Much has been discussed about the next incarnation of ‘Star Trek‘, but now comes news that there’s been further delays for the series and – at this point – there’s no sign of when it will definitely ‘boldy go’…
When details were originally launched to the public, the plan was for Star Trek: Discovery to begin its run on screens this month, but since then the production appears to have had some major set-backs. Bryan Fuller, the original show-runner stepped away from the project to focus on his Starz drama American Gods, (based on the Neil Gaiman novel) though it is believed that he left a ‘series bible’ and several scripts for the new team. In the wake of that it was also agreed that the broadcast date would slip back to May with actual production due to begin early in 2017. CBS and the production team said they needed the extra time to get the show right.
Today came the further announcement that the series would not be meeting that second start-date either and, in fact, there is now NO firm date for when the show will begin broadcast. While some had speculated this would happen – the production schedule simply feeling rushed to make the May release – it’s certainly not going to help the perception of a project that isn’t boldy going in the intended direction.
The pilot was to air on CBS and then the show would shift subsequent episodes to the subscriber-only platform CBS All Areas, a move that was immediately met with controversy given that this would be the first television version of Trek not available to the general public without extra payment. However, CBS, in releasing a statement about the current state-of-play, noted that the ‘on-demand’ format was allowing them the time to get the production right, an option that would not have been so easy if this was purely a tv show.
A representative for CBS All Access said in their statement. “Production on Star Trek: Discovery begins next week. We love the cast, the scripts and are excited about the world the producers have created. This is an ambitious project; we will be flexible on a launch date if it’s best for the show. We’ve said from the beginning it’s more important to do this right than to do it fast. There is also added flexibility presenting on CBS All Access, which isn’t beholden to seasonal premieres or launch windows.”
It has already been announced that The Walking Dead star Sonequa Martin-Green (who plays Sonja in the zombie show) will have a key role as a lieutenant commander on the new ship, the Discovery. While it is not known if her character survives The Walking Dead‘s current season, there is no clash of filming schedules at this point. Michelle Yeoh and Doug Jones will also appear. Today’s announcement also confirmed that British actor James Frain will be the latest actor to take the role of Sarek, Spock’s Vulcan father.
