The hit TV franchise that not only won the hearts of fans across the globe but also became a cult phenomenon, Star Trek, which will complete its 50 years in 2016 as the original series debuted 8 September, 1966 will once be seen on the small screen. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series along with many comic and novels being launched.
Producer Alex Kurtzman is developing a new take on the beloved sci-fi classic for TV, that will premiere on CBS which is slated for the network in January 2017. The series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout banner. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers under a deal that is separate from the overall deal that Kurtzman has with partner Roberto Orci’s K/O Paper Products.
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 CBS Digital Media’s Executive Vice President/General Manager, Marc DeBevoise. “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.”
The cross-platform streaming service, which hosts thousands of episodes from CBS’ roster (both past and present) is available for $5.99 per month. Included in the fee is the ability to stream the local network live. All previous Star Trek series are currently available on CBS All Access. CBS Studios International will distribute the series for TV and multiple platforms around the world.
Created by Gene Roddenberry and starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, the original series was distributed by CBS TV Studios which was produced by Paramount Television and Desilu Productions. The series ran for three seasons and 79 episodes from 1966-67 on NBC and became a monster hit via syndication. It spawned an animated series (1973-74), a series of feature films starting in 1979 and four TV follow-ups including The Next Generation (1987-1994), Deep Space Nine (1993-99), Voyager (1995-2001) and Enterprise (2001-05).
The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond, which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016. As for the TV series, a search is under way for a writer to take on the cult hit.
