Warp one, engage! Star Trek may be heading back to television just in time for the iconic franchise’s 50th anniversary. The Hollywood Reporter has word that Alex Kurtzman is working with CBS to develop a brand new Star Trek TV series aimed to premiere in January 2017 on the network’s VOD platform, CBS All Access.
Kurtzman, who previously wrote wrote and produced 2009’s big screen reboot Star Trek and its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, will executive produce the show through his recently launched Secret Hideout. Heather Kadin will also serve as development head and executive producer.
The plan is to premiere the series’ first episode on CBS, with all subsequent episodes first premiering on CBS All Access. This would make it the first series developed specifically for the digital VOD service. THR also notes that CBS Studios International will distribute the program for other platforms and TV stations around the world, though it appears the series will only be available as VOD in the US. CBS All Access currently costs users $5.99 a month for unlimited access to thousands of past and present episodes plus live streaming of your local CBS station.
Star Trek will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, as the original series first aired on September 8th, 1966. This new series will mark the sixth in the franchise’s history, though how it will connect to previous incarnations is unclear. The cinematic reboot that Kurtzman helped launch in 2009 is set in a parallel, alternate timeline from the original series and films, and it’s unknown whether or not the new TV show will follow that continuity.
Kurtzman is not involved in the next big screen adventure, July 22nd’s Star Trek Beyond, or its planned sequel for 2019. Similarly, Kurtzman’s partner in the Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness films, frequent collaborator Roberto Orci, is not currently attached to CBS’ series.
