Star Trek: Discovery Renewed For A Third Season
by Erik Amaya
No matter how the U.S.S. Discovery‘s current mission ends with regard to the Red Angel, the television series will continue on.
Deadline reports Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for a third season on CBS All Access. Additionally, co-executive producer and The Originals veteran Michelle Paradise has been promoted to co-showrunner alongside executive producer Alex Kurtzman; who took the reins halfway through production on the second season. In a statement, Kurtzman said of Paradise: “Her grasp of character and story detail, her drive and her focus have already become essential in ensuring the Trek legacy, and her fresh perspective always keeps us looking forward.”
Indeed, the second season of Discovery has turned out to be a much smoother and more interesting voyage than its first, which straddled a line between a largely unseen Federation-Klingon War and an extended trip to the Mirror Universe. It was strong enough to introduce worthwhile characters even if it never fully committed to its plot. In the second season, U.S.S. Enterprise captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) took command of the Discovery to investigate a mysterious phenomenon now called the Red Angel; which is also connected to the disappearance of his science officer, Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck). The overarching story has allowed the show to stream some more traditional Star Trek episodes, in which the ship’s crew use their science knowledge to work through moral problems, while furthering a continuing narrative.
Nonetheless, the more accomplished writing and production design came at some cost. Former showrunners Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harbert were let go during a scheduled production hiatus last June. At the time, budget overruns and abusive behavior were reasons cited for the departure. Kurtzman took over creative control.
It is currently unclear if Mount will remain with the show or if the Discovery will obtain a new captain at the end of the second season. The latter is an intriguing idea; though we hope Saru (Doug Jones) gets the center seat on a permanent basis.
Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on CBS All Access.
