New Star Trek TV Show Coming!

startrek.com announced yesterday that a new tv series is coming in January 2017. New cast of characters. Involves the writer of the two recent movies. However it's also described thusly:

"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."


Well, those themes may have been dramatic, but I hope they can dramatize them in a way more fitting for today's audiences, who can now appreciate rich continuity and character arcs due to video on demand allowing catch-up binge-watching.


Speaking of VOD, it's also going to play EXCLUSIVELY on CBS's pay-to-watch subscription program. That's right. Pilot airs on TV. The rest you have to buy into a subscription to watch.


I used to LOOOOVE Star Trek. But I just can't go back to it today. So if this new show is even remotely like Star Trek shows of the past (rather than the more action/character vibe of the recent films) I will laugh hysterically at their request for me to pay for the experience and boot up Farscape one more time.


Matt McKinney! I'm calling you out! Give us your thoughts, hopes and fears for all this. And anyone else for that matter. Surely we can't allow my strongly worded  thoughts on Trek to go unanswered! ;-)

This has needed to happen for a while. Star Trek movies are great, but the franchise does best when it is home - on the small screen.

Star Trek was already a little ahead of its time in regards to continuity. Even The Next Generation had a small amount of arc continuity - certainly more than usual for the time when it was made. Of course TV has changed a lot since Enterprise went off the air in 2005. I am sure that Kurtzman and his team will create a modern Trek that takes the best of what TV is doing these days. We will likely get a short season that tells a concentrated story with no "filler episodes."

At the same time as they update to the modern format, I think they need to get back to the roots of Trek. They need to re-introduce that sense of wonder that comes from exploring space - going where no one has gone before. I'm reasonably optimistic.

The question people are speculating on is whether the show will be set in the new alternate timeline or the prime timeline. I can see a third option though. They may choose to do a total and complete reboot. This would be my least favourite option, but I think it's a possibility. It will probably all come down to how the legalities of licensing can be worked out between Paramount and CBS.

I'm interested to see in what medium this is going to be distributed to other countries. I may have to go back to watching broadcast TV (ads and all). I'll probably grab the Blu-Rays when available, although new release TV on Blueray can be prohibitively expensive.


Interestingly Paeter, I never really got into Farscape, which seems un-patriotic, since it was shot in Australia. Wonder if it's on Netflix. Maybe I should give it another go.

I know in a few weeks or days I'll probably dial back on my hype to avoid unreasonable expectations and hopefully avoid crushing disappointment.

However, as for right now.

THERE IS NEW STAR TREK COMING! I AM SO EXCITED THAT THIS OBNOXIOUS FONT SIZE ISN'T EVEN BIG ENOUGH TO SHOW HOW EXCITED I AM! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm amused by all the geeks and nerds out there whinging about paying $1.75 per episode of the new Star Trek series while ranting from behind their broadband-connected $2000 computers, playing $70 console games on $600 machines, and carrying $600 phones in their pockets. Just be glad they didn't put it on SyFy.

jorowi wrote:I'm amused by all the geeks and nerds out there whinging about paying $1.75 per episode of the new Star Trek series while ranting from behind their broadband-connected $2000 computers, playing $70 console games on $600 machines, and carrying $600 phones in their pockets. Just be glad they didn't put it on SyFy.

I get what you're saying.

On the other hand, I remember UPN, when they tried to use Star Trek to flagship for a network (I would say turn your TV to UPN, but it doesn't exist), and using own streaming service like this feels kinda like the 21st century equivalent.

Airing it on TV and then using Hulu for streaming just seems to make better sense to me.

AdamCollings wrote:Interestingly Paeter, I never really got into Farscape, which seems un-patriotic, since it was shot in Australia. Wonder if it's on Netflix. Maybe I should give it another go.

You should. You really, really should.

jorowi wrote:I'm amused by all the geeks and nerds out there whinging about paying $1.75 per episode of the new Star Trek series while ranting from behind their broadband-connected $2000 computers, playing $70 console games on $600 machines, and carrying $600 phones in their pockets. Just be glad they didn't put it on SyFy.

As one of those who might amuse you (although I don't have the $600 machine or the $600 phone and my $2000 computer was given to me a few years ago and needs to be replaced very, very soon but won't...which concerns me for my podcasting, but that's the price you pay when you're giving a free product) it IS annoying. I missed out on the beginning of Voyager because I never had cable. I came late to Stargate, BSG, and Farscape because cable was just not an affordable option for me. $6 a month seems like a very small amount of money, and it is, but...it's the wrong impulse by CBS. I'd actually be MORE likely to pay $1.75 per episode than $6 a month. And I'd be even happier to watch advertisements and pay nothing.

The paid service blocks out casual fans. You have to be invested to want to take the time to set up an account and pay the monthly fee. People are not going to discover the show by hiding it behind a pay wall. This is for fans who would seek it out ONLY.

They have to experiment with something, but the unfortunate reality is that this will most likely not bring in the numbers they are hoping for and it will be yet another "Star Trek failure" and proof that Trek doesn't have legs.

It's just poor planning in my opinion. I'll be happy to be proven wrong. And I'll be happy to try gaming the system and sign up for one month in which I will binge watch the entire season...(That's, what, only a few cents per episode then, right?)

BenAvery wrote:I'll be happy to try gaming the system and sign up for one month in which I will binge watch the entire season...(That's, what, only a few cents per episode then, right?)

Which is what most people will probably do. I'm willing to bet CBS will offer a free month during the first month that new episodes air. There will be plenty of ads on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social media outlets to lure in casual fans.