Today CNET (which is owned by CBS) released a new video of Star Trek: Discovery co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman talking about the new show. He had a lot to say, so we transcribed everything he said below, and provided the full video as well.

Kurtzman on Discovery’s Story and Michael Burnham

The story that we have for season one is really interesting and special and pays tribute to a lot of what Trek has done and in many ways is actually doing it in a new way. To have Sonequa [Martin- Green] and Michelle [Yeoh] as captains of our ship is really, really exciting and different. I love stories that are based around strong women and we have some strong women on that show. Having Sonequa – she is a very, very special actress – is bringing a flavor to the character which I haven’t really seen in Trek and that is really exciting. Her story is very unique and draws on some really interesting things in Trek lore. I think fans will both, appreciate, and I’m certain, it will be a cause of much debate.

NOTE: While Kurtzman refers to Martin-Green and Yeoh as “captains of our ship,” all reports have Martin-Green’s character as a first officer, and we suspect he may be referring to the series itself as “our ship.”

How Discovery connects to the original Star Trek

If you are a fan of Trek you are going to see a lot of things which hearken back to the original series and elements of the original series. I am not just talking plot, but the spirit of what that show was. We are going to be revisiting a couple of things on Star Trek: Discovery that I think people are going to find familiar. Without spoiling anything we are adhering to a timeline and sticking to the rules, but also I think finding some new areas and avenues that have only been alluded to, but never fully explored.

How Discovery is respecting Star Trek canon

You have got a roomful of people with very different and very devoted relationships to Star Trek in that writers’ room. And that carries on a pretty proud tradition of Trek being written by fans. You have to respect canon as it’s being written. You cannot say, “That never happened.” No, no no, you can’t do that, they would kill you. Star Trek fans would kill you. No, you have to respect canon. You have to understand the timelines and what the different timelines were and what the different universes were and how they all worked together. You have to keep very meticulous track of who, what, where, when and why. And we have people in the writer’s room whose sole job is to say, “Nope, can’t do that!”

On why we still need Roddenberry’s vision

I think that the core of [Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry’s vision – and I think that is why it has endured for as long as it has – is the belief that human beings will always find a way to persevere and connect to each other. And that there is an optimistic outlook to where we can be going. And now more than ever we need that desperately. So, he gives you hope. Star Trek gives you hope.

Watch full video

Keep up with all the Star Trek: Discovery news at TrekMovie.