CBS Turns to 'Voyager' and 'Deep Space Nine' Writer to Create New 'Star Trek' Series

STUDIO CITY, CA Bryan Fuller, who began his career writing for “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Star Trek: Voyager,” has signed on as co- creator and executive producer of the CBS “Star Trek” series set to premiere early next year, it was announced today.

Fuller said his “very first experience of ‘Star Trek’ is my oldest brother turning off all the lights in the house and flying his model of a D7 Class Klingon Battle Cruiser through the darkened halls.”

“Before seeing a frame of the television series, the ‘Star Trek’ universe lit my imagination on fire,” he 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.”

Kurtzman, the show’s executive producer, said: “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.”

David Stapf, president of CBS Television Studios, said Fuller “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.”

The series will launch with a special preview broadcast on the CBS television network in early 2017. The premiere episode and all subsequent first- run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on the network’s digital subscription video-on-demand and live streaming service.

The series will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

Fuller is currently co-executive producing an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel “American Gods” for the STARZ network.

Hi resume also includes serving as executive producer and writer on NBC’s “Hannibal”; creating the series “Dead Like Me” and “Wonderfalls”; and serving as writer and co-executive producer on the first season of “Heroes” before leaving to create the Emmy Award-winning “Pushing Daisies.”

The original “Star Trek” spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Half a century later, the “Star Trek” television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries.

City News Service