Stream Me Up, Scotty: CBS to Release New Star Trek Episodes Beginning January 2017

In January 2017, the Star Trek franchise is boldly going to a medium it's never gone to before: Online.

Today, CBS announced that it will be rebooting the Star Trek series on its digital subscription video-streaming service, CBS All Access. A preview broadcast will run on TV, but the first episode and the rest of the series will be available only through the streaming service.

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Although the series will have new characters traveling to never-seen-before planets, there's one aspect that will be familiar. Alex Kurtzman, the co-writer and producer of 2009's feature film Star Trek and the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, will be the executive producer on the series.

The decision to bypass traditional television in favor of online media is a way for the nearly 50-year-old futuristic show to stay current. Over the last few years, people have been consuming less television in favor of other media. A recent Nielsen report shows that traditional TV viewing is down across all age groups except among those age 65 and up. The decline is especially apparent among the 18 to 24 age group, where traditional TV viewing has reportedly fallen more than 30 percent over the last four years.

Star Trek first premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966. Perhaps this new method of viewing will help the show continue to live long and prosper.

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