It’s not really a surprise that Star Trek: Discovery will be back for more adventures next year—after all, it’s become the jewel in CBS All Access’ otherwise pretty spartan crown. But Alex Kurtzman will no longer be the sole showrunner when it does.
EW reports that CBS has officially confirmed a third season of the show is in the works, planned to air in the U.S. on CBS All Access, Space in Canada, and on Netflix internationally in 2020.
But Kurtzman, the current overlord of the network’s vast plans for the Star Trek franchise, will be taking a step back from showrunning the series, having taken over for season 2 in the wake of the firing of former showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who were alleged to have abused writing staff before their sudden exit early on in season 2’s production.
Kurtzman will now share producer credits on season 3 with The Originals’ Michelle Paradise, who actually came on board during the second season to help guide the show—so really, this is more of a formalization of her role going forward. Here’s the statement from Kurtzman provided to press about the move:
Michelle joined us midway through season two and energised the room with her ferocious knowledge of Trek. Her grasp of character and story detail, her drive and her focus have already become essential in ensuring the Treklegacy, and her fresh perspective always keeps us looking forward. I’m proud to say Michelle and I are officially running Star Trek: Discovery together.
Given Discovery’s…let’s say tumultuous history with showrunners, this is yet another behind-the-scenes change for the show. But at least this time it’s not for disastrous reasons, and will give Burnham and her crewmates a bit of stability as they boldly go into another year of missions.