Current Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Alex Kurtzman, the man actively guiding the overall vision of Star Trek development for CBS Studios, has made it clear he and his staff are following closely the way the fans and critics have been reacting to the second season of Discovery.

In an exclusive interview with TrekCore in advance of this week’s Paleyfest panel for CBS All Access, Kurtzman spoke about the “informative” way the critique can help guide them in their decision making for the show.

“The response has been really gratifying. I will admit I do read everything. Including TrekCore,” said Kurtzman, who began his Trek career as the co-writer on the 2009 Star Trek feature film. “It has been really positive, and I feel like even the criticisms of it are interesting to me, because we are only halfway through a story.”

“So, the full nature of everything has yet to be revealed, and the truth is that I’ve come to a place now where really everything, both good and bad, is actually really informative for me. I still take it personally, but I take it a lot less personally.”

Kurtzman clearly understands the narrative depth of the Star Trek franchise and the way in which fans have tended to exert feelings of ownership over specific properties in modern times.

“I recognize that part of the game we are playing is that Star Trek is so meaningful to people and everyone has such a different, specific thing that they’re attached to in the world of Star Trek,” added Kurtzman. “And there is no right or wrong answer. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, right? And part of being a Trek fan is engaging in that debate. And that’s the beautiful democracy of that.”

With that in mind, Kurtzman has made it part of his process to take the time to digest feedback from a variety of sources and use it to challenge his perceptions of the choices they’re making.

“I’ve come to actually be able to listen and read in ways that allow me to ask myself what resonates here as being right and truthful in ways that can help inform the way we continue writing Star Trek.”

In regards to the ongoing development of the still-untitled Picard Trek series for CBS All Access, Kurtzman would only acknowledge that additional casting news and other details would be coming “very soon.”

Elsewhere at PaleyFest, Ethan Peck spoke to us about a number of topics, including the trepidation he felt taking on the role of Spock and how much he knew about the character’s complete arc and where it would end when he began filming.

“It’s such a big responsibility,” said Peck. “It’s much bigger than me. Everyone has come together in such an amazing way to make his appearances very special on the show. I was really scared, because it’s kind of uncharted in a way for him. And it’s just the most responsibility I’ve ever had as an actor and as a human being. This world means a lot for a lot of people out there, and for good reason, it’s such a beautiful vision of the future.”

“But, yes, when I had my final audition with Alex [Kurtzman] he told me basically the character arc. So, from the beginning I knew basically what it was. But the way it ends is so cool. It’s so cool.”

Peck also echoed what his castmates have been saying since Season 1 of the series, that the production quality for the show is exemplary.

“It’s one of the most incredible projects to be on because all the sets are like ‘practical.’ A lot of what you see is ‘practical.’ They build these custom [display graphics] for the panels on the ship and like watching it, I was like, ‘Well, there’s lots of CGI here,’ but then I got to set and the sets are masterpieces. It’s completely unbelievable. And the costumes are beautiful. It’s like no holds barred.”

The erstwhile ganglia-driven Kelpien, Saru, played by Doug Jones, told us how surprised he was when he received the script for “An Obol for Charon,” an episode that saw him shed his ganglia and transform into a different type of character.

“When I got the script for episode 4, I was like, ‘Excuse me?’ Because I developed the character of Saru, my part of the character, as a fear-based character who’d been overcoming it, squelching his fear. Being very gentlemanly. He’s well-learned. He’s risen through the ranks of Starfleet, on his own – the first of his species to do so. And now this changed my entire stance. So now my fear ganglia have dropped out, and I have no sense of fear anymore at all.”

“So where do I find the balance now. … So where does that leave Saru? I want him to remain a gentleman. I love his manners. I love his kindness and his warmth. He has a full emotional range that has never been present in any of the aliens I’ve played before. He’s got way more emotion. I love that. I don’t want that to leave.”

“But what does he act like with no fear? I think it makes him more suitable as a commander, as a high-ranking officer. I can own my authority with more confidence than I ever have before. So, it’s all good. It’s all positive. We’ll find the balance. Hopefully in Season 3 we’ll see more of this evolve.”

We also asked him to pitch his idea about a sequel to “The Brightest Star,” last fall’s Saru-centric Short Trek. “After Saru’s done with his days in Starfleet,” Jones postulated, “can he go home and retire [on] Kaminar… [to] lean his head to his sister again and say ‘We are family, we love each other.'”

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You can listen to our interviews with Kurtzman, Peck, and Jones right here:

Star Trek: Discovery returns tomorrow with “Perpetual Infinity.”

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast. He can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter at @EnterpriseExtra and @TrekRanks.