Star Trek: Discovery renewed for a second season
By Sonya Iryna
CBS renewed Star Trek: Discovery for a second season after just a handful of episodes thanks to intense fan support of the new series.
Star Trek: Discovery will continue its mission for at least a second season. CBS has given the series a green light for a second season. The quick renewal is largely based on the overwhelmingly positive response from fans.
The show is only available on CBS All Access, the streaming platform for CBS that fans have to pay for. But that hasn’t stopped fans from ponying up the $7 a month to watch Star Trek Discovery. In fact, CBS credits the fledgling drama with drawing lots of new subscribers.
CBS All Access doesn’t release viewer numbers. But the President of CBS Interactive said this about the show:
"“In just six episodes, ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ has driven subscriber growth, critical acclaim and huge global fan interest for the first premium version of this great franchise.” “This series has a remarkable creative team and cast who have demonstrated their ability to carry on the ‘Star Trek’ legacy. We are extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished and are thrilled to be bringing fans a second season of this tremendous series.”"
Fans were on board with the new Star Trek franchise from the beginning and have praised the show for having two strong female leads of color: Michelle Yeoh and Sonequa Martin-Green. Even though Michelle Yeoh’s character Captain Philippa Georgiou was killed off early on her influence is still strong. Her character was a mentor to Sonequa Martin-Green’s character Commander Michael Burnham.
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Fans Want More Strong Female Characters
The huge response of fans to a science fiction/fantasy drama driven largely by female characters is part of a larger trend that has been building in genre TV. Overwhelmingly fans are embracing shows that include strong female characters and characters of color that break out of the traditional secondary roles assigned to women. Especially women of color.
Shows like The Walking Dead and now Star Trek: Discovery are creating a new dynamic for women in genre TV and fans are here for it. Streaming services are leading the way giving new genre shows a platform to reach audiences.
Hopefully network TV will see that fans want to see more female characters that don’t adhere to traditional stereotypes and will start to adjust their lineups accordingly.