The premiere of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS’s subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association on Tuesday that much time had been spent discussing how to create this new world for TV that felt authentic to the Star Trek universe.
Also during that time, executive producer Bryan Fuller decided to exit the series to focus on other projects.
Kurtzman said it became clearer that the targeted January 2017 debut would compromise the quality of the show, so it was pushed back with the blessing of CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.
Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green of The Walking Dead as the central character, First Officer Michael Burnham. She’s the foster daughter of the Vulcan Sarek, who is Spock’s father.
“We are telling a story that we believe in. Everyone is so passionate. The craftsmanship here in our entire company, behind the camera and in front of the camera, is nothing short of stellar,” said Martin-Green.
Kurtzman also debuted the theme song for Star Trek: Discovery, performed by a 60-piece orchestra. It plays homage to the original theme and the entire song will play under a credit sequence in each episode.
The timeline for the series is 10 years prior to the original series.
Executive producer Akiva Goldsman said, “We are going to cross paths with components that Trek fans are familiar with, but it is its own stand-alone story with its own characters and its own unique vision of Trek.”
Star Trek: Discovery also stars Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh and Shazad Latif.
The series premiere will broadcast on CBS September 24. Immediately following, the first and second episodes will stream on CBS All Access. New episodes going forward will be available on Sundays.
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