A new poster has confirmed that Star Trek: Discovery season 2 will air in January 2019. Discovery's maiden voyage was largely well received by critics and viewers, however some longtime fans of the Star Trek franchise did take issue with apparent contradictions to established canon and various visual design changes. U.S. viewers were also disappointed that Discovery was only available via CBS All Access, CBS' own on-demand streaming service. Nevertheless, Discovery season 1's cliffhanger ending generated plenty of anticipation for the follow-up, as the fabled Enterprise was finally introduced.
Star Trek: Discovery's second season, which sees Alex Kurtzman take over as showrunner, is set to introduce two notable characters from the franchise: Anson Mount's Christopher Pike and Ethan Peck's Spock. Additionally, Rebecca Romijn will join as Pike's second-in-command and Wilson Cruz's Hugh Culber is set to return despite being killed in the first season. The season will run for 13 episodes and will, once again, be released on All Access in the U.S. and on Netflix in other areas.
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It was previously reported that Discovery's second season would air in early 2019 and that has now been confirmed by a brand new poster (via EW). This latest piece of promotional material features the iconic Starfleet insignia alongside the tagline "Discover the next adventure." The release date, however, is simply listed as January 2019, with an exact date remaining unknown for now.
The poster is simple but effective and maintains the modern edge that typified Star Trek: Discovery's approach to the franchise. The reference to the "next adventure" in the tagline perhaps serves as a reminder that Discovery was originally intended as an anthology series that told completely separate stories. Although the studio swiftly nixed this idea, it is thought that each season will still tell largely different narratives. The poster also contains the vague outline of a bird within the Starfleet logo instead of the usual star shape. Could this be a hint that the threat from Qo'nos has not completely subsided? Or is there a deeper meaning for Star Trek fans to unravel over the next three months?
Star Trek: Discovery has promised to address many of its franchise inconsistencies over the next batch of episodes and with both Pike and Spock set to feature, there will be even more opportunities to tie-in with, or indeed contradict, previous stories. Bringing in such established faces, Spock in particular, could be a make-or-break move with the hardcore Star Trek faithful and will likely either convince them of Discovery's merits or deter them from the show completely.
Fortunately, Star Trek fans who don't enjoy Discovery won't exactly be wanting for material over the next few years. A fourth movie in J.J. Abrams' rebooted series is currently in development and further down the line lies a Quentin Tarantino-directed effort. Furthermore, Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, has announced a return to the franchise in a brand new series.
More: Star Trek 'Runaway' Trailer Teases A Spooky Discovery Short Story
Star Trek: Discovery premieres in January 2019 on CBS All Access.
Source: CBS (via EW)