Looking Ahead at Trek in 2017

Star Trek will head boldly into 2017, with a wide variety of exciting happenings, including a new show, events of all kinds and much, much more. StarTrek.com breaks it all down:

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery will premiere in May 2017. The show's hero ship is called the U.S.S. Discovery (NCC-1031) and the action will take place 10 years before Star Trek: The Original Series. The main character will be Number One, a woman, but not a captain, and, yes, there will be a gay series regular character, as well as Klingons. Season one will consist of 13 episodes, with the show as a whole serialized and playing out like a novel.

Michelle Yeoh is set to play Captain Georgiou, the Starfleet captain aboard the starship Shenzhou.

Doug Jones will play Lt. Saru, a Starfleet science officer and an alien species new to the Star Trek universe.

Anthony Rapp will beam aboard as Lt. Stamets, an astromycologist, fungus expert and Starfleet science officer on the starship Discovery.

Chris Obi will play T'Kuvma, the Klingon leader seeking to unite the Klingon houses.

Shazad Latif is set to portray Kol, commanding officer of the Klingons and protégé of T’Kuvma.

Mary Chieffo rounds out the latest wave of additions with her role as L'Rell, the battle deck commander of the Klingon ship.

Discovery will air on CBS All Access, following the premiere on the CBS Television Network. And the show will be distributed concurrently on Netflix in 188 countries and through Bell Media in Canada.

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 30th Anniversary

Star Trek: The Next Generation did the impossible when it debuted in 1987. It captured lightning in a bottle and set the stage for a Star Trek resurgence that carries on to the present day. Fans can expect TNG cast reunions and special events at conventions around the world, as well as new TNG collectibles, games and stories. And, speaking of stories, a TNG mirror universe comic book series is on the way from IDW Publishing. As previously reported here at StarTrek.com, Star Trek: The Next Generation -- Mirror Broken, with its very, very memorable cover, will be part of Free Comic Book Day 2017.

Star Trek Las Vegas 2017

Star Trek Las Vegas is set to be held August 2-6, 2017, at the Rio Suites Hotel, and Creation Entertainment has already confirmed 34 Trek guests on the way to meeting their goal of 100. The list spans from the iconic TOS faces of the franchise, a la William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig, to series regulars and guest stars from other Trek shows and movies, including Nana Visitor, Jonathan Frakes, Linda Park, Deborah Lacey, David Warner and Julia Nickson. Go to www.creationent.com for details and to order tickets.

Star Trek. 50 Artists. 50 Years

The popular touring art exhibition Star Trek. 50 Artists. 50 Years. features Trek-inspired works by 50 artists from 10 countries around the globe, including one by Leonard Nimoy. The exhibition, which will continue touring through the summer of 2017 -- includes original 2D and 3D pieces by the artists, who selected a variety of mediums -- illustrations, photographs, sculptures, paintings, graphics and more -- to express their love of the franchise and the inspiration gained from it. The exhibition is currently at the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and will be there until June 18, when it will then tour to other cities.

Free Comic Book Day

On May 6, 2017, fans will have their choice of 50 titles on Free Comic Book Day. The Trek title, from IDW Publishing, will be Star Trek: The Next Generation – Mirror Broken, written by Scott Tipton and David Tipton, with art by J.K. Woodward. Here’s the synopsis:

Space… The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the I.S.S. Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to conquer strange new worlds, to enslave new life and new civilizations… to boldly go where no one has gone before! Return to the Mirror Universe with The Next Generation crew in a way you’ve never seen them before in this prequel to the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries, Mirror Broken. Captain Jean-Luc Picard will stop at nothing to get his hands on the Terran Empire’s newest starship, the Enterprise-D. And no one had better stand in his way.

Star Trek Cruise

The first-ever Star Trek Cruise will set sail from Miami on January 9, 2017, heading toward the Caribbean. A fully immersive experience to be produced by Entertainment Cruise Productions LLC., it will kick off with William Shatner, Trek’s Captain Kirk himself, welcoming fans aboard the ship and then socializing with them and leading the celebration during the cruise. In addition to Shatner, other Trek celebrities confirmed to set sail include Marina Sirtis, Denise Crosby, John de Lancie, Terry Farrell, Robert Picardo, James Darren, Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Max Grodenchik, Robet O'Reilly, Vaughn Armstrong, Steve Rankin, Casey Biggs and Joe Piscopo. And all of the talent will perform: with Shatner headlining "An Evening with William Shatner," Marina Sirtis and Terry Farrell teaming up for Love Letters, and Casey Biggs hosting wine tastings. Other planned activities include concerts by James Darren and the Enterprise Blues Band, and Robert Picardo playing Star Trek Family Feud and hosting both a cocktail party and a private dinner.

Quintessential locations from the Trek series (think Risa) and films will be recreated aboard the ship, while events will be built around key characters and their defining traits, and ship crew will be dressed in distinctive uniforms from across the franchise. Every venue on the ship will pay homage to favorite Trek haunts and destinations, with parties and gaming inspired by pivotal moments in Trek history. Quark's Bar will serve such cocktails as a Risa Colada and a Borg Queen, while fans can also hang out at Deck 10 or play three-dimensional chess at Ten Forward. Fans will also be able to experience events featuring experts exploring Trek’s impact on social issues, technology and scientific development. Further, the Cruise will offer Star Trek Under the Stars, utilizing a large LED screen on the back deck that will let the 2,200 fans on board share in the communal experience of watching Trek films and episodes each and every evening. Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for coverage from aboard the ship.

Star Trek: Operation Enterprise

"Star Trek: Operation Enterprise,” a Trek-themed roller coaster, will blast into action in Movie Park Germany at some point in 2017. The new coaster will be the world's first dedicated Trek coaster and, for Movie Park Germany, in Bottrop, it not only will be the second-highest construction in the park, but it will have the rare distinction of having been built in Germany. Company Mack Rides, the largest German manufacturer of roller coasters and amusement park attractions, is constructing the coaster.

The coaster, which will be located directly at the entrance of Movie Park Germany, will be what is referred to as a launch coaster. That means guests will begin the experience with an accelerated catapulting and not first drawn over a hill with a respective drop. Work continues on “Star Trek: Operation Enterprise” even as you read this.

The Starfleet Academy Experience in Calgary

Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience offers visitors the chance to experience life as a Starfleet Academy cadet, as they attend the Academy's Career Day in the 26th century. After student orientation, cadets visit nine zones focused on the training center's specialties: Language, Medical, Navigation, Engineering, Command and Science. Following these interactions, cadets were assigned a specialty and a demeanor based on their individual training. Trek fans will surely recognize many of the props and costumes on display from the television shows. In addition, there are plenty of interactive activities and unique technology, including Leap Motion, voice recognition to communicate in Klingon, a Medical Tricorder table with RFID sensors, planet projection mapping, holograms and a target game using Star Trek's iconic phasers. Fans can beam over to the Starfleet Academy Experience at Telus Spark in Calgary, Canada, from January and until early June, 2017.