CBS: Star Trek

[keg in kc]

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The Next Chapter of the Legendary “Star Trek” TV Franchise Will Premiere on the CBS Television Network, Then Move to CBS All Access Digital Subscription Service

Alex Kurtzman, Co-Writer and Producer of the Blockbuster Films

“Star Trek” and “Star Trek Into Darkness,” to Executive Produce

CBS Studios International to Distribute the Series Globally

For Television and Multiple Platforms

STUDIO CITY, CALIF. AND NEW YORK, N.Y. – Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

The next chapter of the “Star Trek” franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous “Star Trek” television series.

The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new “Star Trek” TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films “Star Trek” (2009) with Roberto Orci, and “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series SCORPION and LIMITLESS, along with Kadin and Orci, and for HAWAII FIVE-0 with Orci.

“Star Trek,” which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original “Star Trek” spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the “Star Trek” television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original “Star Trek” series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

“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,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “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.”

“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,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “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.”

“Every day, an episode of the ‘Star Trek’ franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce ‘Star Trek’s’ next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film “Star Trek Beyond,” which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I think the assholes who made this show know as much about Star Trek as the assholes who made Signs knew about working farms.

[mnchiefsguy]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You and I are Trek fans so we could discuss it, hate it, yet still end up liking the new series.

But good ****ing grief.

The casting might be right. The visuals might be right.

I'm not going to draw any conclusions until story reveals itself.

But everything feels wrong.

I just don't get it.

I agree. I will watch it (at least the first few episodes) because I like Trek.... but something seems way off with this. I have very low expectations.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy

I agree. I will watch it (at least the first few episodes) because I like Trek.... but something seems way off with this. I have very low expectations.

I'll only watch the pilot.

I'm not paying $5.99 for 5 months straight to watch this garbage, especially when x-US, it'll be on Netflix.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I'll only watch the pilot.

I'm not paying $5.99 for 5 months straight to watch this garbage, especially when x-US, it'll be on Netflix.

THIS

[Buehler445]

x-US meaning outside the US?

Seriously? If so **** CBS with a ****ing hammer.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

x-US meaning outside the US?

Seriously? If so **** CBS with a ****ing hammer.

Yes, my apologies.

I was working and fell back into biz speak.

[Buehler445]

NP

Seriously though. **** CBS.

[RealSNR]

It's just ****ing hilarious that CBS thinks this shit will actually work.

Make a product that pisses off its loyal fanbase that you desperately need to pay for your shitty upstart streaming service.

I'll be shocked if any episodes of this show make me do any kind of thinking about the nature of reality. How could this thing possibly tell stories that explore who we are as humans? You know, what Star Trek was supposed to ****ing be all about!

[DaneMcCloud]

Wow, this show just became even dumber:

--------

It turns out the lead of the new “Star Trek: Discovery” series has a stronger connection to the franchise than first thought. In the trailers so far for the CBS All Access show, it has been suggested that Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is either a student or full protege of Sarek, Spock’s father.

Seems things go further than that with word from the panel during the San Diego Comic Con that she is the adopted sister of Spock. The show’s Sarek sees raising a fully human child as an opportunity to better understand his wife Amanda’s human nature. The show’s official Twitter account has tried to explain:

“Regarding why there’s never been any mention of Spock’s half-sibling, Michal Burnham before, EP Alex Kurtzman said ‘We’re aware. You’ll see where it’s going, but we are staying consistent with canon.'”

This wouldn’t mark the first time the franchise had retconned a sibling of sorts for Spock, the same was true of Sybok – the half-brother of Spock and villain of “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”.

One other reveal is that the Klingons seen in the series will be speaking full Klingon language on screen (subtitled) as opposed to English with the occasional use of the language as seen in other “Star Trek” series.

The recent trailer has certainly hinted that Burnham is the key player in action that effectively ignites a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. “Star Trek: Discovery” premieres September 24th on CBS and the following day on Netflix outside the United States.

[Bowser]

[Beef Supreme]

It could be the greatest Star Trek series ever and I'm still not paying for their shit streaming channel.

[Bowser]

Looking forward to Orville so much more than this.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by BigChiefTablet

It could be the greatest Star Trek series ever and I'm still not paying for their shit streaming channel.

If it was good I'd pay for it in a second. I'm ready made to pay for this. But they've shit all over Star Trek and it's fans. It's insane.

It would be like the Chiefs saying, hey, we really want you to come out and support the team. Except for you one who sucks the peniss from Missouri and Kansas.

[DaneMcCloud]

One of the more interesting rumors floating about back when “Star Trek: Discovery” was first announced was that showrunner Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods”) had planned to do the series in an anthology format with different eras of “Star Trek” explored with each new season.

Of course Fuller exited the project and what we’re left with is a standard serialised drama set within one period – ten years before the time of Captain Kirk. As part of a new Trek-centric issue of EW (via TrekMovie, a source has finally confirmed that original report and goes into a bit more detail about Fuller’s vision which was: “to do for science fiction what ‘American Horror Story’ had done for horror”):

“Fuller sat with CBS executives to deliver his pitch. It wasn’t just for a ‘Trek’ series but for multiple serialized anthology shows that would begin with the ‘Discovery’ prequel, journey through the eras of Captain James T. Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and then go beyond to a time in ‘Trek’ that’s never been seen before.”

CBS wasn’t prepared to go that far, instead opting to create a single serialized show and seeing how it performed first. Other Fuller ideas that were set aside included “a more heavily allegorical and complex story line” (ie. more like “Star Trek”), and a “subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors [for uniforms]”.

The article goes further into the clashes with the studio from the $6 million per episode budget being insufficient to the hiring of procedural vet David Semel to direct the pilot which the network wanted. Fuller, who clashed with Semel, reportedly wanted a proper film director and even reached out to filmmaker Edgar Wright for the gig.

The main issue though was scheduling with Fuller being let go by CBS in October last year. CBS Studios president David Stapf says Fuller’s fingerprints are still there: “The good news is Bryan created a really nice template that was unbelievably specifically detailed.” Fuller himself adds: “I got to dream big. I was sad for a week and then I salute the ship and compartmentalize my experience.”

Fuller got his start working on episodes of the acclaimed “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the less well-regarded “Star Trek: Voyager” before he went on to forge his noted producing career.

The non-Fuller ‘Trek’ kicks off September 24th on CBS All Access.

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

“subdued spin on the original series’ trio of primary colors [for uniforms]”.

The uniforms are kind of the weirdest thing, because A) we've seen TOS-style uniforms work in a modern context (the Beyond ones in particular looked great) and B) the uniform design they used looks horrible.