Star Trek : Discovery Star Trek : Discovery is the sixth live - action series set in the " Star Trek " universe and the seventh in total . Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman , " Discovery " is set a decade before , set primarily aboard the starship . It is produced by CBS Television Studios and Secret Hideout ; the executive producers are Fuller , Kurtzman , and Heather Kadin . The first series to be developed for the CBS All Access subscription platform , it began airing on , with a preview broadcast of the premiere episode , , on the CBS network ; the second episode being released on All Access on the same day . In the US , subsequent episodes will be exclusive to CBS All Access , being released on successive Sundays until , when a mid - season break until will begin . Outside the US , the series is available on Netflix , except in Canada , where and Z carry the series in English and French respectively . The series was announced by StarTrek . com on . According to the press release , " " The brand - new " Star Trek " will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations , while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in . " " Episode list . Season 1 . DIS Season 1 , 15 episodes : Season 2 . DIS Season 2 Development . William Shatner claimed , " " Yes , I heard about the new series . Why is it such a surprise ? 3 movie deals and then a new series [ has ] been in the cards since - . " " After the release of the reboot in , Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci pitched an animated series to CBS , similar to their series for ( now Discovery Family ) . However , Orci said the success of the first film did not indicate whether a new show would be viable , explaining , " " One movie doesn ' t make a trend . Two movies starts to indicate that there is a trend and it ' s viable . It will become more real as the year goes on . " " By 2009 , Bryan Fuller desired to produce a new live - action " Star Trek " series . " " I told my agent and told the people of J . J . Abrams ' team I want to create another " Star Trek " series and have an idea that I ' m kicking around , " " he explained . I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colours and attitude [ . . . ] [ of ] the ' 60s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin [ . . . ] " Star Trek " has to recreate itself . Otherwise , all the characters start to feel the same . You always have a captain , a doctor , a security officer , and you have the same arguments based on those perspectives . It starts to feel too familiar . So all those paradigms where it takes place on a starship have to be shaken up . In , after the release of , a CBS Studios representative reiterated interest in reviving " Star Trek " for television , in response to a comment from Abrams that he had heard the studio was not interested . On , Fuller stated he " would drop everything " in order to become the showrunner for a " Star Trek " television series , commenting , I think it ' s finding a philosophy about it [ that would be important ] , and I think there is such an interesting philosophy happening now with our identity as a planet and taking responsibility for what ' s happening on the planet , and I think I would make it about identity , in a specific way . Meanwhile , however , Brannon Braga mentioned " the word on the street " was that " " they probably won ' t do one until the movies have run their course , " " while Rod Roddenberry concurred with this by saying he believed there would not be another series until after the conclusion of the films . In an interview , comics writer Mike Johnson suggested the Tholian s might " cause major trouble for the Federation " in the next " Star Trek " television series . ( " Top 50 Alien Species ! " , " " issue # 50 , " Live Evil , Part 1 " ) Another idea for a new live - action " Star Trek " series , conceived by Worf actor Michael Dorn , would have focused on Worf as a captain . As early as , Dorn confirmed the newly announced series will not be the concept he had wanted . Netflix , Amazon , and Hulu all offered money to distribute the show , but CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves opted to develop the series as CBS All Access ' first piece of original content , anticipating that millions would subscribe to watch the show . He also revealed , Our international distribution guy is going crazy ; he can ' t wait to get out to the marketplace and sell [ it ] . Right away , we ' re more than halfway home on the cost of the show from international alone . The risk is small in seeing the track record . Robert Hewitt Wolfe speculated the decision also " " allows for good budgets so it makes sense for " Star Trek . " On , it was officially announced that Bryan Fuller will serve as showrunner on the new " Star Trek " series . David Stapf , President of CBS Television Studios , explained , When we began discussions about the series returning to television , we immediately knew that Bryan Fuller would be the ideal person to work alongside Alex Kurtzman to create a fresh and authentic take on this classic and timeless series . Bryan is not only an extremely gifted writer , but a genuine fan of " Star Trek " . Having someone at the helm with his gravitas who also understands and appreciates the significance of the franchise and the worldwide fan base was essential to us . Fuller himself said , " " It is without exaggeration a dream come true to be crafting a brand new iteration of " Star Trek " with fellow franchise alum Alex Kurtzman and boldly going where no " Star Trek " series has gone before . " " Added Kurtzman , Bringing " Star Trek " back to television means returning it to its roots , and for years those roots flourished under Bryan ' s devoted care . His encyclopedic knowledge of " Trek " canon is surpassed only by his love for Gene Roddenberry ' s optimistic future , a vision that continues to guide us as we explore strange new worlds . On , it was announced that Nicholas Meyer will be joining the show as a consulting writer and producer . In an interview conducted the next day , Meyer expressed hope in getting to write some episodes , but was not yet sure how big the writing staff will be . Still to begin work on the show , Meyer said he was waiting to be notified when to do so . He did , however , have some ideas about what the new show will entail . Meyer elaborated , I think it ' s going to be a different " Star Trek " . It will go in a different direction . And I think that is probably good . Because the thing that mainly troubles me about " Star Trek " is the fear of it being maybe re - treads of itself [ . . . ] And I think that Bryan [ Fuller ] – who is a very clever fellow – has ideas – some of which I ’ ve heard – that are innovative and different . Different is what got me interested . Meyer also said Fuller considers to be his touchstone for the new series . On , it was announced that Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth would be joining the show as executive producers . On , two photographs apparently showing behind - the - scenes test shots surfaced , but were later proven to be from an unrelated project . On , Pop Goes The News reported that it would be filmed in Toronto , Canada , saying CBS had booked studio space back in September 2015 . According to CBS ' VP of communications , Kristen Hall , however , CBS hadn ' t yet confirmed the shooting location by this point . Also in April 2016 , Mark Worthington was confirmed as the series ' production designer . Worthington ' s resume , in addition to confirming his own involvement , also revealed that Alex Kurtzman would direct the pilot episode . On , it was reported that the show would be filmed at Toronto ' s Pinewood Toronto Studios . On , the Toronto location was confirmed in a tweet by CBS . On , it was reported that the show would be available in weekly installments rather than a whole season all at once . Its premiere would simultaneously air on CBS ' TV network and All Access , with subsequent episodes exclusive to All Access ( for US viewers ) . On , the first teaser trailer , along with the logo for the show was released , simply naming the series as " " Star Trek " " . On , it was reported that the project ' s code name might be " Green Harvest " . The Canadian industry union IATSE 873 confirmed the working title as " Green Harvest " and dated the filming between and . In a red carpet interview at the Saturn Award s on , Fuller revealed that the first season will be comprised of a thirteen - episode story arc . Filming will take place from to . This will be the second season - long story arc in " Star Trek " history , the first having been in season 3 of " Enterprise " . Fuller noted , " " We are not subject to broadcast standards and practices . So we can have profanity if we choose – not that I want to see a " Star Trek " with lots of profanity . But we can certainly be more graphic than you would on broadcast network television . " " That also means episodes can be longer than a typical broadcast show . On , Netflix was announced as the international broadcaster for the series in countries where it is available outside the US and Canada . In Canada , the series will air on Space in English and on Z in French . On , Bryan Fuller suggested that the series would be set prior to " " , stating that the registry number of the " Discovery " was a clue as to the placement of the series in the timeline . He also stated that it would be possible to read a connection , " or not " , to Section 31 in some aspect of the first season . On , Bryan Fuller tweeted a picture on Twitter for a makeup test for " Discovery " which may be a hint for the inclusion of an Andorian . On , Bryan Fuller announced that the series will take place in 2255 . According to Fuller , the basis for the first season will incorporate " an incident in the history of Starfleet that had been talked about but never fully explored . " In a radio interview on , Fuller revealed more details . The female lead will be the first officer of the " Discovery " and referred to as " " Number one " " , honoring Majel Barrett - Roddenberry ' s character from . On , Fuller tweeted that the events of would provide the " touchstone " for the series story arc . On , Fuller announced that the series premiere would be delayed until May 2017 , in order to ensure the quality of the show is not compromised . CBS agreed with the move . " Variety " reported on that Bryan Fuller would no longer oversee day - to - day operations on the show , but would remain executive producer . He will remain involved in breaking stories and providing support for showrunners Gretchen J . Berg and Aaron Harberts . Sources indicated that CBS , while satisfied with the materials he has created , was concerned that Fuller had too much on his plate with his involvement in other work . This included Starz ' s then - upcoming drama " American Gods " . Akiva Goldsman joined the show to provide additional support . Fuller later clarified with " Newsweek " on that he was no longer involved with the production . According to issue # 1 of the 2017 " Emmy " Magazine , p . 21 , " Star Trek : Discovery " has a reported budget of US $ 6 to US $ 7 million per episode . At the CBS upfront presentation on , it was announced the first season has been extended to fifteen episodes . " Talking Trek " ( now " After Trek " ) , a post - episode discussion show , was also announced . The premiere date for the series was announced on , when it was revealed that the first season would be split into two airing blocks . On , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season , which will begin filming in April of 2018 . Writing . Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg have said the characters will be more conflicted and not as perfect as characters from previous " Star Trek " series . Harberts said they would hold true to Gene Roddenberry ' s idealised view of future Humans with " " how we solve those conflicts . So we do have our characters in conflict , we do have them struggling with each other , but it ' s about how they find a solution and work through their problems . " " Having the female protagonist be given the traditionally male name of Michael is one of Fuller ' s signature motifs : other examples include Chuck in " Pushing Daises " and Jaye on " Wonderfalls " . In contrast to previous shows , the writers are ready to kill off characters even if their actors aren ' t planning to leave the series . Due to Gene Roddenberry ' s belief religion would die out by the 23rd century , writer Kirsten Beyer felt references to God should be avoided , quipping to Jason Isaacs when he ad - libbed on set " for God ' s sakes " , that " for f — ’ s sake " would be more likely . Gretchen Berg later clarified , " I don ' t necessarily agree with [ Isaacs ' ] quote . On a show about diversity and with different points of view , I feel like you have to accept that some people believe in God , some people want to worship a potato , and some people don ' t want to believe in anything . I think there is room for that on Star Trek . " Harberts later confirmed that the incident had been taken out of context and was specific to Lorca at that juncture , not the show in general . He also expressed interest in exploring the issue of faith or lack of it in later episodes . Even when the series was yet to begin airing , a second season had already been mapped out , with a third season beginning to be mapped out . The writers regularly consult Memory Alpha . According to Harberts , the series ' writing team are themselves " fanatical " about fact - checking the information they discover on the wiki . For example , they sometimes rewatch , or ask researcher Anthony Maranville to rewatch , an entire episode based on a single detail from one of Memory Alpha ' s many entries . Writing for Season 2 began in January of 2018 . Design . Bryan Fuller was adamant the Klingon make - up be updated for the show . Aaron Harberts noted , " " In the different versions of " Trek " , the Klingons have never been completely consistent . We will introduce several different houses with different styles . " " According to Neville Page , who also designed the Klingons in , Fuller mandated most of them should be bald . Page , and fellow lead designer , Glenn Hetrick continued to identify the baldness as an enduring part of Fuller ' s intentions for the Klingons , allowing them to reveal what was on their heads ( such as in " Episode 5 " of " After Trek " ) . The lead costume designer is Gersha Phillips . The Starfleet uniforms were originally similar to those in the original series . Music . The teaser clip presented at the San Diego Comic - Con on was scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show . At the following year ' s panel , Jeff Russo was announced as the series ' composer , and it was revealed that he had already completed work on the " Discovery " theme . Russo recorded the theme , along with the score for the first episode , with a sixty - piece orchestra in Los Angeles on . Russo will return for Season 2 . Casting . The show will have a female lead . The first cast member , Michelle Yeoh , was revealed by Nicholas Meyer in an interview on . Anthony Rapp and Doug Jones were confirmed the following week . Bryan Fuller commented that the cast should be diverse . " Star Trek " is a show of firsts . And in researching the characters for this new iteration of " Star Trek " , I ' ve been talking to Mae Jemison , who ' s the first black woman in space , and who saw " Star Trek " in the ' 60s and who saw Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of a ship and said , ' I see myself in space . ' So there ' s something wonderful about the legacy that Nichelle Nichols represents as giving a gift to people who weren ' t previously able to see themselves in the future . We are going to be continuing that tradition of progressive casting and progressive character work to be an inclusive world . " " He also said " eventually , eventually " there will be appearances from previously established characters . On , it was reported that some fans wished to see " Castle " and " Firefly " alumnus in the series . It was even suggested that this was why Fillion ended his commitment to " Castle " . Bryan Fuller ideally wanted Angela Bassett and ; Bassett declined due to prior obligations , and there is no evidence Dawson was ever approached for consideration . " Star Trek " alumnus Tony Todd also expressed interest in working on the new series and even confirmed he is on a casting list of the studio . In late October , it was reported the cast would feature , in addition to the female lead , an openly - gay male lead , a female and a male admiral , a male Klingon captain , and a British male doctor . Early news stories of Sonequa Martin - Green ' s casting in identified her character as " Lieutenant Commander Rainsford " ; CBS ' official announcement on changed the name to " Burnham " . On , it was announced that Shazad Latif had been re - cast as Lt . Tyler , being replaced in the role of Kol by Kenneth Mitchell . Three other cast members were also added : Rekha Sharma as Commander Landry , Clare McConnell as Dennas , and Damon Runyan as Ujilli . Wilson Cruz ' s casting as Dr . Culber was revealed at the San Diego Comic - Con panel on . Participation interest . Marina Sirtis has expressed interest in reprising her role as Deanna Troi in a phone interview with " MZNOW " , saying , " " I loved playing her . . . It would be interesting to me to go back now , twenty years later and kind of go ' who did she become ? Who is she now ? ' I would find that very interesting , and I would love to do that . " " Both Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan have expressed interest in reprising their roles as Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine respectively . In an interview with the " TODAY " show , Mulgrew said , " " I want to be the admiral and I want to boss them around . " " Ryan , in an interview with " Digital Spy " , said , " " My understanding is that it ' s in a very different world from any of the previous shows – but never say never . It ' d be fun to just drop in and revisit her – not that I want to revisit her all the time ! " " Scott Bakula , Jonathan Frakes , and Nichelle Nichols have also expressed interest in appearing on the series . In an interview with " Variety " , Martin - Green ' s " Walking Dead " co - star Andrew Lincoln expressed his desire to appear on the show , possibly with alien make - up on . According to Michael Dorn ' s publicist , brief discussions were held between " Discovery " producers and Dorn about a possible role on the show , but that there are no plans for him to appear on it at this time . An " Orlando Sentinel " writer expanded on the publicist ' s statement by stating that Dorn was offered less than one percent of what he had been paid for his last appearance as Worf . Robert Duncan McNeill has stated that he had to turn down the chance to direct an episode of " Discovery " due to being unavailable but that he would " love to do it " . Promotion . The show ' s title was revealed by Bryan Fuller at the San Diego Comic - Con on with a clip of the title ship , the USS " Discovery " ( NCC - 1031 ) . The promo was produced in three weeks and scored by Fil Eisler as an audition for the show . It greatly resembled concept art for the canceled film " " , which the staff could not confirm at the time for legal reasons . Fuller also announced , at a press junket immediately thereafter , the show would be set in the prime timeline , though Fuller declined to say exactly when in that timeline it would be set . ↑ John Van Citters has chosen " DSC " as the series ' official abbreviation . This is consistent with the studio ' s use of " VGR " for , but MA will use the abbreviation " DIS " for " Discovery " , for consistency with using " VOY " for " Voyager " . On , a trailer was released , showing behind - the - scenes footage of early filming . Ahead of the CBS upfront presentation on , the first official promotional image of the series was released , featuring Yeoh and Martin - Green in character on location in Jordan . At the presentation , Martin - Green appeared to debut the first full trailer for the series , which was released online immediately afterward . A trailer featuring the same footage recut was released by Netflix at the same time . The first official teaser poster for the series was released alongside the trailer , with a second released to accompany the announcement of the season premiere date . Two further limited edition posters were released at San Diego Comic - Con in . At the " Discovery " panel on , a second full trailer debuted , featuring the first footage of Isaccs ' Captain Lorca and Wilson ' s Harry Mudd . The trailer was released online shortly after the panel . Tie - ins . At the Mission New York convention in , it was announced that IDW Publishing would produce ( written by Mike Johnson ) and that Pocket Books would produce ( the first by David Mack ) tying into the series . Both tie - in lines are coordinated with the events of the series , and are supervised by " Discovery " writer Kirsten Beyer . In , it was announced that " Star Trek Timelines " would be updated to include characters and ships from " Discovery " , including Philippa Georgiou , Michael Burnham and Saru . In , more " Discovery " characters were added to the game including Gabriel Lorca , Ash Tyler and Harry Mudd . A month - long event , " Discovery : A New Frontier " , gave players the opportunity to acquire other characters and ships from the series . In , to mark the start of the series , Perfect World made " Discovery " s available to players of " Star Trek Online " for a limited period . In , the publisher announced that the " " Discovery " Lock Box " would be added to the game , giving players the chance to win ships , weapons and equipment based on those of the series , including the . Products . QMx premiered its magnetic Starfleet insignia badges from " Discovery " at the San Diego Comic - Con in July 2017 . FanSets launched its first wave of collectible " Discovery " pins in August 2017 . On 31 January 2018 , Eaglemoss Collections , publishers of the " " , premiered the " " partwork magazine , featuring starship miniatures from the series . Hallmark plans to manufacture Keepsake Christmas ornaments which depict the USS " Discovery " starship in 2018 . Beginning in the summer of 2018 , McFarlane Toys plans to retail toy weapons and accessories for role play and a series of seven - inch articulated figures featuring " various characters " from the series . Anovos produces prop replicas and reproduction costumes and its phaser pistol prop replica was released in December 2017 . Anovos will release Starfleet uniform replica costumes , beginning in the summer of 2018 . It will also release upscale " Studio - Scale Filming Miniatures " of the USS " Discovery " and the USS " Shenzhou " , which are slated to premiere in May or June of 2018 . Reactions . Rick Berman responded to the new series with cautious optimism . On his Twitter feed , he tweeted , " " I wish them nothing but good luck and smooth sailing . Just hope it stays true to Gene ' s vision . " " Brannon Braga likewise wished the new series well , commenting on his Twitter feed , " Star Trek " is a vast canvass with many artists . Constantly evolving . Godspeed to Mr Kurtzman . " " Braga additionally remarked , " " Hopefully with the new series they can get back to more meditative storytelling . " " In Braga ' s opinion , the new series is vital to ensuring " Star Trek " continues for another fifty years . He stated , " " It ' s all about making sure the next television show is really good and finds a new generation of viewers to keep it going . " " ( " SFX " , issue 270 , p . 68 ) He later commented , " " With " Discovery " , I am honestly as excited to see it as any other " Star Trek " fan . I devour each new trailer the moment it comes out . " " Robert Hewitt Wolfe admitted to not knowing anything about the new series , apart from having read about it online , and stated he is currently too busy to write for it . He also commented , " " Sounds like it could be great though . " " As for the way the new series will be released , he stated , " " Subscription streaming is an extremely successful model & allows for good budgets so it makes sense for " Star Trek . " Wolfe tweeted a " congrats " message to Bryan Fuller , upon him being named as the series ' showrunner , adding , " " You have the conn . Do us proud . " " David A . Goodman reacted to news of the series by saying , " " Hope it ' s good , will watch it even if it ' s bad . " " As for whether he and wife Denise Okuda will be involved in working on the new series , Michael Okuda remarked , " " We ' d love to be involved . Kurtzman already has a talented , experienced team from the last two films , but who knows ? " " Regarding the announcement that the series will be run by Bryan Fuller , Michael Okuda stated , " " Congrats , Bryan ! Go boldly ! " " Rene Auberjonois dismissed the notion that the new series will feature himself and Nana Visitor portraying their respective characters of Odo and Kira Nerys . On Seth MacFarlane ' s Twitter feed , he recommended , " " Let ' s make this new " Star Trek " series optimistic , eh ? I think we ' re all dystopia ' d out . " " Former " Star Trek " science consultant André Bormanis has stated , " " When it comes back to TV , I hope they do something more in the spirit of the original . Everybody in Hollywood who has ever had even the smallest association with " Star Trek " I ' m sure has a ' How would you do the next " Star Trek " ? ' answer . I would probably do something a little more like Captain Pike ' s adventures . Go back to that era where it was a little more rugged , a little more fifties ' sci - fi sensibility . " " ( " " , p . 39 ) Press reactions to the series ' announcement pondered how " Star Trek " could appeal to a new generation and compete against darker , more mature shows of the 21st century , like " Game of Thrones " , " The Walking Dead " , and Ronald D . Moore ' s reboot of " Battlestar Galactica " . " National Post " felt there was no need for a new series , arguing " Star Trek " had become a quaint retrofuture series akin to " Flash Gordon " and " Buck Rogers " . " The Independent " was one of the few to argue the optimistic future of " Star Trek " would make a welcome antidote . Other articles concentrated on the decision to produce the series for streaming , with some expressing deep cynicism over the idea . Others noted the decision was a win - win in terms of keeping the series going . Den of Geek and io9 noted most fans would prefer the show be set after " The Next Generation " , " Deep Space Nine " , and " Voyager " instead of in the same timeline as the film series . UK magazine " SFX " reported that was the most wanted request for the series . Other requests , in order of most desired , included : having the new crew undertake a multi - year mission in a starship rather than having them occupy a space station ; focusing on controversial social issues ; retaining a sense of fun ; and introducing new alien species and technology . The magazine also determined that their readers ' " dream cast " for the series included as the captain , as the first officer , as the doctor , as the engineer , and Wil Wheaton as the Federation President . ( " SFX " , issue 270 , pp . 36 - 37 ) USGamer expressed hope that the series ' success could revive interest in " Star Trek " video games after the failure of the . During an interview given at CinemaCon ( 11 - 14 April 2016 ) , Brent Spiner commented that " looking at such a pedigree " working for the show , he thinks it is going to be fantastic . He also remarked that J . J . Abrams allegedly just became a producer of the show . In an interview with " SFX " magazine ( issue 275 , p . 67 ) that was published around the same time , Spiner remarked , laughing , that all the new series had to do in order to work in the 21st century was simply " to be there . " He added , " " And just be entertaining [ . . . ] And I think there ' s a good chance it ' ll work . There ' s a really great bunch of people attached to that project , really talented people . I have no doubt that ' s going to be a really huge success . " "