On Friday, CBS All Access announced that it has ordered a Star Trek: Discovery spinoff titled Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The new Star Trek series will follow Captain Christopher Pike and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the decade before the original Star Trek television series.
The new series will bring back the cast from the second season of Discovery. Anson Mount (The Virtuoso, Hell on Wheels) returns as Captain Christopher Pike. Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, Ugly Betty) will reprise her role as Number One. Ethan Peck (Good Morning, Midnight; Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) will return as Science Officer Spock.
Though not the first one, Pike was captain of the famed Enterprise (NCC-1701) before James. T. Kirk. Since Captain Pike debuted in season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, fans have been clamoring for a show about the Enterprise captain. They’ll now get just that as Pike’s voyages will continue on in the new series.
The series was clearly in the works for a while. In the video (watch above) announcing Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Rebecca Romijn sounds exasperated as she tells fans how happy she is that she can finally share the news. In the same video announcement Ethan Peck (Spock) tells fans “You asked, we listened.”
“When we said we heard the fans’ outpouring of love for Pike, Number One and Spock when they boarded Star Trek: Discovery last season, we meant it,” said showrunner Alex Kurtzman. “These iconic characters have a deep history in Star Trek canon, yet so much of their stories have yet to be told. With Akiva and Henry at the helm, the Enterprise, its crew and its fans are in for an extraordinary journey to new frontiers in the Star Trek universe.”
Julie McNamara, executive vice president and head of programming for CBS All Access, said fans “fell in love” with Mount, Romijn and Peck’s portrayals of the iconic Star Trek characters. In her statement, McNamara says the new series will be a “perfect complement” to the Star Trek franchise that will bring a “whole new perspective.” Similarly, in the video announcement, Mount described the series as “classic” Star Trek that “deals with optimism and the future.”
Akiva Goldsman wrote the series premiere episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, based on a story he co-wrote with Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet. The series will be produced by CBS Television Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Goldsman, Kurtzman, and Lumet will serve as executive producers. Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth will also executive produce while Aaron Baiers, Akela Cooper, and Davy Perez will be co-executive producers.
Akiva Goldsman will remain an executive producer and a part of the creative team working on Star Trek: Picard. The new Star Trek series will be produced by CBS Television Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment to be added to the ever-expanding Star Trek content on CBS All Access.
“This is a dream come true, literally,” said Akiva Goldsman. “I have imagined myself on the bridge of the Enterprise since the early 1970s. I’m honored to be a part of this continuing journey along with Alex, Henry and the fine folks at CBS.”
Star Trek on CBS All Access
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds joins the expanding lineup of original Star Trek programming on CBS All Access. The streaming service launched the new era of Star Trek with Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series returns for its third season later this year.
Another new series, Star Trek: Picard, debuted in January. CBS renewed that series ahead of its debut. The adult animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks, developed by Emmy Award-winner Mike McMahan, is on track for its 2020 debut. A Section 31-based series led by Michelle Yeoh is also in development. There’s also a CG-animated Star Trek series for younger audiences in the works for Nickelodeon.
About CBS All Access
CBS All Access is a direct-to-consumer video on-demand subscription service from CBS. In addition to Star Trek content, the service spans exclusive original series from CBS Television Network’s primetime, daytime and late night shows, as well as classic TV hits. It is available via apps for iOS and Android devices and nearly multiple streaming devices and smart TVs. CBS All Access also offers a free trial subscription.
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