Netflix / Paramount Not even the great Michael Burnham could figure this streaming problem out!
“Star Trek” is an international phenomenon, and much like the Federation of the 24th Century, it brings much of the world together. Just last weekend, London hosted a massive Trek convention, which featured fans from all over Europe and beyond. The “Destination Star Trek: London” event attracted a “plethora of stars,” cosplay, lectures, games, and more.
The event planners say that the 2022 convention, scheduled for next October, will be even more significant. It will also feature the astronaut and actor, William Shatner, who will be just 91 years old by then. The original James T. Kirk will headline a list of Trek stars, which you can learn more about on the D:ST site.
While things looked great for UK-based Trek fans, there were a few things that they were not happy about. Ever since the announcement that “Star Trek: Prodigy” would appear on the Sky platform in 2022, there has been gnashing of teeth and grumbling. The show’s highly anticipated fourth season will debut this Thursday.
Trek fans on the Reddit online forum shared their frustration, as many complained that they’d need to pay close attention to which networks they were subscribing to watch the new “Star Trek” shows.
“Dang it, so we need Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Sky to cover all Star Trek,” said one fan after the “Prodigy” news.
“Then they lose me completely,” said another fan on the forum. “No way in my life will I get myself a Sky subscription. This company should’ve died long ago.”
DISCO Moves to Paramount+ for Non-U.S. Viewers
To our international #StarTrekDiscovery fans…
Thanks to the news today, they have even more to be upset about. First reported on by Deadline and later confirmed on StarTrek.com, “Star Trek: Discovery” now will be available to Trek fans in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria on Paramount+, which will not be available in those countries until 2022.
“As the series rolls out across the globe, fans will be able to relive their favorite moments as seasons 1-3 of ‘Discovery’ will also become available on the service,” reports StarTrek.com. “With the incorporation of “Star Trek: Discovery” into the Paramount+ international hub, fans around the world can expect to see the “Star Trek” Universe grow even more.”
The official Star Trek Twitter feed also shared the news, which allowed quite a few fans to share their frustrations publicly:
@StarTrek To ViacomCBS Corporate:
Even U.S.-based fans are upset:
@StarTrek Guys, you REALLY screwed up here. You would have been better off delaying Disco 4 until P+ was launched if you couldn’t/wouldn’t distribute via Netflix. We have Prodigy, we could wait a bit. ST is a GLOBAL phenomenon, and many of your biggest fans are not in the US.
The Stars Respond
While this kind of decision is out of the actors’ hands of a series, many have still made statements. In a way, this is similar to when Shatner got in hot water when his show was scheduled to appear on a Russian-funded network — he too had little control.
Actor Wilson Cruz, who plays Dr. Culber on “Discovery,” did not say a word. Instead, he released an emoji that summarized his feelings:
Noah Averbach-Katz, who portrayed the Andorian Ryn on Season 3 of “Discovery,” said he was “gutted right now” on Twitter. At the same time, Anthony Rapp (Lt. Paul Stamets) also expressed his displeasure.
Less Legitimate Channels
Sadly, there is no shortage of ways for people to watch the shows by bending the rules, as this fan suggests:
@luffdee @StarTrekNetflix @StarTrekRoom This is also occuring in Australia, with Season 4 moving to Paramount+ at a later date. Smart move, after all Australia is the highest content pirates per capita!
Sites like Tech Advisor and Tech Radar give fans step-by-step instructions on using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to watch U.S.-based content.
Fan Theory
One theory is that this might be a way in with Paramount creates interest in the new show among international fans, in which case the company makes the fourth season of “Discovery” available in some other way.
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