'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 1 Spoilers, Plot, News: Writers Break Creator Gene Roddenberry's Cardinal Rule
"Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry had one big cardinal rule in the franchise, which was evident in all of the versions. He never allowed conflict among Starfleet crew members to take place, unless these members were under a mysterious influence or power.
But writers of the upcoming CBS All Access series "Star Trek: Discovery" will break this rule. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Aaron Harberts confirmed there will be complications between crew members because "none of us are perfect."
"We're trying to do stories that are complicated, with characters with strong points of view and strong passions," Harberts said. "People have to make mistakes — mistakes are still going to be made in the future," he added, confirming the show will also present how characters will be able to "find a solution and work through their problems."
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Roddenberry wanted the Starfleet in some kind of utopia, which restricted how writers from the other franchise's properties played out their stories. Apart from veering off this cardinal rule, "Star Trek: Discovery" will also follow a serialized format with a season-long arc. It's another big change compared to the other series that always followed an episodic format where stories are resolved at the end of each episode.
"Star Trek: Discovery" will have 15 episodes that will center as a prequel to the original show aired more than 50 years ago with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. CBS All Access announced the show will debut on the streaming platform on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8:30 p.m.
The first episode will air on CBS but succeeding episodes will be released exclusively on CBS All Access, the network's streaming service. Netflix will also carry the show after the CBS release.
"Star Trek: Discovery" will have a huge cast led by Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou. Also on the show are Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca, James Frain as Spock's father Sarek, Doug Jones as Science Officer Saru, Anthony Rapp as Lt. Stamets and Rainn Wilson as Harry Mudd.
