“Star Trek: Discovery” will officially have a female lead, TheWrap has learned.
The news came just ahead of series showrunner Bryan Fuller‘s appearance at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Wednesday.
No word yet on exactly who the female character will be or if she will be the captain of the Discovery, but the news is hardly surprising. Fuller has spoken at length about the importance of diversity within the “Star Trek” universe.
“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,” Fuller told Moviefone. “We are going to be continuing that tradition of progressive casting and progressive character work to be an inclusive world.”
The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will be available exclusively in the U.S. on CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. The new series marks the first original series developed for CBS All Access.
Netflix is set to stream each episode of the new “Star Trek” series internationally, 24 hours after their U.S. premieres. The day-after upload will not be available to the U.S. or Canada but will run in 188 other countries. Bell Media nabbed the rights for our neighbors to the north.
Late “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry‘s son, Eugene”Rod” Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth, the COO of Roddenberry Entertainment, will serve as executive producers along with Alex Kurtzman.
Nicholas Meyer, who directed and co-wrote “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” co-wrote “Star Trek IV” and co-wrote and directed “Star Trek VI,” will serve as a writer and consulting producer on the series.