The long tumored Discovery spinoff has been announced to be Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and will feature Captain Pike, Spock, Number One, and more!
The long-rumored Star Trek: Discovery spinoff has been formally announced and will see the series set on the U.S.S. Enterprise, lead by Captain Pike, Number One, and a young Spock. There is also a rumor that James Kirk could appear on the series as well, thus making this a true prequel to the adventures of Kirk and Spock. The series will be called Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and will see Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, and Ethan Peck reprise their respective roles from Discovery. The series will air on CBS All-Access.
How it lines up with either timeline in Star Trek has yet to be answered, however. Julie McNamara, executive vice president and head of programming at CBS All Access went talked about how fans glommed on to these characters during season two of Discovery.
“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 This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to ‘Star Trek.’”
She’s not wrong. Despite the polarizing nature of Discovery, the fan support for Pike and Number One were off the charts for the modern series. Not as much Spock but hey, it’s Spock.
“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 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.”
These shows are costing a lot of money, and they’re being flooded out pretty fast. With at least five shows either on the air or in active development, CBS All Access should be concerned about burnout among its base.
Due to the popularity of these specific characters, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds might be CBS’s last and best attempt to get fans into the new franchises. If such a fan-focused show like this can’t gain the traction CBS hopes for, the future of this new universe could very much be up in the air. It could also be a smash hit. Only time will tell.