Pictured: Star Trek Logo
Screen grab: ©1966 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The classic sci-fi series first aired in 1966 starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as Captain Kirk and Science Officer Spock and a decade later spawned a series of big screen films starring the pair and fellow original cast mates DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols and George Takei which ran until 1991.
September 1987 saw the arrival of a new USS Enterprise crew headed by Patrick Steward and Jonathan Frakes in Star Trek: The Next Generation who went on to replace Shatner and Co on the big screen in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations.
The show’s success spawned two spin-offs, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise which featured all-new casts.
In 2009 the younger adventures of Kirk and co were explored in J. J. Abrams’ big screen reboot entitled simply Star Trek which moved the action to an alternate reality, thereby allowing the writers freedom to develop plots and characters without trampling over established continuity.
The film was followed by Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and a further sequel Star Trek Beyond is due for release next year to tie-in with Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.
The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access and “distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.”
Alex Kurtzman, who co-wrote and produced the 2009 and 2013 films, will serve as executive producer for the new TV series.
“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios.
“Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”
“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 Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media.
“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.”