Star Trek: Discovery's cancellation was unexpected, and while fans were originally grateful Paramount+ gave the series extra time to film a proper ending to conclude all the stories, they may change their tune after hearing this. Sonequa Martin-Green recently revealed that she and others in charge of the series wanted to close things out with a movie, and I wish we had gotten that.
Syfy Sistas' Tamia Harper hosted a panel with members of the Star Trek: Discovery cast for TrekTalks 4, and surprisingly, we learned that Alex Kurtzman and showrunner Michelle Paradise had bigger plans that differed from the Burnham-centric series finale we received. She shared a bit about it below:
I remember from the moment we found out that the show was going to be ending and we were we were in talks with Paramount Plus about how we were going to wrap the show up. What they wanted was an additional episode to really be able to touch everyone’s stories, to really be able to close this thing out. We were not able to be afforded that. So they said, it’s not going to be an additional episode. I think Alex [Kurtzman] and Michelle [Paradise], originally wanted was a full two-hour movie finale kind of thing, right? And it was like, 'No, we’re not going to be able to do that.'
The Star Trek: Discovery team wanted more time to try and close out the series, but Paramount+ wouldn't budge on what was allowed. Ultimately, the cast and crew were mostly pulled together for a marathon shoot over three days that tried to close out the story as best they could.
And it’s like, okay, well then what about an extra episode? No, we’re not going to be able to do that. Okay, what about like an extra like half of an episode or something like that?
Keep in mind, Discovery had already wrapped on Season 5, and the cancellation was truly unexpected. So much so that Doug Jones told CinemaBlend he was blindsided and found out on a fan cruise, and despite it working out pretty well, all things considered, Sonequa Martin-Green said she couldn't help but feel disappointed about how little they were given:
What they ended up having was about 12 pages. Closed it up in 12 pages, right? I feel like that’s how long the coda was. It couldn’t have been any longer than that,. I feel like it was really short…I remember being really sad when I found out about that because suddenly our options were very limited of what we were going to be able to touch in that short period of time.
It was unfortunate for Star Trek: Discovery to have to end that way, but as Alex Kurtzman pointed out, the show had a helluva run. Sure, there was once a time when shows in the franchise received over 100 episodes, but times have changed. Even the biggest shows on streaming haven't ran as long as many hit shows of '80s and '90s, so it's impressive that it hit five seasons.
At the same time, imagine a world in which we saw Discovery end with a two-hour movie, and how much more satisfying that would've been to see as a fan? That said, we saw the reviews for Star Trek: Section 31, so maybe Sonequa Martin-Green should be happy no one took a crack at closing out the series with a feature film.
I also wonder why Sonequa Martin-Green is being more candid about this news now than she was when Star Trek: Discovery first ended. Perhaps it was out of respect for the show, not wanting to overshadow the ending fans received, or maybe she was hoping the series would get a spinoff or two, allowing for more stories to help make up for that ending. Whatever the case, I'm glad that we have this information now and can see how Kurtzman and others fought for the fans, even if it was unsuccessful.
Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on Paramount+. It never received a movie, but I guarantee anyone who streams the series from start to finish will not regret doing so if they check it out.
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