Bryan Fuller “Not Involved” with Star Trek: Discovery

When it was announced in October that Bryan Fuller would be stepping down as showrunner on Star Trek: Discovery, it was reported that he’d keep the title of executive producer and still be overseeing the show, despite not being involved day-to-day. Apparently, that information overstated just how much Fuller was working on the show by quite a bit.

Speaking to Newsweek, Fuller said that he has no involvement in the series whatsoever. “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,” he said. “I’m curious to see what they do with it.” That doesn’t sound like someone who’s overseeing the big picture. Fuller gave CBS and current showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts the two scripts and accompanying lore he’d written, and that’s the extent of his involvement.

In light of the show’s first casting announcements earlier this week, Fuller’s discussion of what Star Trek stands for seems to be something by which the show is still abiding. Fuller said of Trek’s themes, “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.”

For those of us initially enthused by Fuller’s involvement, he does leave the door open for himself to return for season two. He said, “They have my number and if they need me I will absolutely be there for them.”

Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on CBS All Access in May of 2017.