Jump into the future with Discovery

A confession. During lockdown I cancelled my Netflix subscription for the first time since the streaming service launched in the UK in 2012.

Due to the socio-economic uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, I couldn't justify subscribing to BritBox, NOW TV, Amazon Prime (a necessity whilst shielding), Apple TV+ (free with the purchase of an iPhone), Disney+ and Netflix. Especially when there was a wealth of classic content available on BBC iPlayer, too.

However, with the delayed return of Star Trek: Discovery, on CBS All Access and Netflix outside the US, I'll restart my subscription after cleaning house this October. The first official trailer for season three premiered during an online panel on Star Trek Day.



Here’s the official plot synopsis for season three:

"After making the jump in the second season finale, season three of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew dropping out of the wormhole and into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must together fight to regain a hopeful future."

Speaking in official Star Trek magazine, actress Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) said: “In the… time that I spent alone, I marched to the beat of my own drum, in a way. But then I’ve also always been so duty-oriented.

“So, there’s been this interesting progression of not having to work, not having to be so principle-based, but to just be on this mission to find my crew. We see what it feels like for me to get a little rougher around the edges.”

In the wake of Discovery's success, CBS All Access has released further Star Trek spin-offs including Picard, Lower Decks and the highly-anticipated Strange New Worlds is currently in pre-production.

Are you looking forward to Star Trek: Discovery season three? Let me know in the comments below.

Beam back aboard Discovery this October

Comic-Con@Home featuring a Star Trek Universe panel (including past and present cast members) may have ended. However, there's more exciting news for Star Trek fans.

Star Trek: Discovery season three begins on CBS All Access on 15th October and will be available on Netflix outside the US.

Discovery's second season ended with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crewmates facing an uncertain future (930 years into the future thanks to a wormhole) as Captain Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn) and Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck) returned to the USS Enterprise to continue its mission. The latter deservedly garnering their own highly-anticipated spin-off series, Strange New Worlds.

"Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must together fight to regain a hopeful future," CBS All Access teased.

In addition to Martin-Green, the cast for the third season of Discovery includes Doug Jones (Commander Saru), Anthony Rapp (Lt. Commander Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Ensign Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker) and Michelle Yeoh (Philippa Georgiou).

If Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks weren't enough Star Trek spin-offs for you. Star Trek: Prodigy is in development for Nickelodeon. Clearly, CBS All Access is for all things Trek.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, a new animated spin-off, starts streaming on CBS All Access on 6th August and, again, will be available on Netflix outside the US.

Are you looking forward to the return of Discovery? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is not a parody

The official confirmation from CBS All Access of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has fans (myself included) excited to see Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck reprise the roles of Captain Pike, Number One and Science Officer Spock respectively. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the spin-off series is some way off.

In the meantime, Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated series from Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty), is coming to CBS All Access later this year.

SlashFilm spoke to McMahan about the animated series and not turning it into a parody of the beloved franchise. Here's an extract from the interview:

“I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and nobody needs a Star Trek comedy that made fun of Star Trek or punched down on Star Trek, nor was I interested in doing that that. I was interested in writing a Star Trek that could be canon, that follows the rules of other Star Trek shows that I loved, and has everything that you love about Star Trek, including the way you tell stories. But I’m a comedy writer. I’m never gonna write a serious Star Trek, so the way that we handled it is it’s on a ship that isn’t the capital ship. It’s not about the bridge crew. It’s about the lowest officers on that ship. But when we’re breaking stories for the lower decks, every episode also has a proper Star Trek episode that’s happening to the bridge crew, and our lower deckers aren’t involved in it. However, you can’t have a big sci-fi thing happening on a starship and not have it effect them because that’s their whole world. So if you’re watching Lower Decks, you’re getting a full Star Trek episode from the perspective of people who are having their own social and emotional stories and their own sci-fi stories, but they just aren’t on the bridge. They don’t have the information the bridge is getting, and they don’t have the responsibility.”

Star Trek: Lower Decks is expected to premiere later this year on CBS All Access. It's unclear whether the spin-off will stream on Amazon Prime or Netflix outside the US.

Strange New Worlds coming to CBS All Access

Red alert! This is not a Kobayashi Maru training exercise. Fellow Star Trek fans rejoice, CBS All Access has announced a new spin-off and it's a doozy.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds reunites Star Trek: Discovery season two fan-favourites, Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.

“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,” said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access. “This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek.”



Unlike Star Trek: Picard, this is the spin-off most fans (myself included) really wanted. I'd only seen Mount in Marvel's Inhumans. So, it was a revelation when he beamed aboard the USS Discovery, with Romijn, and assumed temporary command. This was Captain Pike and Number One, no questions asked.

Given Pike's tragic fate, the series has ample opportunity to explore optimism and the tragedy to come underpinned by the chemistry between Mount, Romijn and Peck.

Strange New Worlds is set before events in the original series and harkens back to creator Gene Roddenberry's vision. The new series is in early production, but filming will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's unclear whether the spin-off will stream on Amazon Prime or Netflix outside the US.

CBS All Access is rapidly becoming the home of Star Trek with further spin-offs in the works.

Are you looking forward to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? Let me know in the comments below. Hit it.

Star Trek in a time of need

So, when Star Trek: Picard was first announced, I warmly embraced the return of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) for a final swan song in the captain's chair.

Spoilers ahead. Engage.

As the latest CBS All Access spin-off series started and Picard’s inoperable brain tumour was revealed, as a direct consequence of his assimilation into the Borg collective in The Best of Both Worlds, I braced myself for a contemplative, lyrical, denouement by season’s end to parallel the heroic death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame.



Whilst season one unfolded, a real-world pandemic took hold, social distancing, self-isolation and lockdowns became the new reality making the need for nostalgia more pertinent than ever. So much so, when Picard finally met Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna (Marina Sirtis) in Nepenthe, I found the episode profoundly moving.



Aside from reuniting the fan-favourite trifecta from The Next Generation. It was also an excellent opportunity to deconstruct Commander Data's (Brent Spiner) synthetic twin daughter Soji (Isa Briones) as an inverse female Pinocchio, she's only recently discovered she's a synthetic with the help of Romulan boyfriend Narek (Harry Treadaway), through the wide-eyed wonder of Will and Troi's daughter, Kestra (Lulu Wilson). Culminating in one of the best Star Trek episodes in the franchise's storied history. By the time the main theme from The Next Generation is heard, like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the series has earned its stripes.



At this point in the season, Picard has undergone a soft reset, took a diversion into a Romulan/Borg/Starfleet detective story and is about to go full-on original Mass Effect trilogy with the threat of Cthulu-inspired mechas destroying all organic life in the galaxy, but then doesn't in one of the most rushed, tonally-jarring, two-part finales committed to the small screen.



Romulan Narissa (Peyton List), a member of the ultra-secret Zhad Vash tasked with destroying all synths, is one of the best Trek villains in years and she's karate-kicked off a gantry on the Borg cube by Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) who is about to come out as queer - pleasing inclusive fans (myself included). Perhaps Narissa survived the fall like Emperor Palpatine did in Star Wars?



Its saving grace was Data and Picard's poetic deaths. The latter was ruined by Hollywood's current obsession with fake-out deaths to appease the fandom menace and, you know, keep shareholders happy. Plus, in Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1, Dr Altan Inigo Soong (Brent Spiner) reveals he's developed a golem in the synth enclave. So, there was no surprise twist when Picard's mind was transferred to a duplicate synth body before the end credits rolled.



Ultimately, I'm in no rush to see the second season of Picard. Perhaps, once the coronavirus pandemic is safely over and the world has shifted on its socio-economic and political axis, I'll be in a better frame of mind.

What did you think of Star Trek: Picard and how does it compare to Discovery? Let me know in the comments below.

Make it so, Star Trek: Picard!

Star Trek: Picard, the latest CBS All Access spin-off, premiered on my birthday on Amazon Prime almost thirty years since The Next Generation on BBC2. Two episodes in, and I'm totally hooked on this tale of a forgotten champion of Starfleet caught in the middle of an intergalactic conspiracy.

Sir Patrick Stewart is back as an ageing Admiral Jean-Luc Picard without a ship or crew as he's now an outsider, with a terminal illness (due to his time as Locutus of Borg?), in a synthetic-fearing universe in search of Data's (Brent Spiner) daughter, Soji (Isa Briones), after her twin sister, Dahj, finds Picard before being killed by Romulan assassins.

Picard begins tracing the whereabouts of Soji with the aid of a Romulan ally, Laris (Orla Brady). All the while, the Romulans are dismantling a Borg cube.



Synthetics were banned by the Federation following a massacre on Mars. However, unlike the Cylons in the lauded Battlestar Galactica reboot or the Geth in Mass Effect, it is made clear, in a flashback, rogue synthetics are reprogrammed and the Utopia Planitia shipyard attack is not out of free will. So, by whom and for what insidious purpose?

The consequences lead to Starfleet abandoning its pledge to rescue the Romulans, a sworn enemy of the Federation, from a natural catastrophe and precipitated Picard's resignation on ethical grounds.

There are countless Easter Eggs from the franchise's rich storied history, but there's nothing here to alienate new or casual fans. This only serves to further enrich a beautifully paced character-driven drama that sees a beloved sci-fi figure shaken out of exile and back exploring the final frontier.

CBS All Access has hit another home run with its latest Star Trek spin-off. Certainly, I'm excited to see what happens next and how Picard ties into the third season of Discovery. Since Viacom recently merged Paramount and CBS, it's one big glittering unified Trek universe once more.

What do you think of Star Trek: Picard so far? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Trek: Picard renewed at CBS All Access

It's a new year and a new decade. Star Trek: Picard, the latest Star Trek spin-off from CBS All Access, has been renewed ahead of the season one premiere on 23rd January, which is coincidentally my birthday.

The new series sees Picard, played by Sir Patrick Stewart, haunted by the past. Stewart will be joined by franchise fan-favourites Brent Spiner (Data), Jonathan Frakes (Riker), Marina Sirtis (Troi), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh).

Like many fans, I'm really looking forward to this. Now, if only CBS All Access would announce a Captain Pike-led (Anson Mount) spin-off prequel series, too. Star Trek: Discovery's second season was so much fun with Pike at the helm.

Star Trek: Picard will stream exclusively on 24th January on Amazon Prime outside the US.

Star Trek: Picard trailer engages fans at SDCC

Sir Patrick Stewart announced a new teaser trailer for Star Trek: Picard at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). It's a home run, reuniting former cast members from The Next Generation and Voyager, and the stakes couldn't be higher.



In the spellbinding teaser trailer, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Data (Brent Spiner) pay a visit to Picard (Patrick Stewart) who is a shadow of his former self 20 years after events in Nemesis.

Stewart has confirmed Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis will reprise the roles of William Riker and Deanna Troi from The Next Generation respectively. How about Q (John de Lancie), too?

In a departure from Discovery on Netflix. The latest CBS All Access spin-off will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime outside the US in early 2020. Until then, I'll let my Amazon Prime subscription lapse as BritBox, a joint venture between the BBC and ITV, launches in the UK later this year featuring classic Doctor Who.

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard teaser trailer

In a week of farewells to Game of Thrones and The Big Bang Theory, CBS All Access has released a foreboding teaser trailer for upcoming spin-off Star Trek: Picard starring Sir Patrick Stewart in the titular role.

“15 years ago today, you led us out of the darkness,” the voice says. “You commanded the greatest rescue armada in history. Then... the unimaginable. What did that cost you? Your faith? Your faith in us? Your faith in yourself? Tell us, why did you leave Starfleet, Admiral?”



Stewart is reprising his iconic role from Star Trek: The Next Generation for the first time in 17 years. The new series is set 18 years after Star Trek: Nemesis and explores the reasons Jean-Luc Picard left Starfleet. Evidently, this appears to be a more intimate, character-driven, series to counterpoint stablemate Discovery.

Star Trek: Picard will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime outside the US.

Star Trek: Picard to boldly go on Amazon Prime

After inking an international distribution deal with Amazon Prime outside the US, CBS All Access has announced the title of its next Star Trek spin-off series.

Star Trek: Picard. Snappy and the logo makes inspired use of Starfleet's iconic insignia.

Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman said Picard, starring Sir Patrick Stewart in the titular role, would be character-driven, “The mandate was to make it a more psychological show, a character study about this man in his emeritus years. There are so few shows that allow a significantly older protagonist to be the driver.”

“What happens when circumstances have conspired to not give him the happiest of endings?” Kurtzman teased. “Hopefully, it’s a reinforcement of [Star Trek creator Gene] Roddenberry’s vision of optimism. He’s going to have to go through deep valleys to get back to the light.”

Kurtzman said the series will be a contrast to Discovery's derring-do. “It’ll be very different than Discovery,” he says. “It’ll be slower, more meditative. It speaks to the rainbow of colors we’re playing within all these different shows.”

Star Trek: Picard is currently in production and expected to premiere later this year on CBS All Access and Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime to stream 'Picard' Star Trek outside US

Star Trek: Discovery recently concluded its second season on CBS All Access and Netflix outside the US. The next Star Trek spin-off from CBS All Access, an untitled series starring Sir Patrick Stewart as fan-favourite Captain Jean-Luc Picard, will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime outside the US.

“There’s only one word that can begin to describe Sir Patrick Stewart as Starship Commander Jean-Luc Picard, and that’s ‘legendary,’” said series executive producer Alex Kurtzman. “We are thrilled beyond measure to have him back in command, bringing the optimistic messages of Star Trek to audiences around the world.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with CBS to bring the newest edition of the storied Star Trek franchise to our international Amazon Prime Video customers,” said Brad Beale, Vice President, Worldwide Content Licensing for Amazon Prime Video. “With the incredible Sir Patrick Stewart returning as the beloved Jean-Luc Picard, we’re excited we can give Trek fans both old and new the opportunity to see him back in action. It’s a terrific addition to our already robust catalog of exclusive Amazon Prime Video content.”

“For 50 years, the Star Trek series have been a global sensation, spanning generations and audiences of all ages. It’s an honor to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back for what is sure to be another world-class extension of the historic franchise,” said Armando Nuñez, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We look forward to working with the team at Amazon Prime Video to bring this next chapter of the incredible Star Trek franchise to its passionate international fan base.”

This move is surprising as Star Trek has found a comfy home on Netflix. Whilst fans wait for further details, many fans (myself included) are hoping a Captain Pike (Anson Mount) spin-off will be announced. If not, it'll be one of the biggest missed opportunities in the franchise's long-running history.

Star Trek: Discovery renewed for a third season

Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for a third season, which is fantastic news given how much fun the prequel series is with Captain Pike (Anson Mount) at the helm. Mount's portrayal is rapidly becoming my favourite incarnation of the legendary character. Michelle Paradise (The Originals, Hart of Dixie) will serve as co-showrunner along with producer Alex Kurtzman.

“Michelle joined us midway through season two and energized the room with her ferocious knowledge of Trek,” Kurtzman said. “Her grasp of character and story detail, her drive and her focus have already become essential in ensuring the Trek legacy, and her fresh perspective always keeps us looking forward. I’m proud to say Michelle and I are officially running Star Trek: Discovery together.”

As part of a multi-year deal, Kurtzman is overseeing an expansion of the franchise on CBS All Access including a Section 31 spin-off starring Michelle Yeoh and a Jean-Luc Picard series with Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role.

Despite Discovery's troubled production history, the spin-off is garnering a new generation of fans and has piqued my interest in a way I never thought would be possible.

“The massive success of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s’ second season launch exceeded our expectations in both driving subscriber growth and generating a phenomenal response from ‘Star Trek’ fans,” said Julie McNamara, executive vice president, original content, CBS All Access. “With Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise at the helm, we look forward to continuing ‘Star Trek: Discovery’s’ journey, growing the ‘Star Trek’ franchise on CBS All Access and bringing fans new ‘Star Trek’ stories for many years to come.”

New episodes of Discovery's second season are available from Friday on Netflix outside the US.

Star Trek: Discovery engages warp factor fun

Star Trek: Discovery's second season begins with a fast-paced flourish fizzing with wit, intrigue and action.

The second season has the unenviable task of following up a divisive first season that witnessed Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) starting a Klingon war to an epic Mirror Universe storyline that spotlighted the enemy within and culminated with a distress signal from the USS Enterprise under the command of the legendary Captain Pike. All the while The Orville, on the Fox network, was seen, by some fans, as the successor to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

From a chase through an asteroid field, a sci-fi trope never bettered since Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, to Captain Pike (Anson Mount) sharing command of the USS Discovery, due to a stricken USS Enterprise, and the introduction of Chief Engineer Reno (Tig Notaro). She was instantly relatable and likeable in a scenario worthy of Mass Effect. Series showrunner and director Alex Kurtzman boldly brings the on hiatus Star Trek cinematic franchise to the small screen.

As you can probably gleam. I'm excited for the further adventures of the Discovery crew and Friday's next episode can't come soon enough.

What did you think of the second season premiere? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Trek: Discovery spin-off starring Michelle Yeoh

Star Trek: Discovery’s second season starts streaming this Friday on Netflix outside the US. Longtime readers will know how much I enjoyed the first season with a few, very minor, reservations regarding the season finale.

Ahead of the new season premiere, CBS All Access has announced a spin-off series starring Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou. This is Empress Georgiou from the Mirror Universe and, as such, the focus will be on the dark side of Starfleet, the infamous Section 31 introduced in Deep Space 9.

“I’m so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories,” said Yeoh. “Being a part of this universe and this character specifically has been such a joy for me to play. I can’t wait to see where it all goes – certainly I believe it will go ‘where no WOMAN has ever gone before!’”

This is only the latest Star Trek spin-off from CBS All Access under the auspices of new series showrunner Alex Kurtzman. Sir Patrick Stewart is set to reprise the iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard and animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks is also in development.

“Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades,” showrunner Alex Kurtzman said. “As a human, I adore her. As an actor, I revere her. Erika and Boey are remarkable, exciting writers who bring a fresh perspective to the world of Star Trek, and we’re all thrilled to explore the next wild chapter in the life of Captain Philippa Georgiou.”

Are you looking forward to this Star Trek: Discovery spin-off series? Let me know in the comments below.

The Winter Soldier and Falcon to get streaming series

As Netflix cancels Marvel's Iron Fist and Luke Cage, The Winter Soldier and Falcon are set to join Loki and Scarlet Witch with their own limited-run series on Disney's upcoming streaming service.

There's no news regarding Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprising their respective big screen roles. But, given Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is overseeing the in-house Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) spin-offs, it would be no surprise and Disney has the financial firepower to maintain continuity.

Whilst it's tempting to suggest Disney's ultimate ambition is to have all its content on one platform. The Netflix Marvel deal is more nuanced and was inked in 2013. Therefore, Daredevil could continue on Netflix indefinitely. Of all the series, Daredevil was the first and best. The others were dour and a chore to watch. Netflix does have exclusive distribution deals with CBS All Access and DC Unlimited (outside the US) but is wisely investing in more original series including The Haunting of Hill House and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The latter is a savvy and twisted reimagining from Greg Berlanti, that owes little to the Nickelodeon sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and may become this generation's Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Variety reports the new streaming service is known internally as Disney Play. If Disney Play is used, presumably DisneyLife will be rebranded to avoid any confusion and align the brand.

DisneyLife has struggled to gain an audience in the UK & Ireland since launching in 2015. I didn't consider subscribing until last Christmas when an app for Samsung Smart TVs was released. However, the global rollout of the streaming service in 2019 will be bolstered by exclusive Marvel and Star Wars live-action spin-offs. That may be more than enough reason for fans of both franchises to sign-up.

Do you subscribe to DisneyLife? Is the streaming space becoming too fragmented and costly? Let me know in the comments below.

DC Universe's Titans coming to Netflix

DC Unlimited's live-action series Titans will be available on Netflix outside the US. This follows a similar deal with CBS All Access to stream Star Trek: Discovery.

Titans will focus on a group of young superheroes including Dick Grayson (AKA Robin), Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and more. The series stars Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Teagan Croft, Ryan Potter, Minka Kelly and Alan Ritchson.



DC Unlimited launched in September, promising exclusive content including Titans, Doom Patrol, Stargirl and Swamp Thing, and is currently US-only with plans to expand into Canada soon. The nascent service has entered an increasingly crowded streaming space with Disney about to launch its own with exclusive Marvel and Star Wars live-action series.

Partnerships with existing services is a good idea, mitigating risk and will mean many of us won't need to subscribe to yet another service. At least for the time being.

It'll be interesting to see how successful these live-action series are, especially given the popularity of DCTV on The CW.

Star Trek: Discovery's search for Spock is over!

The CBS All Access Star Trek prequel has found Spock.

Ethan Peck, grandson of Gregory Peck, will play the iconic character, originally portrayed by the late Leonard Nimoy and most recently by Zachary Quinto in JJ Abrams' cinematic reboot, in the new season of Star Trek: Discovery.

In a statement, showrunner Alex Kurtzman explained why he was "thrilled to welcome [Peck] to the [Star Trek] family".

"The great Leonard Nimoy, then the brilliant Zachary Quinto, brought incomparable humanity to a character forever torn between logic and emotion," Kurtzman said. "We searched for months for an actor who would, like them, bring his own interpretation to the role. An actor who would, like them, effortlessly embody Spock’s greatest qualities, beyond obvious logic: empathy, intuition, compassion, confusion and yearning.

"Ethan Peck walked into the room inhabiting all of these qualities, aware of his daunting responsibility to Leonard, Zack and the fans, and ready to confront the challenge in the service of protecting and expanding on Spock’s legacy."

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 premieres on CBS All Access in early 2019. Netflix is expected to stream the series outside the US.

Patrick Stewart returns as Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Star Trek fans (myself included) the world over are excited to learn Sir Patrick Stewart is reprising the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek spin-off for CBS All Access.

"I will always be very proud to have been a part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation, but when we wrapped that final movie in the spring of 2002, I truly felt my time with Star Trek had run its natural course," said the accomplished actor, who most recently played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.

"It is an unexpected but delightful surprise to find myself excited and invigorated to be returning to Jean-Luc Picard and to explore new dimensions with him."

Alex Kurtzman, the executive producer on the new untitled series, said: "It's a privilege to welcome Sir Patrick Stewart back into the Star Trek fold."

"For over 20 years, fans have hoped for the return of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and that day is finally here. We can't wait to forge new ground, surprise people, and honour generations both new and old," Kurtzman said in media reports.

Kurtzman is the new series showrunner for Star Trek: Discovery and is overseeing the franchise's expanded television universe in a 5-year deal.

Tig Notaro is chief engineer in Star Trek: Discovery

Hot on the heels of Anson Mount's casting as Captain Christopher Pike in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Comedian and actress Tig Notaro joins the crew of the franchise's second prequel series. She'll be playing Chief Engineer Denise Reno of the USS Hiawatha.

Series showrunners Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts were at an official panel during the recent WonderCon, and Harberts confirmed the series is integral to the Prime Universe.

“The idea was to always be in the Prime Timeline. Obviously, there are questions and concerns and things that are different. Our technology is a little different. We have a ship that runs very differently. We are our own show in a lot of ways. Season two is really exciting for us. This is our opportunity to really show how Discovery fits into this Prime Timeline. We are firmly committed to that.”

He also teased that fans may see a uniform change for the crew of the Discovery. "Well, we bump up against the Enterprise at the end of our [season one] finale, and we know what kind of uniforms they wear. So, we will leave it at that."

Star Trek: Discovery's second season begins filming this month and is expected to air on CBS All Access and Netflix outside the US later this year.

Star Trek's dark Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is back streaming on CBS All Access and Netflix outside the US. This post has spoilers. So, please don't read on if you've yet to catch up with latest episodes or begin watching the spin-off series.

The midseason premiere revealed that the crew of the USS Discovery are marooned in the infamous Mirror Universe. That dark realm of goatees and fascism. The Federation doesn't exist and in its place, a reign of terror under the Terran Empire lead by Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh).



Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) is the big bad. This is a narrative twist I was hoping for all along and there are clues peppered throughout the first half of season one. Lorca's masterplan was to manipulate Starfleet renegade Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and crew to return him to the Mirror Universe and, presumably, become Emperor.

Lieutenant Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) was in a coma in the wake of unwittingly aiding Lorca to spore jump into an alternate universe. His mirror self is a fascinating foe and may or may not be aboard the USS Discovery now that Stamets has awakened after learning his partner, Doctor Culber (Wilson Cruz), was killed by tortured Klingon captive, Lieutenant Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif).



What of the ISS Discovery in the Prime Universe? Well, that remains a story untold for now. However, it would be a surprise if the showrunners don't tap that rich vein either this season or next.

Much like in Star Wars fandom there's a civil war going on regarding the merits of Discovery and whether or not you're a true Star Trek fan if you like/loathe the series. There are enough spin-offs for everyone to play nicely. Live long and prosper.