It’s finally happening. Star Trek Discovery has an actual release date. After a worrisome delay, CBS has finally set a release date: September 24, 2017. When I first saw this, I thought that it’s an awfully long way away. But then I remembered that it’s June. And we’re nearing the end of June, so this is not that far off. No one really knew the reason for the delay, until now. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Aaron Harberts, and Gretchen J Berg (showrunners) let fans know why the show has been delayed. And I think you might appreciate the show’s commitment to detail. Stating that the reason the show was delayed nine months was that they needed more time to build a world like Star Trek. Meaning, they needed time to build amazing costumes and sets.
There’s is so much artistry and custom craftsmanship that go into every prop, every costume, every set. These things have to be designed and manufactured. We flew a costume designer to Switzerland to pick up the fabric for the Starfleet uniforms. Several items on our uniforms are 3D printed. Some of our sets can take over six weeks to make. CBS has given us the time and the money to make something the fans will find worthwhile.~ Harberts
You can’t cut corners or have 95 percent of what’s on screen be completely original and inspired and then have five percent something you bought at a store. It has to be cohesive — and it is. I’m so proud of what’s on screen, it’s so beautiful and it’s taking world-building to a whole new level. ~Berg
And thank you for that. Who doesn’t appreciate that extra level of detail? Think back to some of the older versions of Star Trek. At the time they were pretty cool, right? Technology has changed so much since then, its important that the level of detail going into the show reflects that. But does this excuse the show’s tardiness? I kind of think it does. If you’re a true fan, you’re going to be happy with the show, regardless of how long it takes to come out.
What is also interesting is that because this is a CBS production, they are releasing it exclusively with CBS All Access. Which is CBS’s streaming subscription service. The first episode will air on CBS proper, so you will be able to get a teaser for it. But if you want to watch the whole thing you’re going to have to pay for the subscription. Obviously this is in an attempt to boost subscriptions in it’s service. And can you blame them? They’re competing with HBO, Netflix and Amazon in terms of original content. And if this is a big enough pull, it will be worth it for CBS.
I am actually looking forward to this release. I am not a die hard Star Trek fan, but I feel like there has been enough momentum building up to it, that it will be worth it just to see the effects, sets and costumes. Especially after they’ve put so much time and money into making it just so. I hope that it lives up to the hype, and I hope that CBS sees a boost in their subscriptions, otherwise, was it worth it?