Production on Star Trek: Discovery has certainly been a bumpy ride for fans. With each exciting bit of news—Bryan Fuller’s the showrunner!—there’s been some kind of letdown, like, say, Bryan Fuller stepping down as showrunner. The Hannibal creator’s involvement has diminished considerably since news of his appointment, and now it looks like his role has all but ended. Fuller, whose schedule was just as cluttered with giving life to American Gods as it was revitalizing the Star Trek TV franchise, tells Newsweek that he’s essentially departed the series. He’ll retain an executive producer credit, and Star Trek: Discovery will move forward with the season arc he crafted, as well as the two episodes he already wrote. But Fuller says that, regrettably, he won’t have any more to do with the new series.
Ultimately, with my responsibilities [elsewhere], I could not do what CBS needed to have done in the time they needed it done for Star Trek. It felt like it was best for me to focus on landing the plane with American Gods and making sure that was delivered in as elegant and sophisticated a fashion as I could possibly do.
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.”
After Fuller and his co-EP Alex Kurtzman had asked for a little latitude on the schedule, the premiere was pushed back from January to May 2017. Newsweek reports that CBS plans to follow through on Fuller’s arc for the 13-episode first season, which will have a broadcast debut but will otherwise stream on All Access.
It’s the kind of thing that really couldn’t be helped, and looks to be an amiable parting of ways for CBS and Fuller. Still, it could be worrisome to fans. So if you find yourself worrying about the future of the series, just take a deep breath and remember that Michelle Yeoh will be in a captain’s chair once it does premiere. And Fuller said he’d be happy to find the time should they need him for season two, telling Newsweek ““They have my number and if they need me I will absolutely be there for them.”