Star Trek to go boldly back onto telly, then beam down in streams

Star Trek will return in a new series in 2017, but the venerable program will quickly disappear from screens other than those subscribed to US broadcaster CBS' "All Access" video-on-demand platform.

The as-yet-un-named re-re-re-re-reboot^* "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."

Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of well-received recent Trek films Star Trek (2009) and Into Darkness (2013), will serve as executive producer for the TV series.

Casting hasn't been announced, nor do we know if the new show will be set in the "classic" Star Trek universe or the fork initiated off in the 2009 film.

The first episode of the show will screen free-to-air, but punters will have to subscribe to the rest of the series. That debut episode will need to be good: "Worst. Episode. Ever" buzz on social media could kill off the audience faster than a Tribble munches through Quadrotriticale.

The new show will debut in January 2017. ®

^* Next Generation was the first reboot, Deep Space Nine the second, Voyager the third, and Enterprise the fourth, making this the fifth. If we wanted to get really nerdy we could include The Animated Series as another reboot and also consider the recent movies another reboot, making the new show a re-re-re-re-re-re-reboot.