Star Trek: Discovery: Bryan Fuller No Longer Involved with Series

When creator Bryan Fuller exited the role of Star Trek: Discovery TV showrunner, he retained his executive producer credit. Because of that, there was hope he would remain creatively involved with the CBS All Access series. It seems that was not to be, at least in season one.

Fuller told Newsweek, “I’m not involved in production, or postproduction, so I can only give them the material I’ve given them and hope that it is helpful for them. I’m curious to see what they do with it.”

Fuller stepped down from Star Trek: Discovery, largely because his plate was too full to do the series justice on the network’s  timeline. CBS had already delayed the premiere from January to May 2017, but because he is also executive producing American Gods for Starz, he felt he had to walk away.

When Fuller left in October, CBS Television Studios issued a statement saying he would continue to map out the story arc for the entire first season. According to his conversation with the news magazine, he is still open to working on a second season, should it come to pass. Here is more:

“It is bittersweet,” says Fuller. “But it was just a situation that couldn’t be resolved otherwise…so I had to step away.”

Fuller—who retains an executive producer credit—wrote the first two episodes of Discovery and the story arc for the rest of the 13-part first season. CBS said it would see his “vision through,” but the writer confirms he has no active involvement with the series.

“I’m not involved in production, or postproduction, so I can only give them the material I’ve given them and hope that it is helpful for them. I’m curious to see what they do with it,” he says.

He commented on a potential second season: “They have my number and if they need me I will absolutely be there for them.”

The writer and producer also addressed his approach to honoring original Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision. He and co-creator Alex Kurtzman made sure to craft a diverse cast of characters, including a non-white female lead as well as a gay character. Newsweek reports:

Fuller says it was “absolutely my goal” to be respectful of Roddenberry’s vision and legacy in “creating [Discovery] and getting to the heart of what the important themes were to me as a Star Trek fan—how do we get along with people who are different than ourselves? How do we find common ground? How do move into the future together? Those themes were implicit in the scripts that I wrote before I left, and the storylines [I plotted].”

What do you think? Do you wish Fuller was still involved with the Star Trek: Discovery TV series? Will you subscribe to CBS All Access, to watch the new show?