The premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" on CBS' subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association Tuesday that they "spent a lot of time" discussing how to create this new world for TV that felt authentic to the "Star Trek" universe.
Also during that time, executive producer Bryan Fuller decided to exit the series as showrunner to focus on other projects.
Kurtzman said "it became clearer and clearer" that the targeted January debut would "compromise the quality of the show," so it was pushed with the blessing of CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.
"Star Trek: Discovery" stars Sonequa Martin-Green of "The Walking Dead," as central character, First Officer Michael Burnham. She's the foster daughter of the Vulcan Sarek, who is Spock's father.
"We are telling a story that we believe in. Everyone is so passionate. The craftsmanship here in our entire company, behind the camera and in front of the camera, is nothing short of stellar," said Green.
Kurtzman also debuted the theme song for "Star Trek: Discovery" performed by a 60-piece orchestra. It plays homage to the original theme and the entire song will play under a credit sequence in each episode.
The timeline for the series is 10 years prior to the original series, or TOS, as Trekkies say.
Executive producer Akiva Goldsman said, "We are going to cross paths with components that 'Trek' fans are familiar with, but it is its own standalone story with its own characters and its own unique vision of 'Trek.'"
"Star Trek: Discovery" also stars Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh and Shazad Latif.
The series premiere will broadcast on CBS Sept. 24. Immediately following, the first and second episodes will stream on CBS All Access. New episodes going forward will be available on Sundays.
Apple sells $46 billion worth of iPhones over the summer as AI helps end slump
Apple snapped out of a recent iPhone sales slump during its summer quarter, an early sign that its recent efforts to revive demand for its marquee product with an infusion of artificial intelligence are paying off.
Sales of the iPhone totaled $46.22 billion for the July-September period, a 6% increase from the same time last year, according to Apple's fiscal fourth-quarter report released Thursday. That improvement reversed two consecutive year-over-year declines in the iPhone's quarterly sales.
The iPhone boost helped Apple deliver total quarterly revenue and profit that exceeded the analyst projections that sway investors, excluding a one-time charge of $10.2 billion to account for a recent European Union court decision that lumped the Cupertino, California, company with a huge bill for back taxes.
Apple earned $14.74 billion, or 97 cents per share, a 36% decrease from the same time last year. If not for the one-time tax hit, Apple said it would have earned $1.64 per share — topping the $1.60 per share predicted by analysts, according to FactSet Research. Revenue rose 6% from last year to $94.93 billion, about $400 million more than analysts forecast.
But investors evidently were hoping for an even better quarter and appeared disappointed by an Apple forecast that implied its revenue for the October-December quarter covering the holiday shopping season might not grow as robustly as analysts envisioned. Apple's stock price shed about 2% in Thursday's extended trading, leaving the shares hovering around $221 — well below their peak of about $237 reached in mid-October.
The latest quarterly results captured the first few days that consumers were able to buy a new iPhone 16 line-up that included four different models designed... Read More