CBS All Access has officially announcedStar Trek: Strange New Worlds, an upcomingDiscoveryspin-off series following the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike. The show will take place in the years before James T. Kirk ultimately replaces Pike as the Captain of the starship, serving as a direct prequel to the events of the original series. Reprising the roles fromStar Trek: Discovery, the new spin-off will feature Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels) as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn (X-Men) as Number One, and Ethan Peck (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels) as Science Officer Spock.
The writing team of Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet penned theStrange New Worldsseries premiere, also serving as executive producers alongside Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth. Also on board as co-executive producers are Aaron Baiers, Akela Cooper, and Davy Perez. CBS Television Studios, Secret Hideout, and Roddenberry Entertainment are producing the series. Despite his involvement withStrange New Worlds, Goldsman is also said to remain on boardStar Trek: Picardas an executive producer and key part of the creative team as well.
Trekkies have been hoping to see this newStar Trekseries about Pike, Number One, and Spock come to fruition since the characters first appeared together onStar Trek Discovery. “Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck’s portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced onStar Trek: Discoverylast season,” says CBS Executive Vice President and CBS All Access Head of Programming, Julie McNamara. “This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures toStar Trek.”
Kurtzman also added that the creation ofStrange New Worldsstems from the fan support behind the concept of seeing more stories from these beloved characters. “When we said we heard the fans' outpouring of love for Pike, Number One andSpockwhen they boardedStar Trek: Discoverylast season, we meant it,” Kurtzman says. “These iconic characters have a deep history inStar Trekcanon, 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 theStar Trekuniverse.”
The character of Captain Pikewas first played by Jeffrey Hunter in the originalStar Trekpilot episode. When the pilot was redeveloped with William Shatner portraying the new captain of the starship Enterprise, Pike was left on the cutting room floor. However, some of the footage from the unaired pilot was shown in a laterStar Trekepisode, establishing Pike as the Enterprise captain before Kirk stepped in. Sean Kenney played an older version of the former captain in that episode. Later, in J. J. Abrams' 2009Star Trekreboot movie and its sequelStar Trek Into Darkness, the Pike character returned when he was portrayed by Bruce Greenwood.
There’s plenty of content to look forward to forTrekkieson CBS All Access.Star Trek: Discoverywill return to CBS All Access later this year with new episodes, and a second season ofPicardis also in the works. Additionally, anotherDiscoveryspin-off led by Michelle Yeoh and based on Section 31 has also been ordered. You can watch the announcement trailer forStar Trek: Strange New Worldsfeaturing the cast below, courtesy ofCBS All Access on YouTube.
