To boldly go where no Star Trek series has gone before...
It has been a little over 12 years since any new form of Star Trek series has aired on television.
The last voyage was called Star Trek: Enterprise -- a show designed to help set the fledgling UPN network to warp speed. (The UPN network eventually merged with The WB to form The CW Television Network). It never achieved the status that its predecessors reached. Not only that, the franchise during that era felt as if it was on life support.
As fans and critics soured (and as viewing habits changed in the early 2000s), Star Trek was left in an odd sort of limbo. There weren't any new productions until May 2009 -- when J.J. Abrams's terrific Star Trek movie reboot debuted in theaters.
While Paramount might have squeezed the Trek orange dry in the 80s and 90s, time has a way of healing all wounds. Everything old is new again.
Seth MacFarlane's oddly compelling Star Trek homage/parody series The Orville just debuted on Fox (I'll be reviewing that show soon), and CBS is set to debut Star Trek: Discovery on Sept. 24 as the flagship entry for its streaming service CBS All Access.
For those who don't have CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery's first episode will air on CBS on Sunday, Sept. 24 (check local listings). So you can get a taste of the new show.
The first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery will debut on CBS All Access that same evening, with future episodes airing each week exclusively on the streaming platform.
I haven't seen the debut episode yet (but will have a full review later this week). I do subscribe CBS All Access, and can give you a few insights on the service.
Since CBS launched CBS All Access in 2014, it has evolved from a receptacle for the network's slate of recent TV episodes into a service that features full seasons (stacks) of current series, a library of "classic" shows owned by CBS (such as the entire Star Trek series catalog), an odd assortment of theatrical movies, events like the 24/7 Big Brother live feeds, and NFL broadcast streams (games that air on your local CBS affiliate).
The service is $5.99 per month. There is also a $9.99 option that allows you to stream commercial free (my advice: pay the extra $4 per month for the commercial-free option).
Bridget and I are cord cutters and find "CBS All Access" to be a valuable tool in our streaming arsenal -- especially since we are big fans of Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother (along with various scripted series on the network).
Depending on how you watch television, CBS All Access might feel unnecessary. Some would balk at the notion of paying a monthly fee for network programming. If you have cable TV, the service might seem like "overkill" when you can easily DVR the network's broadcast content.
But CBS is trying to up the ante with original programming that is exclusive to CBS All Access.
In February of this year, The Good Fight (a spinoff of the net's long-running series The Good Wife) debuted on "CBS All Access."
And now we get Star Trek: Discovery, a series that CBS has spent a considerable amount of time, money and effort producing and promoting.
There is a considerable amount riding on this show for the network as viewing habits continue to evolve, and more consumers stream digital video content.
If successful, Star Trek: Discovery could be the spark that fires up more "streaming-only" content production for CBS.
If nothing else, it is good to see Star Trek back in an episodic format. Unlike previous Star Trek entries, it sounds as if Discovery will have longer story arcs that lean the direction of today's "binge-able" series. That should give the show room to breathe, and help writers create a compelling narrative.
Stay tuned...!
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