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Star Trek TV show 2017: Everything you need to know

Photo credit: CBS/Netflix
Photo credit: CBS/Netflix

From Digital Spy

CBS are planning to boldly go where no man (or network) has gone for over a decade – returning Star Trek to television, some 11 years since Enterprise went out with a whimper.

Here's everything you need to know about plans to shake off the space dust and restore Gene Roddenberry's genre-defining sci-fi TV series to its former glory with Star Trek: Discovery.

Star Trek TV series: When will it air, and will we get it all in one go?

In the US, Star Trek: Discovery will premiere on CBS and CBS All Access on Sunday, September 24 at 8.30/7.30c – but it's been a long journey to get there.

Discovery was supposed to set off on its maiden voyage in January 2017, with Hannibal's Bryan Fuller as showrunner and Alex Kurtzman (producer on the movie reboots) as executive producer. But its launch date was later pushed to May 2017 – to allow more time to fine-tune the scripts.

In a joint statement, Fuller and Kurtzman said: "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.

"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.

Photo credit: Star Trek / Twitter
Photo credit: Star Trek / Twitter

"Before heading into production, we evaluated these realities with our partners at CBS and they agreed: Star Trek deserves the very best, and these extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of."

But then, in February 2017, Discovery was delayed AGAIN – with CBS chairman Les Moonves announcing that the series would launch "sometime [in] late summer, early fall" rather than the spring.

"It's important to get it right," he said. "And Star Trek is the family jewels. We're not going to rush it. There's a lot of post production. But I'm very confident based on what I've seen so far."

(Bryan Fuller's determination to secure his top pick for lead actress is also said to have contributed to the delay, as she was attached to another series at the time.)

Related: Here's why Star Trek: Discovery was delayed – twice

In the US, only the series premiere will air on CBS, with the rest of the series then streaming exclusively on the network's subscription VOD service, All Access. It's going to be split into two halves, with the mid-season finale airing in the US on Sunday, November 5.

"Sci-fi is not something that has traditionally done really well on broadcast," CBS Interactive CEO Jim Lanzone explained. "It just fit the with the digital audience, and having that digital Star Trek audience."

Outside of the US, the new Trek will be available on Netflix in 188 countries – including the UK, with new episodes dropping a day after US transmission. So the series will debut on Netflix from Monday, September 25 – with the mid-season finale dropping on Monday, November 6. The second half of Star Trek: Discovery's first season will premiere some time in January 2018.

Star Trek TV show 2017: Who's reviving the series?

Fuller was originally on board as showrunner and co-producer – having begun his career working on Trek spinoffs Voyager and Deep Space Nine back in the '90s.

"Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer, but a genuine fan of Star Trek," said CBS Studios president David Stapf in February 2016 – and Fuller went on to prove his geek credentials by hiring both Gene Roddenberry's son Rod and The Wrath of Khan writer-director Nicholas Meyer in producer roles.

But then came the stunning news in October that Fuller was pulling out of Discovery – at least as showrunner – in order to focus on his Starz series American Gods and a reboot of the anthology show Amazing Stories for NBC.

Photo credit: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic
Photo credit: Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic

CBS TV Studios said: "Due to Bryan's other projects, he is no longer able to oversee the day-to-day of Star Trek, but he remains an executive producer."

The statement added that Fuller "will continue to map out the story arc for the entire season" and though the man himself insisted "not involved in production, or post-production", Jim Lanzone - head of CBS Interactive - has insisted that the show will continue to follow his "vision".

"With Star Trek, ultimately it was about not being able to do what CBS needed to be done in the time that they needed it done," Fuller explained to Digital Spy in December 2016.

"Part of that was [down to] my responsibilities to American Gods, which I'm very dedicated to, and so it was unfortunate to take a step back away from that show... and mainly because of the opportunity that I believe that Star Trek provides - for a conversation about progress, for humanity and the planet, and being able to tap into that."

He concluded: "I will miss doing Star Trek, but this is the best path."

Kurtzman will now oversee the show alongside Gretchen Berg & Aaron Harberts - veterans of Reign and Revenge - plus fellow execs Heather Kadin (late of CBS's Limitless)and Trevor Roth - (producer of 2010 fan-doc Trek Nation).

The show's writing staff includes Hannibal's Jesse Alexander, playwright Kemp Powers, Voyager veteran Joe Menosky, Trek novelist Kristen Beyer and Aron Eli Coleite of Heroes.

Vincenzo Natali - who helmed the cult movie Cube and six episodes of Hannibal - has been hired as the show's producing director, though he will not direct the first episode.

That honour goes to Emmy-nominated David Semel, who's previously launched series including Heroes and Person of Interest. (Semel's hiring was apparently a point of disagreement between CBS and Bryan Fuller - the latter wanted Edgar Wright to helm the series opener.)

Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images
Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

Jonathan Frakes - best known as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander Riker - will also helm an episode, having previously directed episodes of of TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and the 1998 movie Star Trek: Insurrection.

Moon and Warcraft director Duncan Jones has also expressed an interest in working on the new Trek - one to keep in mind for season two?

Related: Star Trek: Discovery cast are apparently banned from mentioning God on the show

Star Trek cast: Who's in it?

Photo credit: CBS/Netflix
Photo credit: CBS/Netflix

The first trailer, revealed by CBS in May, promised "new heroes" and "new villains" so expect an entirely fresh roster of characters to board Discovery.

With the news that Netflix had secured international rights came formation that this Trek would feature "a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation."

"When we introduce our protagonist, she is called Number One," Fuller revealed in late August - though we will learn our hero's name by the end of the first season.

In casting the lead role, Fuller said he was seeking an actress who embodies "strength, sensitivity and an amusing neurosis that goes with exploring space, which is extraordinarily dangerous and has the potential to be terrifying."

The Walking Dead's Sonequa Martin-Green was announced to have nabbed the much-coveted part in December 2016 - with the character's name and rank later confirmed as First Officer Michael Burnham.

(If you were wondering, giving a female character a traditionally male name is a motif that appears in several of Bryan Fuller's works... plus, it's the future, so who cares?)

Photo credit: CBS/Netflix
Photo credit: CBS/Netflix

Our first official nugget of casting, though, came a month earlier, with writer/producer Meyer revealing that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Michelle Yeoh will appear in Discovery - playing Han Bo, captain of the good ship Shenzhou.

Later that month, Hellboy's Doug Jones - playing alien science officer Lt. Saru, and Broadway veteran Anthony Harp - as Lt. Stamets - were also confirmed for Discovery.

Harp's character will be involved with another officer on the ship (Wilson Cruz) in the Trek franchise's first LGBT+ relationship.

December 2016 saw the series add a trio of Klingons to its ranks: their leader T'Kuvma (played by American Gods' Chris Obi), his protege Kol (Penny Dreadful's Shazad Latif) and their battle deck commander Rell (Mary Chieffo).

(Latif would later switch roles and will appear in the final series as Starfleet's Lieutenant Tyler, with Kenneth Mitchell replacing him as Kol.)

More casting was confirmed in February 2017, with newcomer Sam Vartholomeos playing Ensign Connor, a Junior Officer in Starfleet Academy assigned to the starship Shenzhou, and 30 Rock's Maulik Pancholy as Dr Nambue, the Shenzhou's Chief Medical Officer,

Terry Serpico (Designated Survivor) was also added to the cast as Admiral Anderson, a high-ranking Starfleet official, with Clare McConnell and Damon Runyam (Degrassi: Next Generation) playing Klingon Empire leaders named Dennas and Ujilli, respectively.

Finally, TV veteran Rekha Sharma (The 100) will star as Commander Landry, the Discovery's security officer.

Photo credit: CBS
Photo credit: CBS

And, in a nod to The Original Series, Spock's father Sarek will play a significant role in Discovery - with James Frain stepping in for the late Mark Lenard.

Likewise, Rainn Wilson will replace Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd, an intergalactic criminal seen going up against Kirk and Spock in the '60s.

March 2017 saw the show land its biggest name yet as it signed Harry Potter's Jason Isaacs to play the captain of the Starship Discovery - and we've been told Captain Gabriel Lorca is a "f**ked up" character with a lot of "rough edges".

Photo credit: CBS / Entertainment Weekly
Photo credit: CBS / Entertainment Weekly

Michael Dorn, beloved of Trek fans for his role as Lieutenant Worf, hinted that he'd had "a couple of conversations" with producers but wouldn't be appearing in the series after all. Sorry, TNG fans.

Star Trek TV reboot: What's it about?

"We're using the DNA of and using the spirit of what Star Trek offers, both in terms of high-concept science fiction storytelling and really wonderful metaphors for the human condition," Fuller said early on.

It appears the television show will be set in "classic" continuity and NOT the new cinematic universe - so don't expect any crossovers with the JJ Abrams / Justin Lin film series.

Photo credit: Paramount
Photo credit: Paramount

"There was the cleanliness of keeping our series independent of the films," Fuller explained. "That way we don't have to track anything [happening in the movie universe] and they don't have to track what we're doing."

An earlier trailer - showcasing the U.S.S. Discovery (NCC-1031) - had some fans speculating that the show could be another Trek prequel, owing to the retro design of the craft.

This was confirmed by Fuller in August 16, with Discovery being set a decade prior to Kirk's five-year mission.

"That gives us an opportunity to bridge the gap between Enterprise and the original series, and also to help us redefine the visual style," Fuller said, while also hinting that younger versions of the original show's cast could make appearances - but not for a while.

Photo credit: Paramount / CBS
Photo credit: Paramount / CBS

"For the first season, we're going to be keeping to our own universe - it's very tightly wound so there's not a lot of room to encounter some of the established characters," he explained.

"But since we are in that timeframe, moving forward it is absolutely within the possibilities of our universe… but [for now] we're kind of digging the characters we came up with."

We could be in for a more graphic Trek, too - though we're not talking Hannibal levels of gore. Nor should you expect any bad language.

"Because we're CBS All Access, we're not subject to network broadcast standards and practices," Fuller said in June 2016. "It will likely affect us more in terms of what we can do graphically, but Star Trek's not necessarily a universe where I want to hear a lot of profanity, either."

Green, too, has promised a "rawer and grittier" Star Trek - with executive producer Alex Kurtzman even citing HBO's Game of Thrones as an influence.

"Game of Thrones changed television," series boss Berg said. "They almost made it difficult to fall in love with people because you didn't know if they were going to be taken away from you. That show's had an influence on all TV dramas that have come after it."

Co-showrunner Harberts added: "Death isn't treated gratuitously on this show. It's not for shock value. But when it happens we want to make sure that people really feel it."

Discovery will even go so far as to break one of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's integral franchise rules: an outlawing of any conflict between Starfleet crew members.

"We're trying to do stories that are complicated, with characters with strong points of view and strong passions," producer Aaron Harberts explained. "People have to make mistakes - mistakes are still going to be made in the future. We're still going to argue in the future."