Andy Weir, author of Project Hail Mary, has publicly apologised to Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman for comments made on the Critical Drinker podcast. In an open letter posted on Facebook, Weir said he was trying to be funny but acknowledged his remarks came across as “disrespectful and mean.”
During the podcast, Weir criticised Paramount’s handling of the Star Trek universe and revealed that Kurtzman had turned down a pitch for a Star Trek show. He called the current shows “s*it” and said, “He is a nice guy, but they didn’t accept my pitch so, you know, f*ck ’em.”
In his apology, Weir stressed that he likes Kurtzman as a person and offered to discuss the matter further by phone or video call. He claimed his quotes were taken out of context and that he was attempting to be self-deprecating.
The controversy drew reactions from other writers, including Don Winslow. Social media responses were mixed, with some supporting the apology and others arguing that Weir had nothing to apologise for, or that Kurtzman should apologise for the state of Star Trek.
