Nicholas Meyer, the man who probably deserves more credit than anybody for the longevity of Star Trek, has joined the writing staff of Bryan Fuller’s new Trek TV series. Meyer, was part of a new press release from CBS, according to Big News Network.
“Nicholas Meyer chased Kirk and Khan ’round the Mutara Nebula and ’round Genesis’ flames, he saved the whales with the Enterprise and its crew, and waged war and peace between Klingons and the Federation. We are thrilled to announce that one of Star Trek’s greatest storytellers will be boldly returning as Nicholas Meyer beams aboard the new Trek writing staff.”
Nicholas Meyer joins new Star Trek TV series on CBS
When Meyer took on Star Trek with Wrath of Khan, the series was arguably flagging. The Motion Picture had done well, but hadn’t left anybody with much appetite for more Trek, and you could easily imagine this franchise being relegated to one 1960s TV show, an animated sequel, and a couple of movies.
But Meyer gave a new lease on life to Kirk, Spock and the rest-while also proving that Trek could be thrilling and expansive, beyond just appealing to fan nostalgia.
As massively as Star Wars benefited from the addition of Lawrence Kasdan as co-writer of The Force Awakens, this feels like a similar, essential boost to Star Trek.
Meyer, 70, co-wrote screenplays for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). He also directed Star Trek II, a film which helped to revitalize the franchise following the critical failure that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), hindered as it was by several script revisions and a rush into production and theatrical release.
While Leonard Nimoy directed Meyer’s co-written screenplay for Star Trek IV, Nicholas was back behind the camera for Star Trek VI.
With the news of Nicholas Meyer back to the big screen, CBS will stream the Star Trek reboot exclusively on CBS All Access, a digital subscription, on-demand, and live streaming service. However, a special preview will first broadcast on CBS when the series debuts in early 2017.
