There are few things that trigger a good news/bad news response in TV fans as quickly as the name Bryan Fuller. On the one hand, he’s a showrunner known for series that are both well-written and thought-provoking. On the other, none of those shows have ever made it past season three (and that’s not counting all the ones that never even made it to air). This is why it’s both exciting and disheartening to hear that Fuller will be heading up the new Star Trek series on CBS All Access, the streaming service from your parents’ favorite network.
Fuller, who started his career with Star Trek as a writer on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, had this to say about the series and his excitement for it.
“My very first experience of Star Trek is my oldest brother turning off all the lights in the house and flying his model of a D7 Class Klingon Battle Cruiser through the darkened halls. Before seeing a frame of the television series, the Star Trek universe lit my imagination on fire. It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of Star Trek with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no Star Trek series has gone before.”
In a move that will please literally no fans, Variety notes that “the creative plan is for the series to introduce new characters and civilizations, existing outside of the mythology charted by previous series and the current movie franchises.” Though this isn’t all that surprising since back in 2013, the writer spoke to Den of Geek and talked about his ideas for a then-pipe dream Star Trek show. He wanted to set it on the USS Reliant, featuring “Captain Angela Bassett and First Officer Rosario Dawson.” Whether that’s still the plan (or the hope) is unknown, but what a world that would be.
There is one big concern about Fuller taking the showrunner gig (aside from his terrible luck). He’s also in charge of Starz’ adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. The idea of him splitting his attention between the two shows is sad news for fans of both franchises.
