Though he was ostensibly there to moderate a panel about the 50-year history of Star Trek, the choice of Bryan Fuller was not random. He's the man bringing a new Star Trek series to screens next January and he revealed a few nuggets about the show, including the fact that it's named after the starship to be featured, the USS Discovery. Check it out in the teaser footage below.
Our first look at the series sees the Discovery leaving an asteroid base. It's certainly an interesting ship, looking for all the galaxy like a cross between a Federation starship and a Klingon Bird Of Prey. It's early footage, for sure, but it has us intrigued.
Yes, Star Trek: Discovery is the new series, which Fuller revealed will not be episodic, but will tell long arc stories, more like the later years of Deep Space Nine, or, to put it in Fuller's words, "will tell a story like a novel."
We'll have to wait to find out what that means for the show itself, but Fuller also had this to say: “The new series has to remind audiences the message of Star Trek — continuing to push boundaries. We do have to celebrate a progression of our species because right now we need a little help.” According to him, the series will take place in the "prime" (AKA not the J.J. Abrams films) timeline, but he won't yet be drawn on exactly when it's set.
Just yesterday, word arrived that The Man In The High Castle's David Semel would direct the first episode of the new series, which will also have Nicholas Meyer, Joe Menosky and Aron Eli Coleite among its creative team.
The show will debut in the States on the CBS Network before heading to its All Access streaming service. Elsewhere, Netflix has signed a deal to carry it.
For more, see what Fuller had to say to us about the new series, and read why we think his being in charge is good news for the series. And if this has you in a Trek frame of mind, take a listen to our 50th anniversary podcast discussion.