A number of you have written asking about our TVwatching setup, and Im finally getting around to writing about it today. You probably know that here at Chez. Im not paying CBS to watch Star Trek online. When Star Trek Enterprise went off the air in 2. The franchise had declined in quality and edgier fare like the Battlestar Galactica reboot had wormed its way into the hearts of sci fi geeks. Watch The Lost Weekend Online Hulu' title='Watch The Lost Weekend Online Hulu' />But maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder, for many die hard Trek fans were thrilled when J. J. Abrams Star Trek film made its way to theaters in 2. Granted, Star Trek hasnt always had the best track record when it comes to film, but after four years of nothing, any Trek was welcome Trek. As a life long Star Trek fan, I had plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Abrams film. I was a fan of Alias and Lost both of which hed executive produced. Early Edition Episodes Download. The cast was appealing and the fact that the screenwriters made the reboot work within established continuity tickled my geeky heart. Watch American Beauty HDQ there. The film got lots of people excited about Star Trek again including my non Trekkie boyfriend. Thanks to local TV reruns and Netflix, he caught up on the original series through Deep Space Nine Voyagers been. Roberto Orci left, Damon Lindelof center and Alex Kurtzman right at the Star Trek Into Darkness LA premiere. The problem with watching so much classic Trek with him is I realize how much new Trek pales in comparison. Star Trek is generally a slow paced, intellectual humanist brand, something that has never translated well to the big screen. Old Trek makes me think its even made me cry. And so Ive turned against new Trek, with its whiz bang action aesthetic. Its continued presence in the cultural landscape has kept the franchise off TV where it works best. The situation wasnt helped by all the infighting between CBS and Viacom, with the former continuing to churn out old Trek merchandise and stream the old shows, while the latter wanted to wipe the slate clean in favor of the Abrams version. CBS has made it clear that this new Star Trek will only be available on its streaming service, CBS All Access. But now, with yesterdays announcement, it looks like things have been sorted out on the corporate side in favor of Viacom and Abramss production company Bad Robot. The new show is being executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, who co wrote both new Star Trek films. I hated the Abrams directed Into Darkness with all of the power of a matter antimatter explosion, so Im only sort of getting what I wanted in this new show. Its like if I asked for a Wii U for Christmas and found something that looked like one under the tree, but actually played Play. Station 4 games. Sure, the Play. Station 4 has a lot of great games and maybe Ill enjoy them, but I really wanted to play Splatoon. I said I wanted a new Star Trek show, but what I meant was something that embodied the old spirit while taking advantage of the slower pacing of television. Thing is, we dont actually know what this new show is about. Its been a debate thats raged across the internet for years now. It should be a simple task to stream a show like Game of Thrones online, rightWe know it will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1. But thats really it the show doesnt even have a showrunner yet. It might not even have a concept beyond the franchise name. How willing are you to add another streaming service to your repertoire What it does have, though, is a distribution plan. Because while Kurtzman is still looking for a head writer, CBS has made it clear that this new Star Trek series will only be available on its streaming service, CBS All Access. Sure, youll get a brief taste of the show on CBS proper, but thats just to wet your whistle enough to pay 6 a month to watch the rest of it. CBS has always had a rather hesitant relationship with current on demand and streaming services while you can watch pretty much the entire Star Trek catalog on Netflix and Hulu, popular programs like The Big Bang Theory continue to be MIA everywhere but CBS own website. So it really wasnt much of a surprise when the network unveiled its own proprietary streaming service. Plenty of networks are embracing the idea of their own apps and sites even CBS sibling channel, Showtime, has a service you get by itself for 1. PS Vue or Hulu but bizarrely enough, Showtime Anytime is not included in CBS All Access service or vice versa. How willing are you to add another streaming service to your repertoire Content is king, and this new Star Trek series is the first exclusive show announced for CBS All Access since the services launch in late 2. In the meantime, you have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Now and a host of other services all hammering at your wallet. We may have been begging for la carte programming, but that future is here and the cost is creeping steadily upward. The four services I just mentioned will run you around 4. MLB. tv is 2. 5 monthly, for example. Were at a point where getting your content from just one or two services isnt possible. Sure, we all know that you need Netflix for House of Cards and Amazon if you want to watch Transparent, and were fine with that because theyre big services with a lot of mainstream programming. But the more diverse and esoteric you get, the harder it is to find everything you want. Im a big anime fan, and while I can easily watch Kill la Kill on Netflix and Tiger and Bunny on Hulu, Im not so lucky when it comes to more recent shows like Wakakozake, which is only available on Crunchyroll. As content gets spread out further and further, out of pocket cost increases on top of what I pay for Netflix and Hulu monthly, Crunchyroll costs me 7, and if I wanted to watch anything on FUNimations service, it could cost me 5. With more media companies going the All Access route, we may eventually be looking at a set of bills that rivals the cost of cable, which hit an all time high nationwide average cost of 9. September. Will any of us watch this new show In the meantime, plenty of people have cut the cord, and it looks like Americas Most Watched Network has finally started to take action. CBS skews older and Star Trek is turning 5. I love Star Trek, and my parents who watch a lot of CBS are the ones who got me into it in the first place. The thing is, will any of us watch this new show My parents certainly wont their access to streaming services comes through shared passwords because theyre still wedded to the old broadcastcable model. And my desire to pony up for CBS All Access hasnt increased one whit since the announcement Monday morning due to my dislike of new Trek and unwillingness to subscribe to more services. The suits at CBS might be counting on brand loyalty from old school Star Trek fans to drive All Access subscriptions, but theyre asking them to pay for something that doesnt look or function very much like the Star Trek they know and love. Image credit Getty Images for Paramount Pictures Star Trek Into Darkness premiere. Scifi. com Syfy. SCI FI Channel is now Syfy, but you can still get access to all your favorite SCI FI Channel content right here. Syfy features science fiction, drama, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Be sure to visit Syfy. Online Episodes WATCH The Magicians. The Magicians. Magic is dying, and its up to the Brakebills gang to save it. Catch up on the latest episodes from Season 2 Now. Blog Syfy Wire Bad Astronomy. Online Episodes Watch Killjoys.