Star Trek: Discovery season 2: Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts exit as showrunners
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts are exiting the series as co-showrunners, which makes them the second departure of top-tier writing talent. (Bryan Fuller left the show previously.) Sources tell the site that Berg and Harberts are leaving for operational reasons rather than creative ones, with there being allegations of heated confrontations and a difficult work environment. The budget for the season 2 premiere had also reportedly ballooned to the point where there could be less money available for episodes down the road.
Alex Kurtzman, who has been a part of the franchise for some time (including some Star Trek feature films), will be the showrunner for the remainder of season 2. Here is what CBS Television Studios had to say in a statement:
We’ve made some producer changes at Star Trek: Discovery. The series continues under the creative vision and leadership of executive producer and co-creator Alex Kurtzman. Discovery remains on course for season two in 2019 with new and continuing stories that build on its successful premiere season.
When considering these reports it certainly seems as though the show is trying to move forward in the right way, and we do trust Kurtzman to handle showrunning duties for the remainder of the season due to his familiarity with the franchise. There are no plans for the change to severely impact production. Hopefully, everyone else is going to figure out a way to rise above just about everything and come up with a great season.
This is not the only major change that is coming for the second season, as After Trek is going to be undergoing a few behind-the-scenes tweaks and alterations before it returns, as well. (There was at one point a rumor that it would not be coming back, but it will.)
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