<P> Sonequa Martin - Green stars as Michael Burnham, the first officer of the USS Shenzhou and later the USS Discovery . The new series was announced in November 2015, and Fuller joined as showrunner the next February . In addition to Fuller and Kurtzman, who wrote for previous Star Trek series and films, respectively, the crew includes several other previous Star Trek creatives . Fuller wanted to make an anthology series, beginning with a prequel season to the original series, but CBS asked that he make a single serialized show first . In October 2016, after further disagreements with CBS and struggles with other commitments, Fuller left the series . Berg and Harberts took over day - to - day production using a mythology and broad story arc established by Fuller, while Goldsman joined then as support . </P> <P> The production put emphasis on carrying on the legacy of the previous series, including making efforts to feature a diverse cast . The values and designs of the Federation were updated for the series, but were expected to evolve towards those of the original series throughout Discovery's run . The show also heavily features the Klingon species, with the intent of exploring the central conflict from both perspectives . The Klingons were redesigned for the series, with influence from their previous appearances, the original inspirations for the species, and the novel The Final Reflection, as well as research on biology and evolution . The Klingon language is also extensively used . Discovery is filming in Toronto, and has filmed on location in Jordan . </P> <P> Star Trek: Discovery is set to debut on CBS on September 24, 2017, with that episode and the rest of the 15 - episode first season being made available on All Access . The season is split into two chapters, with the first chapter finishing in November 2017, and the second chapter beginning in January 2018 . </P> <P> Set roughly ten years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, the show sees the Klingon T'Kuvma look to unite the 24 great Klingon houses, leading to a cold war between his race and the United Federation of Planets that involves the crew of the USS Discovery . </P>

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