With Paramount+ ending “Star Trek: Discovery” this past week after five seasons, the show leaves behind a somewhat confusing legacy. On the one hand it launched the new wave of “Star Trek” shows, its second season directly leading to the creation of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” and certain elements have been praised – most notably Doug Jones’ Saru character and the overall ambition of the show. That said, it has also drawn the outright ire of a good portion of the fandom as well – some for the way it doesn’t fit the “Star Trek” mold, some for its darker tone and serialised approach, some actively disliking some of the characters.
Its early days were especially rough-going, especially that Klingon-centric first half of the first season, which was widely rejected and saw at least two key characters played by Michelle Yeoh and Wilson Cruz to be brutally killed off (only to come back a bit later). In a new interview with , co-showrunner and current “Star Trek” TV czar Alex Kurtzman reflected on that initially chilly reception and why it took time to work: “I think people felt it was too dark..
.. Season 1 of ‘Discovery’ was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry’s vision.
I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any ‘Trek’ had before. Doing a dark ‘Star Trek’ really wasn’t our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were .