Comments on: CBS to boldly go in 2017 https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:30:43 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mcfly https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/#comment-33395 mcfly Wed, 04 Nov 2015 16:57:06 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51572#comment-33395 Which means that he might be less hated than many other potential producers. Personally, I've always liked what he brought to a show. On his watch, you just know that every single character is gonna hafta throw down, and even then it'll be a close-run thing. Which means that he might be less hated than many other potential producers. Personally, I’ve always liked what he brought to a show. On his watch, you just know that every single character is gonna hafta throw down, and even then it’ll be a close-run thing.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/#comment-33374 Robert Tue, 03 Nov 2015 23:25:58 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51572#comment-33374 Whoa! What if they brought in Ronald D. Moore to produce the new series? Whoa! What if they brought in Ronald D. Moore to produce the new series?

]]> By: mcfly https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/#comment-33366 mcfly Tue, 03 Nov 2015 19:15:12 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51572#comment-33366 An interesting article, that touches on an interesting problem: as large as the fan-base is, few people simply "love Trek." Perhaps they worship the original series (TOS), but despise Voyager and Enterprise. Maybe they really got into Next Generation but think TOS is foolishly quaint. This is not a crowd that will allow itself to be pleased. An interesting article, that touches on an interesting problem: as large as the fan-base is, few people simply “love Trek.” Perhaps they worship the original series (TOS), but despise Voyager and Enterprise. Maybe they really got into Next Generation but think TOS is foolishly quaint. This is not a crowd that will allow itself to be pleased.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/#comment-33365 Robert Tue, 03 Nov 2015 18:41:42 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51572#comment-33365 Mildly interesting speculation in a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/nov/03/star-trek-can-prosper-netflix-and-chill-era" rel="nofollow">Guardian blog post</a> about the direction the new show might take to appeal to a modern audience. He went all over the map, but I thought "Battlestar: Enterprise" summed it up in one pithy title. This may be a very different Star Trek. Mildly interesting speculation in a Guardian blog post about the direction the new show might take to appeal to a modern audience. He went all over the map, but I thought “Battlestar: Enterprise” summed it up in one pithy title.

This may be a very different Star Trek.

]]> By: Robert https://www.habitablezone.com/2015/11/02/cbs-to-boldly-go-in-2017/#comment-33363 Robert Tue, 03 Nov 2015 17:24:37 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=51572#comment-33363 There's always a fly, isn't there mcfly? CBS will "air" just the first episode over its free network, after that new Trek episodes will only be available through the CBS streaming service, for a fee (you can't even stream local CBS affiliates any more, you have to pay for this service to see local TV). The avowed idea is to force people to pay $6/month for this service by holding the new Star Trek hostage. I see it as a terrible deal, because new Trek is about the only show I'd want to watch on CBS. That means paying $72/year to watch presumably 13 episodes. You'd pay less buying them for Apple's retail price of $3/episode. New Trek isn't the only show being crippled by wrong-headed retro business practices. I gather that the ratings for Dr. Who are in a slump, and I'm sure that locking the series inside BBC America is depriving it of millions of US viewers. BBC is hoist on its own petard: It recently announced that it'll launch a streaming service next year, which I thought was terrific news, even at a pricey $14/month. But then came the awful asterisk: The streaming service won't be showing any of the BBC's A-list catalog because BBC America owns the distribution rights in the US. Somehow the BBC is expecting people to pay $14/month to watch shows that weren't good enough to be carried by BBC America. I'm afraid CBS isn't going boldly anywhere except backward. Bundling popular media to coerce people to pay for lots of crap they don't want to get the one good thing is so 20th century. This isn't why I cut the cord. There’s always a fly, isn’t there mcfly?

CBS will “air” just the first episode over its free network, after that new Trek episodes will only be available through the CBS streaming service, for a fee (you can’t even stream local CBS affiliates any more, you have to pay for this service to see local TV). The avowed idea is to force people to pay $6/month for this service by holding the new Star Trek hostage.

I see it as a terrible deal, because new Trek is about the only show I’d want to watch on CBS. That means paying $72/year to watch presumably 13 episodes. You’d pay less buying them for Apple’s retail price of $3/episode.

New Trek isn’t the only show being crippled by wrong-headed retro business practices. I gather that the ratings for Dr. Who are in a slump, and I’m sure that locking the series inside BBC America is depriving it of millions of US viewers. BBC is hoist on its own petard: It recently announced that it’ll launch a streaming service next year, which I thought was terrific news, even at a pricey $14/month. But then came the awful asterisk: The streaming service won’t be showing any of the BBC’s A-list catalog because BBC America owns the distribution rights in the US. Somehow the BBC is expecting people to pay $14/month to watch shows that weren’t good enough to be carried by BBC America.

I’m afraid CBS isn’t going boldly anywhere except backward. Bundling popular media to coerce people to pay for lots of crap they don’t want to get the one good thing is so 20th century. This isn’t why I cut the cord.

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