Since CBS announced Star Trek: Discovery more than a year ago (Star Date 69302.1, to be exact), generations of Trekkies have been patiently awaiting each and every update about the first Star Trek TV show since Enterprise went off the air twelve years ago. The updates have been abundant, but most of the official news has revolved around the drama behind-the-scenes—the biggest being the departure of original show-runner Brian Fuller and, of course, the fact that the show's release date is still undetermined.
Although we've yet to see official final footage from the series, the Toronto-based production is very much underway, with a notably diverse cast that stars Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead), Terry Serpico (The Inspectors), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), Sam Vartholomeos (The Following), James Frain (True Blood), Doug Jones (Falling Skies), Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Anthony Rapp (Rent), Chris Obi (Ghost in the Shell), Shazad Latif (Penny Dreadful), Mary Chieffo (Miss Dial), Jason Isaacs (The OA), and Mary Wiseman (Longmire). Now, a photo posted from Chris Obi's Instagram account gives us our first, albeit informal, look at some of the cast together.
Celebrating the birthday of actor Vulcan portrayer James Frain (Sarek), the pic features from left to right Isaacs, Yeoh, Obi, Martin-Green, Green’s husband Kenric, Jones, Frain and Latif. The image was first revealed through Obi's Instagram, before he set his feed to private. Although the cast isn't in character, the photo offers a great glimpse into a probably much needed laid-back break from what's been a longer-than-expected production schedule.
Although studio publicity departments increasingly seem to be "leaking" casual images of cast on and near set via the social media accounts of show-runners, producers and stars, this one may have been unplanned, as evidenced by Obi's switch to privacy. Trekkies discover these updates faster than warp one, which is something CBS and Paramount are most definitely keenly aware of.
Star Trek Discovery is set ten years before the events of Star Trek (aka The Original Series), and follows the crew of the titular ship. According to statements released by Fuller last year, Discovery's first season storyline will be continuous, rather than the traditional episodic tales in previous Trek series. The first episode is now planned to premiere on CBS as a special preview (date still-yet-announced), with the full series being available on subscription streaming service CBS All Access.
The latest word from CBS CEO Leslie Moonves sets Discovery at a late summer/early fall launch time, but even that statement was to be taken as tentative. The network, at this point, would like to avoid another announcement that the series premiere has been delayed, and fans awaiting the show's real star date will no doubt begin the countdown, once it's been revealed.
NEXT: Can Star Trek: Discovery 'Save' the Franchise?
Source: Chris Obi