Now that ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ has finally arrived, there are two questions to tackle. The first – “Is it good?” – this is really up to the individual, though we at ScienceFiction.com will certainly be weighing in on that over the next few days! The other question is whether or not the show is successful. There are a few criteria we can use to gauge that, including broadcast ratings for ‘The Vulcan Hello’ and the show’s creative success (which to some extent goes hand in hand with the subjective question of quality). But there’s another measure that, at least in terms of CBS’s bottom line, may be even more important.
It’s hardly a secret that the network has been hoping to use ‘Discovery’ to drive interest in their proprietary streaming service, CBS All Access. In and of itself, this isn’t exactly new for ‘Star Trek’, as ‘Voyager’ served much the same purpose in the early days of the now-defunct UPN. And by this metric, at least, ‘Discovery’ would appear to be an early success. CBS has reported that All Access saw a record number of single day signups ahead of Sunday’s premiere event. The record was previously held by the 2017 Grammy Awards, which aired back in February. The network has confirmed that, in addition to besting the same day record, ‘Discovery’ is also credited with giving All Access its best week and best month for new signups ahead of the show’s premiere.
For more on ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, you can get more information on where and how to watch the series, check out the opening titles, or delve into its place in ‘Star Trek’ continuity. Be sure to check back for even more as the season progresses!
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, and Michelle Yeoh. New episodes drop Sundays at 8:30 Eastern on CBS All Access.
