It’s been a growing rumour for months and now CBS All Access has confirmed that it is initiating a new Star Trek series based around the pre-Kirk era of the Enterprise. Given the tremendously positive reaction to the appearance of Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) on the second season of Discovery, and subsequent appearances in the ‘Short Trek‘ minisodes, it seemed a shoe-in that there would be serious considerations to giving them their own show and it looks set to happen in 2021.
Entitled Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – rather than a title with Enterprise in it which might have had some confusion with the Scott Bakula-led version – the new series will follow the three characters and a wider cast in ‘the decade before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy‘ says the official statement. The recasting of the characters – particularly Ethan peck’s Spock – was fraught with potential pitfalls, but fans arguably liked their inclusion more than some of the main Discovery‘s story-arcs. Mount gave audiences an interesting version of the character, stoic and duty-driven but with a wry sense of humour that immediately appealed to audiences. There’s also added pathos as fans of the existing franchise know that Pike is heading towards a date with destiny that he himself has glimpsed but he decided not to turn away from if it meant others dying. Whether the new show will ultimately lead to that moment is probably a far-off decision.
“Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck’s portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on Star Trek: Discovery last season,” CBS All Access executive vice president and head of programming Julie McNamara continues. “This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek.”
The show is the fifth arm of the existing Trek television franchise – with Discovery, Picard and the announcements of Michelle Yeoh’s Phillipa Georgiou/Section 31 show and an animated Lower Decks being readied. Discovery and Star Trek: Picard executive producer Akiva Goldsman is set to write the series opener (from a story co-written by Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet). No production or broadcast date is yet set.
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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds starring @AnsonMount, @RebeccaRomijn, and @ethangpeck, coming to @CBSAllAccess.#StarTrekSNW #StrangeNewWorlds pic.twitter.com/9rPpjLAvkN— Star Trek on CBS All Access (@startrekcbs) May 15, 2020
