'Star Trek Discovery' will boldly launch with a new ship, new format
SAN DIEGO -- So long, USS Enterprise.
We don't know a whole lot about the brand new Star Trek TV show coming to CBS in January 2017. But now we at least have a name, a ship, a format, and a basic philosophy.
The show will be called Star Trek Discovery, showrunner Bryan Fuller revealed at a star-studded panel at Comic-Con to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the space franchise.
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A video unveiled at the panel showed a brand new, golden, Enterprise-style spacecraft emblazoned with the name USS Discovery.
What's more, the ship bears a strong resemblance to 1970s concept art by legendary Star Wars artist Ralph McQuarrie.
The show "will be told like a novel," Fuller told the audience, describing a season-long story "chapter by chapter." He noted that the Star Trek franchise already had more than 700 episodes, and that Discovery would not be "episodic."
"Not episodic?" responded panelist William Shatner in mock outrage. "What else is there?"
Fuller didn't reveal anything about the "new characters, new worlds and new civilizations" promised by CBS. But it will be set in what Trek fans call the "Prime" universe -- closer to the timeline of the original 1960s series.
Casting is still underway, Fuller said. He has a few actors he likes, and will look at the process "through a colorblind prism."
Much of the panel focused on the essential philosophy of Star Trek, which Fuller said the new show would reflect.
"We want to carry on what Star Trek does best," the producer said, "which is being progressive."
Former Star Trek actors Shatner (Captain Kirk), Brent Spiner (Lt. Data), Michael Dorn (Lt. Wharf), Jerri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Scott Bakula (Captain Archer) all pointedly discussed the need for "diversity and respect," both in the show and in society and politics at large.
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Star Trek Discovery will premiere on CBS in January, and will be broadcast on the streaming service CBS All Access thereafter.
Chris is a veteran tech, entertainment and culture journalist, author of 'How Star Wars Conquered the Universe,' and co-host of the Doctor Who podcast 'Pull to Open.' Hailing from the U.K., Chris got his start as a sub editor on national newspapers. He moved to the U.S. in 1996, and became senior news writer for Time.com a year later. In 2000, he was named San Francisco bureau chief for Time magazine. He has served as senior editor for Business 2.0, and West Coast editor for Fortune Small Business and Fast Company. Chris is a graduate of Merton College, Oxford and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is also a long-time volunteer at 826 Valencia, the nationwide after-school program co-founded by author Dave Eggers. His book on the history of Star Wars is an international bestseller and has been translated into 11 languages.
