At this year’s Saturn Awards, the classic sci-fi franchise Star Trek was honored with a Hall of Fame induction celebrating six decades of influence. The award was meant to pay tribute to Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a hopeful, united future for humanity. But for many longtime fans, what happened on stage only deepened their concerns that the show’s current leadership has taken Star Trek far from what made it special.
Accepting the award was producer Alex Kurtzman, the man who has controlled the franchise since 2017. During the Paramount Plus era, he has overseen a flood of new shows like Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and Starfleet Academy. The quantity has grown, but many viewers say the quality and spirit that defined Roddenberry’s Star Trek have disappeared. Instead of optimism and adventure, today’s Star Trek often seems more interested in pushing messages about modern social issues.
He doesn’t love Star Trek. He loves bastardizing it.
— thatstarwarsgirl (@thatstarwarsgrl) March 9, 2026
Kurtzman’s acceptance speech only reinforced that impression. He told the audience that “science fiction isn’t really about the future, it’s about now,” calling Star Trek a mirror to examine the current state of humanity. To many fans, that comment showed how far he misunderstands what made the series great. The whole point of Star Trek’s world was to imagine a better future and to show that humankind could improve through courage, discovery, and understanding. Roddenberry used science fiction as a tool for hope. Under Kurtzman, it has become a billboard for moral lectures.
The tone of modern Trek reflects that shift. Under Roddenberry and later producers, the franchise featured stories that balanced science and philosophy with genuine adventure. *The Next Generation* explored moral questions, but it also showed explorers working together to solve problems with decency and reason. In contrast, Kurtzman’s shows often replace that spirit with dark plots, political preaching, and endless personal drama. The series that was once about humanity’s progress now seems more focused on scolding its audience.
The most recent example is Starfleet Academy, promoted as a new centerpiece for the franchise. Despite large budgets and relentless publicity, the show has failed to make much of a cultural mark. It has not appeared on Nielsen’s weekly streaming charts, suggesting that audiences have tuned out. Fans who grew up with the original series or The Next Generation don’t see themselves in this new version of the franchise. Strange New Worlds, which was nominated for three awards, did not receive any Saturn wins. The only other Trek related “win” was Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas getting honored with the Saturn’s Robert Forster Artist’s Award for his career in genre, so Trek only “won” non-competitive awards.
Kurtzman insists that everyone working on the current productions loves Star Trek “in their core.” But fans remain rightly unconvinced, and reports from people who have worked on his sets describe a climate where questioning story choices or continuity could end a career. That doesn’t sound like love to me, and the shows prove that out. It may explain why modern Trek feels so disconnected from the heart that once defined it.
Even with the applause at the Saturn Awards, the moment felt hollow for a large part of the fanbase. Roddenberry’s dream of humanity reaching for the stars used to unite audiences of every background. Kurtzman’s version often divides them. The Hall of Fame honor recognized Star Trek’s past achievements, not its current direction. For an audience that still believes in the show’s potential, the irony was painful. The franchise was being celebrated for a legacy its current leader seems to have forgotten.
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