Los Angeles, Nov 3 (EFE).– “Star Trek” returns to the small screen with a “totally new” series starting in January 2017, CBS Television Studios said.

The series will kick off with a special program on the CBS network, but the first episode and those that follow will be available in the U.S. exclusively on CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that includes both digital and video on demand.

“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run ‘Star Trek’ series has gone before,” CBS Digital Media executive vice president Marc DeBevoise said.

Around the rest of the world it will be distributed both for television and across multiple platforms through CBS Studios International.

“Star Trek” will be the first original series developed for CBS All Access, a service that currently offers hundreds of episodes of past and present CBS network series, along with live streaming of its day-to-day programming, for $5.99 (5.43 euros) a month.

CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous series from the “Star Trek” universe.

The new saga will present new characters, worlds and civilizations while exploring topics of the type that have characterized the franchise since its creation in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman, co-screenwriter of “Star Trek” (2009) and “Star Trek into Darkness” (2013), directed by J.J. Abrams, will be executive producer of the series.

“Star Trek,” one of the most popular science fiction sagas in history, marks its 50th anniversary in 2016.

Since its creation by Gene Roddenberry, more than 10 movies and five television series have been screened under its name.

The original series, starring William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, debuted on Sept. 8, 1966, and a new film dubbed “Star Trek Beyond” will hit theaters next summer. EFE