We’ve been waiting, and now we finally know when Star Trek: Discovery returns to television — but with a twist that none of us saw coming, set to arrive before the Season 2 premiere!
The production team at CBS has long been telling people that the show would be back on the air “sometime” in 2019, and today at San Diego Comic Con, producer Alex Kurtzman confirmed that Episode 201 is officially targeted for a January 2019 premiere.
But that’s not all: in a surprise announcement, Kurtzman revealed that a series of four 10-15 minute short filmers — called “Short Treks” — will debut this December, each focusing on one character from the Discovery world including Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson), and Saru (Doug Jones), as well as introduce a new character to the series played by Aldis Hodge.
Series writer Bo Yeon Kim took to Twitter regarding the news:
We’ve been working so hard on these character-centric shorts and can’t wait for you guys to watch them. #startrekdiscovery https://t.co/KDG7UeHcko
— Bo Yeon Kim (@extspace) July 20, 2018
Here’s some more detail from CBS:
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman, who directed the season two premiere, also announced at today’s panel the plan for STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS. The four SHORT TREKS episodes will roll out monthly beginning this fall, and will be stand-alone stories, each running approximately 10-15 minutes. Each short will be an opportunity for deeper storytelling and exploration of key characters and themes which fit into STAR TREK: DISCOVERY and the expanding “Star Trek” universe.
Rainn Wilson will return to play Harry Mudd in a short he will also direct, and Aldis Hodge will star in another as Craft, a man who finds himself the only human on board a deserted ship. Additional episodes include a deep dive into Saru’s (Doug Jones) backstory as the first Kelpien to join Starfleet, and Tilly’s (Mary Wiseman) journey aboard the U.S.S. Discovery and her friendship with an unlikely partner.
“There is no shortage of compelling stories to tell in the ‘Star Trek’ universe that inspire, entertain, and either challenge our preconceived ideas or affirm long held beliefs, and we are excited to broaden the universe already with SHORT TREKS,” said Kurtzman. “Each episode will deliver closed-ended stories while revealing clues about what’s to come on in future STAR TREK: DISCOVERY episodes. They’ll also introduce audiences to new characters who may inhabit the larger world of ‘Star Trek.’”
We’ve got more news from Comic Con coming, so stick around!