In 2009, J.J. Abrams took the beloved characters created by Gene Roddenberry and reintroduced them to audiences all over the world to glowing praise and success. Star Trek reignited the passion for the series among general audiences after not being on the silver screen for years. The reboot ultimately rekindled a new trilogy in the legendary franchise, with the third installment Star Trek Beyond in production. But while many enjoyed the fast-paced, comedic flare of the sci-fi series in theaters, many geeks began wondering – and even pondered this before the franchise was rebooted – why hasn’t there been a new Star Trek television series?
Well, it looks like CBS has come to the rescue with an answer. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the network is preparing for a full season to begin airing in January of 2017, with Star Trek & Star Trek: Into Darkness co-writer/producer Alex Kurtzman on board to be involved with the project as well. After the pilot, all of the following episodes will be available on CBS All Access in the U.S., the network’s live streaming/VOD service. And yes, we will have yet another streaming service to keep our eyes on now. This will be the first original series developed specifically for CBS All Access. Here is what executive VP and GM at CBS Digital Media, Marc DeBevoise had to say.
“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access. We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”
It looks like Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones and the others won’t be along for this ride. This new show will focus on a new group of adventurers, exploring new stories and undiscovered civilizations, while also maintaining the show’s original social awareness. Contemporary social commentary is one aspect of the series that isn’t heavily touched upon in the recent films and is something that has set the Star Trek franchise apart from others like Star Wars in the past. It’s an element that has been sorely missed and desperately needs to be reintroduced to the franchise, or it may be back to the drawing board again. We will bring you the latest details on the show as they are made available.
This may be the perfect experience to witness after the 50th anniversary of the franchise next year in 2016, when Star Trek: Beyond debuts in theaters. The new Star Trek show is scheduled to air in 2017.
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