Entertainment

‘Star Trek’ Boldly Returning To TV In 2017

Published on: November 2, 2015 at 1:57 PM
By Jim Moreno

Reports of a new Star Trek TV series in the works for 2017 is traveling at warp speed across cyberspace today, giving sci-fi fans something to rejoice over amidst the hype for the impending releases of Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: The Force Awakens . This balance is only logical.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story earlier today, along with a press release on StarTrek.com . However, details are still few and far between as the story develops. An official announcement is expected later today, THR explains.

The new Star Trek TV show is scheduled for a January 2017 launch, on the heels of the 50th anniversary of the original Star Trek , which made its TV debut on September 8, 1966. It will be the eighth TV show in the venerable Star Trek series after Star Trek: Enterprise , which aired on the UPN channel from 2001 to 2005.

Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of the Star Trek movie reboot and its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness , is at the helm as producer of the new series under Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout production company. Kurtzman’s crew includes long-time collaborator Roberto Orci, as well as Heather Kadin as executive producer. Kurtzman and crew are still scanning for a writer.

CBS Television Studios will host the new Star Trek series, marking another return to the shows’ roots. CBS TV Studios distributed the original series to NBC in 1966, where 79 episodes over three seasons aired until it was canceled in 1969.

“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.”

“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 of 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.”

Subscriptions to CBS All Access are currently priced at $5.99 per month. According to the press release, CBS All Access “already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.”

“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.”

Almost 50 years after Star Trek made its debut, its presence continues to beam into daily life all over the world. Episodes of the TV shows can be streamed online through services such as Netflix and Hulu, and the show’s influence is still being honored in other TV episodes such as The Big Bang Theory . Trekkies are still in mourning over the passing of Leonard Nimoy, who played the iconic character Spock in the original series and in the movie reboots. The video game Star Trek Online remains strong five years after its launch. With movie ticket prices skyrocketing, it’s a welcome delight to see the series return to TV.

“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.”

[Photo by Ron Wurzer/Getty Images]

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