Bryan Fuller Shoots Down ‘Star Trek’ Anthology Rumors, Setting

CBS Star Trek boss Bryan Fuller assured us that official details of the new All-Access series would likely emerge around Comic-Con 2016, though a few early reports on the show’s nature and setting may not have been accurate. Not only does Fuller downplay suggestions the new series might predate The Next Generation, but also that Star Trek would go the anthology approach from season to season.

The same Saturn Awards appearance that saw Fuller offering a few tantalizing tidbits of the new All-Access Star Trek also saw the Hannibal creator speaking with MovieFone, in the process dispelling a few rumors. Birth.Movies.Death had previously suggested the new series might take place between sixth film The Undiscovered Country and TV successor The Next Generation, as well that the new series might reboot itself every season, anthology style, but according to Fuller::

I mean, it’s funny. I’ve read that we’re [set] before ‘Next Generation,’ after ['Star Trek VI: The] Undiscovered Country,’ which is false. I’ve read that it’s an anthology show, which is not accurate. So it’s interesting to see those suggestions, and seeing the truth mixed in with them and going like, ‘Oh, they got that part right’ … but it’s sort of on the truth-o-meter on PolitiFacts. It’s sort of like some truth, and a lot of like, ‘No — pants on fire! That’s not true.’

To be fair, the anthology rumor drew at least some reinforcement from the series’ official tagline, “New Crews, New Villains, New Heroes, New Worlds,” of which Fuller commented:

I think we will be seeing lots of crews in the story. One of the things that is exciting for me is that we are telling a ‘Star Trek’ story in a modern way. We’re telling a 13-chapter story in this first season … It’s nice to be able to dig deep into things that would have been breezed passed if we were doing episodic and had to contain a story to an episode.

Shooting in Toronto this fall, the new 13-episode Star Trek was also said to return to the timeline previously rebooted by J.J. Abrams’ film series, as well to be “heavily serialized” with a new, non-Enterprise ship. Reports of Klingon antagonists or a Mirror Universe association remain unsubstantiated for now.

Bryan Fuller will headline the new streaming iteration of Star Trek as co-creator and executive producer, while Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer has also joined alongside Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod, fan-favorite Voyager novel alum Kirsten Beyer, franchise vet Joe Menosky and Heroes writer Aron Coleite. So reads the initial synopsis for the series, which debuts on CBS in January 2017 before moving to All-Access:

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 1966.

Fellow producer Alex Kurtzman wrote both the 2009 Star Trek reboot and its 2013 sequel with frequent partner Roberto Orci, though Orci has no involvement in the new TV series.

Additional details will likely emerge soon, but what should we expect from the new streaming Star Trek?

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