William Shatner is willing to guest star in the upcoming "Star Trek: Discovery" series and former "Star Trek" writer Ronald D. Moore expressed his confidence for Bryan Fuller's vision for the new show. But as things are slowly coming into play for the latest iteration of a beloved show, it looks like there will be challenges ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery."
The show isn't exactly freely accessible to viewers as it will be on the streaming site and not on a broadcast TV network. Watching "Star Trek: Discovery" will require a $6 monthly subscription on CBS All Access. However, Variety reports that on top of the paid subscription, CBS All Access won't stream its shows without advertisements.
Thus, every episode of "Star Trek: Discovery" will have a total of 12-minute ad loads. Some viewers might find this model discouraging when ad-free viewing should be part and parcel of a streaming subscription service.
But there is a bright spot as CBS All Access could consider an ad-free option by 2017. Whether that takes place before "Star Trek: Discovery" premieres in January is still uncertain. For other options, the new show will also be coming to Netflix within 24 hours of its episode airing on All Access, per Collider. Netflix's rate is slightly higher at $8.99, but it is ad-free.
Witness the test flight of #StarTrekDiscovery, coming to #CBSAllAccess & CBS in January 2017 https://t.co/qLYrEF4ed7https://t.co/sROKlnAyXl
— Star Trek: Discovery (@startrekcbs) July 23, 2016
Meanwhile, former "Star Trek" captain William Shatner (Capt. James T. Kirk) expressed that he's open to doing a cameo on "Star Trek: Discovery." The actor told Entertainment Weekly that if asked, he "might consider" the offer if one is extended.
It should be worth noting that "Star Trek: Discovery" will take place 10 years before the timeline where William Shatner played the captain of the Enterprise back in the 60s. How the new show does his cameo is something fans will be watching out for.
Meanwhile, Roger D. Moore, who wrote several episodes of "Star Trek's" "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine" series, said that he believes in Bryan Fuller's ability to deliver a show that fans will enjoy. Having worked with Fuller, Moore expressed full confidence in his colleague as the showrunner of "Star Trek: Discovery." "He will seize that opportunity and strangle it for every possible thing he can get out of it," Moore said, per Radio Times.
