The premiere of Star Trek: Discovery has been pushed back

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Although I was very much looking forward to kicking off the new year with a brand new Star Trek series, I'd prefer that Bryan Fuller and company take all the time they need in order to get it right, which is exactly what's happened. Star Trek: Discovery was initially set to premiere on CBS All Access in January of 2017, but according to a press-release put out by CBS today, that premiere has been pushed back until May. D'oh. Bryan Fuller explained the reasons for the delay in a joint statement with fellow executive producer Alex Kurtzman.

Bringing ‘Star Trek’ back to television carries a responsibility and mission: to connect fans and newcomers alike to the series that has fed our imaginations since childhood. We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don’t result in compromised quality. Before heading into production, we evaluated these realities with our partners at CBS and they agreed: ‘Star Trek’ deserves the very best, and these extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of.

David Stapf, president of CBS, added:

The series template and episodic scripts that Alex and Bryan have delivered are incredibly vivid and compelling. They are building a new, very ambitious ‘Star Trek’ world for television, and everyone involved supports their vision for the best timing to bring to life what we all love on the page.

Bryan Fuller has spilled details on Star Trek: Discovery on several occasions, so let's round up what we know so far. We know that the series will be set "10 years before Kirk, and will bridge the gap between Enterprise and the original series" and star a human woman who won't be the captain; instead, she'll be a "lieutenant commander with caveats." Discovery will also feature more aliens than you would normally find in a Star Trek series and will launch from an event which was discussed in The Original Series, but was never fully explored. Although the impatient Star Trek fan in me is disappointed in the delay, I'm grateful that CBS has allowed Fuller the additional time he needs rather than continue to rush towards a release date which could result in compromised quality.