How the New Star Trek TV Shows Will Be Connected

CBR

By Sam Stone

Published Feb 3, 2019

Alex Kurtzman, who oversees all new Star Trek programming on CBS All Access, explains what links all the series.

With CBS All Access significantly expanding its original Star Trek programming this year, producer Alex Kurtzman explains the overall mission statement for the new series and what links them together.

Kurtzman, who oversees all of CBS' new Star Trek programming as well as serving as the showrunner for Star Trek: Discovery, confirmed that the connections between the various show would be more thematic than overt.

"They'll be connected, I would say, mostly peripherally," explained Kurtzman in an interview with ComicBook.com. "It's incredibly important to all of us that each show is a unique prospect, that it doesn't feel like you're getting the same thing from each show. And so, each has to have its own identity. That means it's about certain things. The tone has to be unique and yet still be Star Trek. It has to visually look different from the other shows that we're planning on making.”

With Discovery currently airing its second season and new series in active development including one featuring Patrick Stewart's return as Jean-Luc Picard, a spinoff series focused on Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou and two animated series, now is a terrific time to be a Star Trek fan.

"It may sound like you're getting all of them at once because there's a lot in development right now, but you have to keep in mind it takes two years to build each one," continued Kurtzman. "So hopefully, one series ends. You take a breath. Another one starts. That runs its course for a season. You take a breath, another one, and then you're getting a nice flow.”

Streaming on CBS All Access, Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Commander Saru, Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Ensign Sylvia Tilly, Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler, Wilson Crz as Dr. Hugh Culber, Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Mary Chieffo as L'Rell, Tig Notaro as Chief Engineer Reno, Ethan Peck as Spock, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou. New episodes premiere Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.