Star Trek will continue to live long and prosper, with a new TV series due for release on a subscription streaming video service.
US network CBS has teamed with producer Alex Kurtzman to develop a new Star Trek in 2017 on CBS All Access, which currently costs 5.99 US dollars a month.
Only a preview episode will broadcast free of charge, CBS said.
Every episode of Star Trek is already available on CBS All Access.
Movie-maker Alex co-wrote and produced the movies Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. Few details about the 2017 reboot have been announced.
The new series will be a separate entity from the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond, written by Doug Jung and Simon Pegg.
Created by Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek premiered in 1966 and ran for three seasons on US network NBC.
It depicted the adventures of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) and his first officer, Spock (the late Leonard Nimoy) during the 23rd century.
The original TV series has spawned numerous spin-offs, including Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as several big screen versions.
Marc DeBevoise, executive vice president/general manager of CBS Digital Media, said: “This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access.
“We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”
David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios, said: “There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration.
“Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”
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