With the third film of the new Star Trek universe scheduled for July of next year, fans have been wondering if the franchise will ever return to television. The answer is yes: CBS Television Studios has confirmed a completely new project that will premiere in January 2017. This new Star Trek series aims to close a gap of ten years—nearly twelve by the time it airs—without the franchise on the small screen.
The long gap since Enterprise
The final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise aired on May 13, 2005. Fans and several of the actors involved agreed it was a terrible conclusion, leaving a bitter taste and effectively ending Star Trek's presence on TV. Fast forward to November 2015: Star Trek remains strong with a new universe and a third movie on the way, but the desire of its followers is unchanged. Star Trek was born on television, and that is where it belongs. Reviews for the pilot of "Star Trek: Renegades" are somewhat divided, yet the crowdfunding support is solid, and it's likely we'll see episodes 2 and 3 very soon as a web series.
CBS confirms the new series
Meanwhile, there's news from official channels. Through a brief statement, CBS Television Studios confirmed it will launch a new Star Trek series in January 2017. The announcement offers no specific details about the timeline the series will follow, although it assures it has "no relation" to what will be Star Trek Beyond. Still, the presence of Alex Kurtzman as executive producer leads us to think the new content will likely adhere to the events of the reboot, since Kurtzman was one of the writers on the first and second films, alongside Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof.
A streaming platform and a 50th anniversary
Naturally, CBS will seek to leverage the new series to promote its brand-new streaming service, CBS All Access. The first airing of the episodes will be exclusive to that service, followed by traditional distribution through CBS Studios International and its partners. 2016 is a very special year for Star Trek as it celebrates half a century of life, and I believe a new series is the best way to celebrate it. Personally, I'd like the plot to be "post-Voyager," respecting the events of the original universe, more scientific and philosophical than the recent films. What do you think? The comments are open.
