Set phasers to stun as the breaking news today is that a new ‘Star Trek’ TV series is being developed for a release in 2017! What makes this news different than all the other rumors of a series revival? An official announcement by CBS TV Studios with some details was released this morning.
According to the press release, this ‘Star Trek’ series will introduce new characters who will continue the ongoing mission to explore new worlds and civilizations while also examining “dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise”. As for any big screen to small screen cross overs, it will not be related to the upcoming feature film ‘Star Trek Beyond’ slated to hit theaters on July 22, 2016.
The untitiled ‘Star Trek’ series has apparently been picked up and given a straight to series order by CBS (and why not?) with the premiere to be slated sometime in January 2017 (missing the actual 50th anniversary date by a few months but who are we to complain, right?). While the pilot will air on the network, subsequent episodes will only be able to be seen on the network’s online streaming site, CBS All Access. The ‘Star Trek’ series will be the first original series specifically developed for this site which seems to be following the footsteps of other streaming sites like Amazon and Netflix. Yes, that means in order to watch the series beyond the pilot episode, you would need to shell out $5.99 a month (however, if you are a fan of CBS and genre shows like ‘Person of Interest,’ ‘Scorpion,’ ‘Limitless’ and ‘Supergirl,’ it may be worth your while). Currently, CBS Access offers every episode of all previous ‘Star Trek‘ television series variations.
Although the original partnership of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci is no longer, their TV company Kurtzman/Orci Paper Products is still sound over at CBS TV Studios. While they both have worked on the feature film side of the ‘Star Trek’ reboot (they produce the feature film versions of ‘Star Trek’ as well as co-wrote the original 2009 reboot script and 2013’s ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ scripts), this new TV series will be solely under Kurtzman and his newly launched company Secret Hideout. He will executive produce the new series along with the company’s development head Heather Kadin.
According to CBS Television Studios President David Stapf:
“There is no better time to give ‘Star Trek’ fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration. Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”
As of now, Kutzman is looking for a writer to take on this immense project.
More details as they come…
