Star Trek has been around since the original series first debuted all the way back in 1966, and not many current TV franchises can boast being around for upward of half a century. Despite the fact that Star Trek's universe is one of the longest-running and oldest on TV, the future is aiming to be "younger" and "more relevant." CBS Chief Creative Officer David Nevins shared what's coming for Star Trek on the small screen, saying this:
What we’re trying to do right now with Star Trek is build that brand. We want it to get younger and more relevant to people.
Age is nothing but a number, right? David Nevins' comments at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Communications & Entertainment Conference (via Deadline) indicate that the Star Trek brand established so long ago will aim to continue going strong with a new generation who may not have ever had a Trek series aimed at their demographic prior to the launch of Star Trek: Discovery. Honestly, some Discovery fans may not have even been born while another Trek series was ongoing!
Star Trek: Discovery does star an actress in her early 30s who shot to fame thanks to a long run on The Walking Dead, and the show has quite literally featured younger versions of characters who appeared in the original seasons. Spock was even sexy and bearded, which young Spock actor Ethan Peck actually weighed in on.
Interestingly, despite the plan to get Trek younger and more relevant, arguably the most high-profile of the CBS All Access series will be the one starring actors who will be reprising their roles from previous outings in the franchise. Picard brings back Patrick Stewart to play his most famous role, and Picard's circumstances have changed in some big ways since he was last seen.
It wasn't easy for the actors to reprise their roles after many years had passed, as Jeri Ryan admitted she was freaking out about her character's new voice, and Jonathan Frakes revealed he had a "major anxiety attack" about the new show. That said, Picard will reportedly be a hybrid of previous Trek series The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery, so it sounds like CBS All Access is bringing old characters back for a fresh take.
Picard isn't the only show joining Discovery in the Star Trek franchise on CBS All Access. A series revolving around original Discovery character Philippa Georgiou has been in the works for a while. Nobody is ever really gone for good in Star Trek, which could bode well with what Jason Isaacs is hoping for after the end of his time as Lorca on Discovery!
Only time will tell just how much younger and more relevant the franchise will be moving forward on CBS All Access. Picard is slated to debut in 2020, with Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery likely sometime after. You can rewatch the first two seasons of Discovery on CBS All Access now, or check out some of the shows returning to the airwaves in the not-too-distant future on our fall TV premiere schedule.
