Star Trek: New TV Series Lands on CBS January 2017 – Then Streams Away!

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According to StarTrek.com, an all-new Star Trek TV show will be coming back with new stories under executive producer Alan Kurtzman, who was co-writer on Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, the latest re-boot of the classic crew. Joining him as executive producer will be Heather Kadin, with CBS Television Studios producing the series for television and streaming.

From Star Trek.com:
“CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.”

So after the premiere airs on CBS, fans can follow the series through CBS All Access, which runs $6 per month. If so, it might very well solidify a growing trend, using the publicly free airwaves to inaugurate a franchise then allow the dedicated to follow at their own choosing.

Personally, I want to resist paying, but I am old and remember turning channels by hand. The new model has a lot of good things going for it – especially the simple fact that generating income directly related to one property means a bigger budget and often less interference from marketing and accounting [i.e. “the suits”], which typically has the effect of watering down or muddling the creative vision, trying to be all things to all people.

Like Netflix’s Daredevil, we may get something finer and more concrete storywise because of the dedicated fanbase coupled with a more direct delivery.

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Lastly, the new series will be separate entity, and will not be a sequel to Star Trek Beyond movie, coming out July 22, 2016. The level of relationship looks to be in name only, the producers and writers realizing they need to build a new universe instead of re-processing the old. That’s not a bad thing, if they keep the flavor of adventure and friendship we have come to love and admire in the Star Trek franchise.

It has been almost 50 years since we first started going “where no man has gone before” and if this choice of Alan Kurtzman and direct delivery is any indication, we just may go somewhere that will please old and new fans alike.

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