‘Star Trek: Discovery’: What We Know About The Delay And New Trek Universe
CBS has delayed the launch date for Star Trek: Discovery, the show originally intended as the flagship series of the network’s All Access streaming service, for several months and it will now debut next May.
The producers of the show told Gizmodo the delay was necessary to produce a vision they can be proud of, and inside rumors insist the wait for the new Star Trek series will be worth it, according to showrunner Bryan Fuller.
“We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don’t result in compromised quality.”
It’s not clear if post-production demands explain the four month delay, but the added time will give producers of the new Star Trek series the space to get the show right.
Here’s what we know about Star Trek: Discovery so far.
There have been more than 700 episodes in the series’ franchise history so far, with the latest show, Star Trek: Enterprise, ending its run in 2005. Showrunner Bryan Fuller told reporters he wanted to shake up the dynamic of the Star Trek universe, so the new show will feature a human female lead, but she’ll be a lieutenant commander instead of a captain, according to DigitalTrends.
“There have been six series all from the captains’ perspective, and it felt like for this new iteration of Star Trek, we need to look at life on a Starfleet vessel from a new perspective.”
In a nod to Majel Barrett’s character in the original pilot, she’ll be referred to as “Number One.”
Her role hasn’t been cast yet and neither has any other character in the show, which may be one reason CBS has decided to delay the series debut for several months despite missing it’s landmark 50th anniversary.
The starship Discovery will feature a diverse crew, including at least one gay character, along with robots and aliens. The ship’s name serves as an homage to the philosophy and spirit of Gene Roddenberry, who envisioned a future free of discrimination and the concern of wealth.
#StarTrek envisioned the future @csa_asc https://t.co/jf3s7D7NRh pic.twitter.com/zoqUNkb78w
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) September 17, 2016
The first season of Star Trek: Discovery will premiere with 10 to 13 episodes and will be set about 10 years before the events portrayed in the original series and will involve an event described in official Trek history.
The new Star Trek series will tell one complete story over the course of a season instead of the traditional method containing one story in each episode, Fuller told AintItCool back in August.
“I would strongly recommend that we never do 26 episodes. I think it would fatigue the show. Ideally I would like to do 10 episodes. I think that’s a tighter story.”
That storytelling structure allows it to fit easily into the binge watching habits embraced by the Netflix generation. The first episode of the new series will debut on the CBS television network, but later episodes will require a monthly subscription to the All Access digital platform.
The new Star Trek series also plans to depart slightly from the family-friendly version originally aired on CBS. While the original series wasn’t shy about sexual behavior, later versions were more subdued; the new show, however, will take advantage of the lack of network restrictions and will feature more graphic content and profanity.
The new Star Trek: Discovery series is now set to premiere in May, 2017, and it will be worth the wait, executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Bryan Fuller told MassLive.
“Bringing ‘Star Trek’ back to television carries a responsibility and mission: to connect fans and newcomers alike to the series that has fed our imaginations since childhood.”
[Featured Image via Star Trek: Discovery YouTube screenshot]
