Netflix in the UK.


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