In celebration of Star Trek Day, CBS will air the first two episodes of the Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Strange New Worlds is the sci-fi franchise’s latest chapter, a spinoff from Star Trek: Discovery. The show is a prequel to the original series, showing Captain Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise exploring the galaxy a decade before the 1966 Star Trek series. Produced by CBS studios, the series debuted on Paramount+ last year.
It’s the latest Paramount+ original series to make the leap to the CBS network – albeit in limited form. Earlier this week, the company said its upcoming Frasier reboot would also air on CBS after first premiering on the streaming service. Expect to see more bleedthrough between streaming and broadcast content with the Hollywood strike shutting down the pipeline of new shows and films.
CBS will broadcast Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Friday, September 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The series begins as one of Pike’s officers vanishes while on a secret mission for Starfleet. Pike must return from a self-imposed exile to find his officer while having visions of the future.
In the second episode, “Children of the Comet,” the crew realizes a comet will strike a populated planet. As they try to redirect it, the team finds an ancient alien relic hidden on the comet, preventing them from re-routing the comet. To make matters worse, as they try to disable the relic, Pike and Number One must fend off a group of zealots trying to stop the USS Enterprise from interfering.
Paramount+ is also celebrating Star Trek Day with a special program hosted by Jerry O’Connell featuring a special sneak peek of Star Trek: Lower Decks in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. O’Connell voices Commander Jack Ransom in Lower Decks, an animated series gearing up for its fourth season starting next month.
The special will take audiences on a nostalgic look back at the past 57 years of the Star Trek universe and pay tribute to Star Trek: Discovery before its final season. You can view the Star Trek Day Special at Paramount+, StarTrek, Pluto TV, YouTube, Mixable, Twitch, and Facebook. It will also air on CBS affiliate stations Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Pop TV, Fave TV, and Smithsonian.