The producers of the upcoming Star Trek prequel confirm during Comic-Con that lead character Michael Burnham is the half-sister of Spock.


Moderator: Controllers
Lisa de Moraes wrote:TV critics seem unanimously dubious CBS Television Studios is going to be okay with Seth MacFarlane’s new Fox one-hour dramedy The Orville, owing to the new series’ Star Trek-ishness.
Set four centuries from now, The Orville follows the adventures in the final frontier of the USS Orville, as its human and alien crew tackles the battles, politics and workplace drama of galactic travel.
At the start of Fox’s day at TCA, critic bluntly asked Fox TV Group chairman/CEO Dana Walden if she’s worried they’ll be sued. (short answer: Nope).
But, they tiptoed around the question in the presence of Seth MacFarlane and The Orville cast and crew, whose members include veteran Trek producer Brannon Braga.
“How do you define the relationship of the series with Star Trek,” one critic asked MacFarlane, kicking off the Q&A.
“Star Trek itself sprang from a lot of different sci-fi tropes that came before it,” MacFarlane insisted. “The idea of a ship, in the naval sense, cruising in space did not originate with that show,” he said. He insisted he drew from “many different places” when creating The Orville, also including Twilight Zone which, he said, like Star Trek, is a franchise he holds in high regard.
“I miss the…aspirational place Star Trek used to occupy,” MacFarlane said. “They’ve chosen to go in a different direction,” he said, describing that direction as dystopian. The space Star Trek, MacFarlane maintained, now is “unoccupied.”
“They can’t all be Hunger Games,” he said. “There is some space for aspirational.” The Orville, he said is “an attempt to fill that void.”
One critic said the show does not feel like “today’s science fiction,” wondering why he made a show that looks and feels like the 90’s. “Because I miss the optimism,” MacFarlane responded. “I’m tired of being told everything is going to be grim and dystopian…I miss the hopeful side of science fiction.”
EP David Goodman took a question as to whether there is room for The Orville and the Star Trek revival planned for this fall, Star Trek: Discovery, from CBS Television Studios, which owns Trek TV rights.
“I think there is room for two spaceship shows,” Goodman said, noting “there’s more than one cop show.”
MacFarlane said the two shows “they could not be more different” tonally. “They’re continuing in the new direction they’ve chosen to go with that franchise; we’re more old school.”
Earlier in the day, TV critics asked Walden if she’s worried they’ll be sued.
“We’re not really concerned,” Walden said. “We obviously have a big legal team. We vet things, so it’s not like we’re just flying by the seat of our pants out here. Seth’s intention is to do something that clearly pays homage to Star Trek, that clearly was inspired a lot by Star Trek.”
“I can’t imagine, especially when you see the direction that the Star Trek franchise is moving, that anyone would consider it anything other than a compliment,” she said, adding “most shows have some DNA of previous shows.”
Lesley Goldberg wrote:CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery is making its second showrunner change.
Out are Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts, who originally took over the role at the helm of the drama from Bryan Fuller. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who has guided the franchise (and a few of its feature films), will take over as showrunner on season two. As part of the change, Kurtzman will now also oversee the Discovery writers room for season two.
"We’ve made some producer changes at Star Trek: Discovery. The series continues under the creative vision and leadership of executive producer and co-creator Alex Kurtzman. Discovery remains on course for season two in 2019 with new and continuing stories that build on its successful premiere season," producers CBS Television Studios said Thursday in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources say the decision to oust Berg and Harberts was based not on the creative but instead for leadership and operational issues. Production on Discovery's first five episodes of season two are near completion, with Kurtzman likely taking over for episode six and beyond. Berg and Harberts, who were longtime collaborators with original showrunner Fuller, will likely still be credited on the episodes they oversaw. Sources say the budget for the season two premiere ballooned, with the overages expected to come out of subsequent episodes from Discovery's sophomore run. Insiders also stress that Berg and Harberts became increasingly abusive to the Discovery writing staff, with Harberts said to have leaned across the writers room table while shouting an expletive at a member of the show's staff. Multiple writers are said to have been uncomfortable working on the series and had threatened to file a complaint with human resources or quit the series altogether before informing Kurtzman of the issues surrounding Berg and Harberts. After hearing rumors of HR complaints, Harberts is said to have threatened the staff to keep concerns with the production an internal matter.
Sources tell THR that Discovery is nearing what has been characterized as a planned production hiatus after episode five, which will allow Kurtzman time to regroup the show's writing staff. Production is not expected to be impacted by the showrunner change.
In another departure for season two of Star Trek, THR has learned that executive producer Akiva Goldsman did not return to Discovery after serving as Kurtzman's right-hand man during its freshman run. Goldsman was brought in to help build the world of Discovery, but the veteran producer, who directed the season one finale, is said to have had a management style and personality that clashed with the writing staff. It's unclear if Goldsman will continue to receive an exec producer credit on season two.
This is the second showrunner change on Star Trek: Discovery. Former showrunner Fuller clashed with CBS over the show's concept, casting, directors, costumes and budget on top of its original launch date. (The series was originally slated to premiere in January 2017 and was delayed twice.)
In October 2016, Fuller was asked to step down as showrunner — after growing up as a diehard fan of the franchise and eventually working on Deep Space Nine and Voyager — when the network grew frustrated that he was splitting time with Starz's hyper-stylized American Gods adaptation. Fuller's longtime collaborators, Berg and Harberts, were tapped to replace him. (Fuller and co-showrunner Michael Green were subsequently fired from American Gods after clashing with producers FremantleMedia over that show's budget.)
Amid all the changes, Kurtzman — who directed the series premiere — has been the glue holding Discovery together. CBS and producers CBS Television Studios are said to be pleased with the cuts and scripts they have seen from season two. Discovery is expected to return in 2019, when it will lean deeper into the Star Trek mythology with the casting of Anson Mount as Captain James T. Kirk's predecessor, Capt. Christopher Pike.
Lesley Goldberg wrote:Under the new pact, Kurtzman will serve as the Star Trek: Discovery's lone showrunner after taking over from Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg, who were recently fired from the series. Kurtzman will also expand the Star Trek franchise for the small screen, developing new series, miniseries and other content, including animation.
The new deal comes as rumblings about another Star Trek series, featuring Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, have been getting louder. Sources say Kurtzman and Akiva Goldsman, who left Discovery after season one, are attached to the Stewart-led reboot. CBS TV Studios declined to confirm the Stewart project as sources say a deal is far from completed and may not happen, despite the fact that the actor recently teased his potential return to the franchise.
“There is a very short list of writer-producer-directors that every film and television studio wants to be associated with, and Alex and his Secret Hideout team are always at the top,” CBS Television Studios president David Stapf said Tuesday in a statement. “His talent, taste and ability to shepherd a successful project is unparalleled. Alex has done remarkable work for our studio, dating back seven years to the launch of Hawaii Five-0, and we are thrilled that he, [Secret Hideout president] Heather [Kadin] and their team will be partnering with us for a long time to come.”
Joe Otterson wrote:
Variety has learned that the studio behind “Star Trek: Discovery” has signed Alex Kurtzman to a new five-year overall deal that will see him supervise the expansion of CBS’ “Star Trek” franchise for television, developing new series, mini-series and other content opportunities, including animation.
To that end, sources say there are currently multiple shows set within the “Star Trek” universe already in development.
The potential new shows are said to include:A series set at Starfleet Academy from creators Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz. The duo currently serve as co-showrunners on the Hulu-Marvel series “Runaways” and are best known for creating shows like “Gossip Girl” and the CW’s reboot of Dynasty.
A limited series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.
A limited series based around the “Wrath of Khan” story. Khan’s full name is Khan Noonien Singh. He was famously portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán in both the original series episode “Space Seed” and again in the film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.” Benedict Cumberbatch then played the character in the 2013 film “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
An animated series whose plot details are being kept under wraps.
CBS Television Studios declined to confirm any specific projects.
Kim Masters wrote:It's a scenario that would have been unthinkable a year ago: a Viacom-CBS merger without Leslie Moonves at the helm. Yet insiders at both companies found it imaginable in recent days as Shari Redstone, faced with a time of breathtaking change in the industry, maneuvers to reunite the houses that her father divided in 2005.
The inconceivable seemed possible after The Wall Street Journal published a Jan. 17 article saying that Redstone was "advocating for new blood" on the CBS board and was "dissatisfied" with succession strategy and "a general lack of long-range strategic planning" at the company. Those were fighting words, and CBS executives could only conclude that the "people familiar with the matter" cited as sources were Redstone surrogates.
Ryan Parker wrote:Regarding a merger option for CBS and Viacom, that is currently not imminent, the company said. "NAI confirmed that it has no plans to propose a merger of CBS and Viacom and has agreed that it will make no such proposal for at least two years after the date of the settlement," CBS said. "NAI reaffirmed that it will give good faith consideration to any business combination transaction or other strategic alternative that the independent directors believe are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders."
Hoai-Tran Bui wrote:CBS-Viacom Merger on Hold: What Does This Mean for Star Trek?
Following Moonves’ sudden resignation, Joseph Ianniello stepped up as acting CEO while six new members of the directors have been elected. Separately, CBS settled its long-standing court battle with Shari Redstone and National Amusements, the controlling shareholder in CBS and Viacom. Much of Moonves’ tenure at CBS has been marked by a power struggle with Redstone over her plan to merge CBS and Viacom. But with Moonves’ departure, CBS announced that it was dropping its lawsuit against National Amusements in return for National Amusements confirming it would not seek a merger between the companies for the next two years. National Amusements also reaffirmed that it will “give good faith consideration” to any potential mergers or acquisitions — suggesting that CBS could be acquired by a separate company in those two years.
Which brings us to the question of the Star Trek franchise. Currently, the TV divisions and film divisions operate under two separate companies: CBS and Paramount. The potential CBS-Viacom merger would have brought the franchise under one house for the first time in decades, bringing in the possibility of more synergy between future film and TV projects. But with the merger on hold, it seems like Star Trek will remain divided for now, with Star Trek: Discovery spearheading CBS All Access and the Star Trek films operating separately at Paramount.
Dominic Patten wrote:EXCLUSIVE: The return of Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard was the first official series of the Trekverse expansion, and it looks like another Starfleet captain could be talking the helm in her own show too.
Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh is in talks to reprise her Star Trek Discovery role of Captain Emperor Georgiou for a stand-alone CBS All Access series, I’ve learned.
There is a natural momentum here as Yeoh’s once Captain Philippa Georgiou is already set to return to Discovery in Season 2 after leaping off into the final frontier at the end of Season 1. Still in the early planning stages, the spinoff looks likely to focus on a continuation of her Discovery Season 2 adventures in Starfleet’s Section 31 division. The semi-secret and autonomous organization has been a part of Trek lore since it was first introduced in the 1990s on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series.
A CBS spokesperson declined comment when contacted by Deadline about the status of any Yeoh-led spinoff. When the Alex Kurtzman-run expansion was first announced in June, a Georgiou series was one that Deadline postulated.
The first revealed casting of the Discovery series, the recruitment of Yeoh’s Georgiou into Section 31 is a storyline for the January 17-debuting Season 2 of Discovery that she teased online when she appeared at New York Comic-Con in October.
Yet, with those seeds planted for a Yeoh-led spinoff, the series is one of several ideas being pursued by Discovery EP Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout and David Stapf’s CBS TV Studios for the multi-project, multi-year Trekverse expansion, sources say. “My goal is that there should be a Star Trek something on all the time on All Access,” Stapf told Deadline in August.
In this particular case, a major factor is Yeoh’s own packed dance card. With projects including a not-yet-officially-greenlighted Crazy Rich Asians sequel and the overall deal and recent formation of her own production shingle with SK Global Entertainment, the actor’s availability could be limited for a commitment of a series lead.
If the Georgiou series were to make to the cut, it would join the now well-established Discovery and the upcoming and untitled Picard series. The Trekverse expansion also already includes the recently announced half-hour adult animated comedy series Star Trek: Below Decks and the now-showing Star Trek: Short Treks.
So, crank up the warp drive, Captain on deck.
Geoff Boucher wrote:Federation space is something Jonathan Frakes knows backward and forward so it’s no surprise that he’s back in Starfleet mode as the director of New Eden, the new Star Trek: Discovery episode that makes its premiere tonight on CBS All-Access, the subscription streaming service and home of the latest Enterprise from a sci-fi brand that now spans six different decades.
As an actor, Frakes is best known as the brave and dutiful Starfleet Commander William T. Riker, a role that took him through 176 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and four tie-in feature films, including two (Star Trek: First Contact in 1996, Star Trek: Insurrection in 1998) that Frakes also directed. The Riker character may have resisted promotions that would have put him in a captain’s seat of his own but in real life Frakes made the leap to the director’s chair with zeal. He’s now been a prolific presence in television for three decades with helming credits that include Burn Notice, Castle, Leverage, The Orville, and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Frakes directed an episode in Season 1 of Star Trek: Discovery and has now returned to direct two more for Season 2. CBS All-Access will soon be expanding its programming fleet with a Discovery spin-off and a new series featuring Patrick Stewart in a revival of Jean-Luc Picard, his iconic Next Generation role. Deadline caught up with Frakes this week to discuss the latest Star Trek generation of crew members, the ramping Stewart series and the nebulous nature of television in this era of new-tech competition and old-media churn.
mr.negativity wrote:THR FEBRUARY 13, 2019:
'Star Trek': Kids-Focused Animated Series Near Nickelodeon Deal
XvGojira wrote:mr.negativity wrote:THR FEBRUARY 13, 2019:
'Star Trek': Kids-Focused Animated Series Near Nickelodeon Deal
Sounds interesting but I wonder what they'll do.
JOHN ORQUIOLA wrote:Star Trek: Discovery will visit Talos IV - home of the first-ever aliens in Star Trek. Introduced in the original Star Trek pilot episode, "The Cage", which was aired as "The Menagerie" two-parter in The Original Series season 1, the Talosians haven't been seen in any Star Trek TV series or movie since.
Lesley Goldberg wrote:Star Trek: Discovery will take off again for CBS All Access.
The SVOD platform has handed out a third-season renewal for the cornerstone of its rapidly growing Star Trek franchise. Additionally, Discovery writer Michelle Paradise — who joined the series in season two — has been promoted to serve as co-showrunner for season three. She will continue to work alongside franchise captain Alex Kurtzman on the series.
Paradise becomes the third new showrunner to pilot Discovery. Kurtzman, who co-created the series alongside Bryan Fuller, took over for Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg after the duo were dismissed early in production of season two. Harberts and Berg replaced Fuller, who was also let go before Discovery's debut. Kurtzman and Paradise will serve as co-showrunners.
A return date for the third season was not announced. The renewal arrives as the drama returned Jan. 20 for its sophomore run after nearly a year off the air as Kurtzman charts a careful course with the series following multiple delays in getting the drama off the ground ahead of its first season.
"Michelle joined us midway through season two and energized the room with her ferocious knowledge of Trek," Kurtzman said Wednesday in a statement. "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."
Discovery is the flagship of the Star Trek universe for CBS All Access, which, like other streamers, does not release viewership information. The platform, under the oversight of Kurtzman, is also developing a Michelle Yeoh-led spinoff, and series including the animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks, a Patrick Stewart-led Picard live-action drama and others, including an animated comedy for Nickelodeon and a younger-skewing Starfleet Academy entry from The O.C. duo Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and other animated offerings, are in the works.
“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 vp originals at 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.”
Discovery, starring Sonequa Martin-Green and Ethan Peck, is produced by CBS TV Studios, where Kurtzman's Secret Hideout banner is based. Beyond the other Star Trek offerings, CBS All Access' scripted roster includes The Good Fight, Strange Angel, Tell Me a Story and the upcoming Twilight Zone and Interrogation. The comedy No Activity is awaiting word on a potential third season.
For Paradise's part, her credits include The Originals, Hart of Dixie and Rogue and creating, writing and starring in the former MTV/Logo series Exes and Ohs. She is repped by ICM Partners.
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