In today’s second-quarter CBS Corporation earnings call, CEO Les Moonves spoke to the current status of their CBS All Access streaming platform, the United States’ exclusive home of next year’s STAR TREK: DISCOVERY series.
Our CBS All Access and Showtime OTT streaming services have surpassed two million subscribers, about evenly split, well ahead of where we’d thought we’d be this early in the game.
We’ve licensed our ‘Star Trek’ franchise in the international marketplace, guaranteeing our new series will be profitable even before it launches and begins driving [subscriptions] here in the US on CBS All Access.
It seems that his prediction has come true, as Moonves revealed today that the new series is already profitable, ahead of either production or premiere.
We also struck a significant international deal with Netflix for ‘Star Trek,’ licensing our new series ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ to 188 Netflix countries around the world – virtually everywhere but North America.
In addition, we licensed all 727 previous episodes of our ‘Star Trek’ library. Plus, we struck a similar deal with Bell Media for Canada.
As a result, ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ our new series, is profitable – and we haven’t even begun production.
We still have additional windows to sell the show in second and third cycles down the road. It’s also safe to say that ‘Star Trek’ will lead to a significant bump in subscribers for CBS All Access here in the US.
Joe Ianniello, CBS’s Chief Operating Officer, spoke to the choice to license DISCOVERY to one international outlet – Netflix – rather than dozens of local distributors in different countries.
We looked at the marketplace and decided what was best for the franchise. Netflix obviously had the previous seasons before… it was one [licensing] deal as opposed to executing a hundred different deals in different countries – and by the way, it was a lot of money in US dollars.
So when you summed it all up, it just kind of made sense.
Moonves expanded on those comments, with both Netflix’s success with Trek – and hints toward a yet-unofficial longevity for the new show.
The reason the Netflix buy was so healthy [is because Netflix] has already seen what ‘Star Trek’ is doing on their service. From day one, it performed extraordinarily well. That is one of the reason we decided to put it on All Access, obviously, to help build our own [subscriptions].
Going forward, obviously, we’re doing thirteen episodes initially with ‘Star Trek,’ we are fairly certain – although we haven’t done one day of production – that the series is gonna go on for a while.
We have spin-offs of spin-offs, you know? It’s a very, very valuable franchise that can turn into hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for us.
Despite the availability of the new show through Netflix around the world, it’s safe to say that there is still widespread apprehension from American fans about the need to subscribe to yet another streaming platform; Moonves has previously stated that a significant marketing push will begin as 2017 approaches.
We’ll continue to pay attention to the development of CBS All Access as it becomes available.
Curiously, though, the new line of BEYONDdolls reveal a so-far-unseen Chekov “survival suit” design as well, not yet released to stores – and as of yet, has no information about the variant online.
We suspect that this Chekov POP! was designed to be a retailer (or San Diego Comic Con) exclusive variant, but the model may have been delayed – or possibly cancelled – due to actor Anton Yelchin’s unfortunate passing last month.
We’ve reached out to Funko for comment on the Chekov release, but have not yet as of this writing received a reply.
Billed as a new Cinerama-like theatrical format, creating wider images by stitching together three-screens mounted on the front and side walls of a movie theater, the Barco Escape experience is as advertised. It’s an immersive movie-going assault on the senses – and that’s a good thing – that maximizes the ambitious action sequences and epic digital environments featured in STAR TREK BEYOND.
The BEYOND Barco presentation opened with Bad Robot producer Ben Rosenblatt appearing on screen to explain what the audience was about to see. There was an audible gasp from my fellow moviegoers as the two screens on the left and right lit up with imagery as he explained that parts of the film would feature expanded footage encapsulating three times the normal screen space.
The BEYOND Barco Escape production includes “only” twenty minutes of expanded screen coverage. When I first heard this going into the showing, I thought, “That’s all?” But anyone who sits through the two-hour film and sees the presentation seamlessly alter between one and three screens (sometimes in rapid-fire succession during complex action sequences) will not leave the theater thinking “only twenty minutes.”
In fact, there is no doubt in my mind that most viewers would tell you that more than half the movie featured the expanded format. It sure felt that way.
The very first shots of the film feature the Barco Escape technology, with the Enterprise orbiting above the planet Teenax. The moving camera and overhead angle are disorienting for a split second as you get your bearings for the first time watching the ship move across three screens.
The impact (and promise) of the new format is felt almost immediately (and perhaps most majestically) in the spectacular, tumbling shots of the Yorktown Station that soon follow. Already one of the most impressive visuals in STAR TREK BEYOND, the special effects that brought Yorktown Station to life are now even more inspiring.
The massive, twisting skyscapes branch in every direction through the theater, and the glorious shot of the Enterprise gliding into the station underwater now covers 180 degrees of the audience sight-line, following the ship from one screen on your right as it moves all the way around the theater to your left.
The amazing Barco spectacle also encompasses the film’s two major space battles, with Krall’s Swarm ships taking over every conceivable line of vision as they envelop the Enterprise early in the film and then surround the Yorktown Station in the climax before the ships are obliterated in a fiery chain-reaction explosion that might just leave you covering your eyes.
As the film unfolded, the one scene that I was starting to anticipate in full Barco glory that never materialized was Kirk’s motorcycle rescue of his crew. Perhaps the visuals were too complex for the extremely compressed timeline required to get this print into theaters, but it was disappointing not to have those tricky effects displayed across three screens. It would have been fun to see an expanded presentation of Jaylah’s quick-hardening amber smoke being kicked up by that old PX-70 motorcycle.
Overall, though, the Barco Escape format is something fans will definitely want to experience if they have an opportunity, especially for those who are planning to see the film more than once and in multiple formats.
As the 50th anniversary of Star Trek approaches later this year, mobile game company Disruptor Beam has announced details about the recently-added Battle Arena to Star Trek Timelines.
The highly anticipated Battle Arena, a player-vs-player (PvP) feature, is now available to players globally and across platforms. Since the free-to-play sci-fi strategy RPG launched on the iOS App Store and Google Play in January 2016, millions of Star Trek fans have played the game around the world.
The Battle Arena is a newly designed feature in which Captains manage their crew consisting of iconic Star Trek characters, and then compete against other Captains for prestige and valuable rewards. Players are grouped into divisions based on the rarity of their ships and crew each with their own leaderboards and daily rewards.
In addition to the above-detailed Battle Arena, Disruptor Beam has recently added hundreds of new features, characters, items and performance enhancements to Star Trek Timelines, including:
Dozens of New Crew Members: There are now more than 200 characters for players to obtain, including well-known characters like Picard and Janeway and other galaxy denizens such as Odo and Commander Kang.
Exciting Events: Players can now complete, cooperate and earn rewards and notoriety in several types of events, such as themed Mission- and Story-based events, as well as Faction Events, Galaxy Events and Cadet Challenges, with some events allowing players to impact the game’s future content.
An Expanded Story: In addition to primary Episodes, players can progress through side stories and other levels in Distress Calls, such as “Delphic Expanse” and “Celestial Temple.”
Ship Upgrades: Players can gather schematics to improve ships, making their fleets more powerful than ever.
Faction Mission Enhancements: With the addition of “Shuttle Boosts” within Faction Missions, players have an increased chances of success in these Missions.
Character Max Achievements: To help recognize players with the highest character levels possible, leaderboards tied to character and crew progression have been added.
Fleet Improvements: Communication with other players is now easier with new fleet management tools. As Fleets continue to expand, these exciting social tools will play an increasingly vital role in the game.
A Galaxy of Play Improvements: It is now easier than ever to organize and sort crew, advance in Missions, update equipment and craft items. This is in addition to thousands of other balance, stability and performance improvements across the entire game.
Star Trek fans can download Star Trek Timelines for free on the iOS App Store and on Google Play.
Players can follow new game developments by joining the Timelines community and signing up for the Bridge Crew email list, joining the Disruptor Beam forums and following the game on Facebook and and on Twitter.
My alarm goes off for my earliest STAR TREK BEYOND call time yet, 4:00 AM. We’re on location today at the Pitt River Quarry, the last location for the movie’s cast and crew before production moves overseas to Dubai.
After I arrive at the crew parking area, we are shuttled ten minutes to the on-location circus, where the trailers, food trucks, wardrobe, and makeup trailers are waiting for us. After arriving – while the sun is just barely rising on the horizon – the first task is no surprise: hand over our phones so the cameras can be covered with security tape, and get our contracts.
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Once production is satisfied that we won’t be able to take any unauthorized photos of the day’s events, we head over to wardrobe. This was always one of my favourite parts, standing there looking at my red uniform in complete disbelief that it was meant for me… and that by stepping into it, I would join the Enterprise crew!
Garak would have been proud
Now, the one thing you should now is that the BEYOND Starfleet costumes are beautifully designed and built – the fabrics, stitching, and other small details that are probably invisible on screen are just incredible. That being said: the other things you won’t see on-screen are the very tight, uncomfortable Spanx worn underneath – it was very important to production that everything was completely smooth and wrinkle-free.
When Chris Pine was asked in a recent interview if he loved the costumes, he hesitated a bit before answering – and I could tell from the look on his face exactly why. For his survival suit outfit, he had to wear a long-sleeve, tight Spanx shirt, another long-sleeve shirt on top of that, and of course the very thick, blue jacket as a third layer… none of which allowed for any airflow while filming in the hot summer heat!
None of that bothered me – I was a Starfleet officer, and I never wanted to take that uniform off!
Zoe Saldana’s new uniform, on display in May.
After wardrobe, it was off to hair and makeup before heading to my absolute favourite stop: getting my Starfleet insignia from the props department! What you may not know is that the props team was incredibly protective of the newly-designed insignia – the badges were very expensive, and nobody wanted them ending up stolen for sale online.
After handing over my contract, I got a rather stern lecture to keep track of the badge – because if I lost it I wouldn’t get paid – and after all that, the amazing insignia was affixed to my uniform and I was officially part of the Enterprise crew!
Now that I was all dressed for duty, it was time to head down to set – and because it was a huge set in the middle of a fully-operational rock quarry, our space was limited. The quarry held holding tents for actors, craft services for food, lots of equipment, and little else, but as I was ushered to my position, what I saw took my breath away.
The Pitt River Quarry set outside of Vancouver.
You must be one with the rock
The set was so spectacular, and there really are no words that can fully describe what it was like to be there – I was surrounded by rocks, caves, weapons towers, lights, moving parts, and more.
One side of me were flashing beacons, roads carved out of the rocks, and a bridge crafted out of an old airplane wing – and on the other side, greenscreens, massive fixtures, the jail in which Krall holds the Enterprise crew, as well as pieces for other scenes in the movie (used for fights, beam-ups, etc.). We playfully referred to these yellow-coloured constructions as “the muffins” due to their shape.
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I ended up spending twenty-two of the next forty-eight hours on those rocks, filming a scene that probably ended up being maybe two minutes in the final edit – and in the days that followed, I spent time both in an out of “jail,” being terrorized by Krall and his Swarm soldiers, watching Sulu and Uhura work out an escape plan, and getting rescued by Spock and Bones.
I could go on forever talking about my experience on the STAR TREK BEYOND set, but instead of boring you with minute-by-minute details, here are some of my favourite moments and observations from my entire filming experience.
Making first contact with Spock and Bones
On what I believe was my third day on set, I was busy talking to another actor awaiting the start of filming, and I was prepared to repeat the just-shot scene – where one actor taps me, and points ahead – but I looked up and there was Zachary Quinto, not ten feet away, and made up in full Spock mode.
Zach and Karl protect some of my crewmates.
When he caught my eye, I got a very Vulcan raised eyebrow and head not – seriously, a Spock eyebrow, raised just for me! Moments later (after I got over that shock) Karl Urban appeared in full Bones McCoy costume, and got an in-person “Dammit, man!” – that was it, my on-set experience could have ended there and I would have been completely satisfied.
Makeup magic
The BEYOND makeup team, especially those involved in the creation of the fantastic alien prosthetics, were just incredible – and while the designs obviously look amazing on film, they are even more amazing in person.
From Jaylah, Krall, and Keenser to the many new alien races designed specifically for this film you may not have even seen clearly in theaters, the intricate appliances were truly extraordinary. In fact, I think that every actor at some point felt the need to stare and poke at the makeup – and the poor actors underneath had to endure us all!
Zach is breaking us out of jail – from where most of my scenes were sadly cut.
One of my best alien moments was when we were all still in Krall’s jail: Keenser was hiding behind me, an enormous six-foot-five alien was close by (promising to protect me), there were two other aliens to my left – and then Krall and his cohorts were coming right towards me.
It was so surreal, being on that amazing set among all these new species – truly, a perfect Trek experience.
Bangs and a banjo
Seeing Zach walk around set with his ever-present banjo, wearing his fully-Vulcan haircut was one of the greatest sights – and that ranks high among my favorite moments.
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I’m Captain Kirk! I’m Captain Kirk!
Chris Pine had not just one or two stunt doubles – he actually had three! Seeing all three of them walk around set with the same hair and uniform as the captain was always a comical sight, and I almost always did a double- (or triple-) take whenever one of those guys would pass by.
A cast with strong chemistry… and commitment
The cast of these movies clearly has an unbelievable chemistry – and if you know anything about them, that can’t be a revelation. From their group interviews to their constantly-expanding collection of Dubsmash videos, it’s abundantly clear how well they all get along.
Getting to witness it in person, though is a remarkable experience – the banter between Karl and Zach, hearing John Cho and Zoe Saldana sing… and always filled with lots and lots of laughter.
Whenever Idris Elba walked into a scene in character as Krall, he immediately commanded our attention – and was frightening when he was terrorizing the crew, deciding which of us would be zapped for our life energy.
He became Krall so completely that between his dedication to the villainous character and the incredibly-realistic alien makeup, it was impossible to see anything except Krall – and impossible to feel anything but terror!
The heavy jacket Chris Pine had to wear through the hot Vancouver summer.
Everyone knows that Chris Pine knows how to be silly and charming, and when he wasn’t filming he was always open and sweet to the cast and crew – very casual, with his signature flip-flops making frequent appearances when he was out of costume.
What I really noticed, though, was his absolutely serious focus on the work when scenes were difficult or emotional to shoot, such as the motorcycle sequence filmed in the quarry. Pine shot those scenes from very early in the morning through late afternoon, with lots of riding and stunts he had to repeat over and over, take after take.
After a few difficult takes, he took a break and I happened to speak with him briefly – he was in a really intense emotional space, and I could see that the weight of the scene (and his stunt work) were present in his demeanor. Gone was the usual laid-back guy; here, Chris was completely focused on the task at hand.
Boldly gone
There were so many more great moments from my time on the STAR TREK BEYOND set than I can list here – and I’m glad I’ve got my memories, because the bulk of the scenes I shot didn’t make the final cut. Don’t worry, though, I didn’t die – I’m a happy, surviving redshirt, and I’ll take my two seconds of on-screen time, as some of my compatriots had their parts eliminated entirely!
What I remember the clearest (and wish I was allowed to photograph!) was looking in the mirror and seeing that image of my uniform, Starfleet insignia, the infinity bun in my hair, and those boots – for a die-hard Trekkie like myself, wearing that authentic Star Trek uniform was a moment of pure joy.
The final thing I want to mention is that nearly everyone – from leading actor to background performer – seemed to be genuinely thrilled and honoured to be a part of this movie, and this beloved franchise. There was an explainable camaraderie that was so evident, and still remains: I found friends that I cannot imagine not having on set.
Ready to beam up again.
We weren’t just actors, we were the crew of the Starship Enterprise – and will be forever.
Saturday brought the news that 2017’s new Trek show would be titled STAR TREK: DISCOVERY – and with this new title came a teaser video featuring the first look at what is presumably the show’s hero starship: the USS Discovery.
A composite image of the USS Discovery (NCC-1031) from the CBS teaser.
Fans immediately pounced on the design of the new ship – many questioned the style of the vessel’s configuration, and noted its startling similarity to Ralph McQuarrie’s Planet of the Titans starship concept art.
Ralph McQuarrie’s “Planet of the Titans” starship design.
[The influence of the McQuarrie art is] to a point where we legally can’t comment on it until we figure out some things.
Fuller’s comments appear to indicate that the ship’s design is so close to the McQuarrie design that it still needs some kind of approval to be used in the new show, which seems like quite an important step in the production process.
In addition, DISCOVERY executive producer Heather Kadin told TrekMovie that not only was the video not the finished product – unsurprising, due to the long time it takes to develop CG renders – but that it was “thrown together” just in the last three weeks.
I was surprised Bryan didn’t say [it wasn’t finished footage], actually. I mean, we had three weeks to throw that together.
The concepts of the ship are totally what we’re going for, and they’ll be honed up until, I think, the day we deliver.
CBS is surely going to work hard over the six months to finalize the design of the USS Discovery, and we’re certainly interested in seeing where their visual effects team goes from this launching point.
Since the debut of STAR TREK BEYOND and the new featured starship – the 450-foot USS Franklin – we’ve seen a lot of both confusion and consternation from fans about where this vessel, purportedly the first Warp 4 ship, fits into the Trek timeline.
Spoilers, obviously!
There are two prime factors that have become the source of this uncertainty: the nature of the ship’s history, and its registered name.
The USS Franklin faces off against a wave of oncoming Swarm ships. (“Star Trek Beyond”)
Scotty: “This is the USS Franklin, sir, can you believe it? First Earth ship capable of Warp 4. It went missing in the Gagarin radiation belt in the early 2160s.”
This dialogue is a clear signal that the ship is older than Jonathan Archer’s Enterprise NX-01, which was the first Earth vessel with a Warp 5 engine (“Broken Bow”). The NX-Beta, of which Archer and colleague A.G. Robinson piloted on the first Warp 2.5 flight, occurred in 2143 (“First Flight”), narrowing down the launch window of the Franklin to between that time and the NX-01’s maiden voyage in 2151.
This prototype nature of the Warp 4 ship is why the Franklin was christened with an NX registry (NX-326) at its launch.
Reed and Tucker survey the damage caused by the Xindi probe. (“The Expanse”)
Edison: “I fought for humanity – lost millions to the Xindi and Romulan Wars!”
In addition, Captain Edison’s backstory from BEYOND details him as a veteran of the old-Earth military’s M.A.C.O. service, which was absorbed into the Federation Starfleet after the Romulan War concluded and the United Federation of Planets were founded in 2161.
The official logo of the Franklin’s M.A.C.O. contingent.
Because the Franklin remained an active part of Earth’s armada, now part of the UFP, it was reclassified to the USS Franklin at that time.
And for those of you asking why the NX-01 didn’t get a USS designation: remember, it was set to be retired after the events of “These Are the Voyages…” in 2161.
The forthcoming Quantum Mechanix model of the USS Franklin. (Photo via @TrekMovie)
And if you think this is just our speculation, worry not: we got a note from Dylan Highsmith, one of the lead picture editors on STAR TREK BEYOND, about this very issue.
If you want the official explanation on the Franklin and it’s warp factor: it was a M.A.C.O. ship (or a United Earth Starfleet ship that housed M.A.C.O. personnel at times) that predates the NX-01.
When the UFP Starfleet is formed, M.A.C.O. was disbanded and the ship was reclassified as a Starfleet ship [with the USS identifier]. The ship is then “lost” in the early 2160’s.
It was important to everyone that the ship, like Edison, predate the Federation; that thematically, the ship mirrored an earlier time in history and served as a bridge in design between then and the NX-01.
Doug [Jung] and Simon [Pegg] may have worked up something [on an official launch date], but if they did it never made it to script or screen.
Either way it predates the NX-01, and was reclassified after the UFP is formed.
Travis tells Malcolm about the new ready-for-people transporter pad. (“Broken Bow”)
Another timeline comparison of note: Scotty says that the Franklin‘s “old transporter systems were only ever used for cargo,” while we learn in “Broken Bow” that the NX-01’s transporter pad was recently “approved for biomatter – meaning armory officers and helmsmen.”
Columbia NX-02 under construction in 2153; the Enterprise in Iowa in 2255. (“The Expanse,” “Star Trek”)
The film also took the time to differentiate how these “old vessels” – compared to the Kelvin Timeline’s Enterprise – “were built in space, never meant to take off from atmosphere.” We see Columbia NX-02 under construction in “The Expanse,” compared to the KT’s Enterprise being built on Earth in the 2009 Trek film. Chekov and Sulu must “jump start” the Franklin by tricking it into activating atmospheric compensators to escape Altamid’s gravity.
As for why the registry number on an earlier ship than Archer’s Enterprise is higher? While that wasn’t specifically discussed, it’s our conclusion that the United Earth fleet must have started over when it came for the Warp 5 starship’s numbering – the Warp 4 ships were the previous line of construction.
UPDATE: We’ve gotten confirmation from the BEYOND production team that the Franklin registry number (NX-326) is in fact a reference to Leonard Nimoy’s birthday (March 26).
The USS Franklin’s dedication plaque. (“Star Trek Beyond”)
But why didn’t the registry change from NX-326 to NCC-326? Well, so far there’s only been one precedent of that, Sulu’s USS Excelsior, which started as NX-2000 and graduated to NCC-2000 after joining active service. (On the flip-side, Ben Sisko’s Defiantremained registered as NX-74205 through its entire run.)
The Franklin fights off the Swarm outside of Yorktown Base.
So there you go: despite lots of initial questioning, the Franklin does manage to slot right into an unexplored gap in the history of the Alpha Quadrant.
We’re sure you’re eager to discuss the details further – so have at it in the comments below!
Captain Jean-Luc Picard finds himself bouncing through space and time, from his earliest days aboard the Enterprise-D to the far future as an old man back on Earth, seemingly at random and without any sense of purpose – but when his old nemesis Q fails to appear at his historically-honored time, there’s no doubt to who is behind this mystery!
In a newly-released video, STAR TREK: DISCOVERY executive producer and showrunner Bryan Fuller speaks a bit about what “discovery” means to the world of Star Trek, and what influence it may have on the new series.
For those of you who cannot view the video (as it appears to be region-locked to the USA), here’s a transcript of Fuller’s comments.
Discovery is so intrinsic as a concept to the philosophy of “Star Trek,” and I felt like it was a beautiful way to acknowledge that spirit – and also, what “Star Trek” has provided for me is an inspiration on where we’re going as a species and a planet.
[“Star Trek”] has given so much hope for a better world because we need it in the world that we’re living today. We need curiosity and we need exploration and we need to find better versions of ourselves, and we need to discover better versions of ourselves.
After eight months of furious speculation, the first official information about 2017’s upcoming Star Trek revival on CBS All Access has been revealed at San Diego Comic Con, with help from Trek vets Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, William Shatner, Michael Dorn, and Scott Bakula – and hosted by new showrunner Bryan Fuller.
First up, of course: the title! Forget STAR TREK 2017, next year’s new show is titled STAR TREK: DISCOVERY featuring a brand-new starship (registry number NCC-1031).
Fuller reiterated that the show (which we’ll be abbreviating DSC) would not be episodic in nature, but would be structured “like a novel,” telling stories “chapter by chapter” across episodes.
In addition to the new title and logo graphic, CBS has released this new teaser video from the new show, featuring the new starship leaving an asteroid base.
The new USS Discovery shares a remarkable resemblance with early concept art for the rejected, pre-Star Trek: The Motion Picture adventure Planet of the Titans – but there was no confirmed word either way if the new show will take place in either the Prime or Kelvin Timelines.
UPDATE: Bryan Fuller has confirmed at the after-panel press conference that Discovery will be set in the Prime Trek timeline, but will not yet confirm the timeframe.
.@BryanFuller says #StarTrekDiscovery set in the Prime timeline, but he will not say yet WHEN in that timeline. “We want to tease you!”
