SciFi Diner Pilots 401 - Star Trek: Discovery with Dayton Ward (CBS Star Trek Consultant and Author)

Star Trek: Discovery is the seventh series set in the Star Trek universe. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Discovery was originally set roughly a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series, set primarily aboard the starship USS Discovery, before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century. The series was announced by StarTrek.com on 2 November 2015. According to the press release, "The brand-new Star Trek 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 1966." [1] It is produced by CBS Studios and Secret Hideout; the executive producers are Fuller, Kurtzman, and Heather Kadin. The first series to be developed for the CBS All Access subscription platform, it began airing on 24 September 2017, with a preview broadcast of the premiere episode, "The Vulcan Hello", on the CBS network; the second episode being released on All Access on the same day. In the US, subsequent episodes were released exclusive to CBS All Access. The first season ran for a complete fifteen episodes, being released on successive Sundays, finishing on 11 February 2018, with a mid-season break between November and January. [2] [3] The second season ran for fourteen episodes, between 17 January 2019 and 18 April 2019, again released via CBS All Access, this time on successive Thursdays. Outside the US, the series is available on Netflix, except in Canada, where Space and Z carry the series in English and French, respectively. CBS plans to air the first season of Discovery, beginning on 24 September 2020, exactly three years after "The Vulcan Hello" first aired. [4] Discovery has become the first official Star Trek live-action production the former franchise owner, Paramount Pictures, neither owned nor was involved with on any level. Dayton Ward (born June 7, 1967) is a science fiction author primarily known for his Star Trek novels and short stories, which began with publication in the Strange New Worlds anthology series. He published stories in each of the first three Strange New Worlds volumes[1], making him the first author to render himself ineligible under the rules of that series. As such, future authors who achieved the same feat were said to have earned a "Wardy". In addition, he has written numerous articles in Star Trek Communicator and Star Trek Magazine. He has also published a number of short stories in various magazines and collections. His frequent collaborator on these and other works is fellow author Kevin Dilmore. Ward has been nominated six times for, and has won twice, the Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. The winning entries were Star Trek: The Next Generation: Armageddon's Arrow, in 2016,[2] and Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures, in 2019.[3] Ward was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. After graduating high school, Ward enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he worked in information systems. He was eventually stationed in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] He served for more than eleven years, before being honorably discharged. He remained in and lives with his family in Kansas City. Ward worked as a software developer and part time writer before becoming a full time writer. He also consults for CBS on Star Trek licensee projects, including publications from Simon & Schuster and IDW Publishing.[1] His stated hobbies include reading, going to movies, and watching football, basketball, or beach volleyball. He is a fan of Canadian rock band Rush, and several of his stories have been named after Rush songs.