Less than two days before Star Trek Discovery's fourth season was set to premiere on Netflix internationally, Trekkies were blindsided when the show was unexpectedly pulled from the streaming service, with CBS opting to premiere the show on its own service, Paramount+, sometime in 2022.
To our international #StarTrekDiscovery fans... pic.twitter.com/cX8m1m3h3O
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) November 16, 2021
Understandably, there was an outcry from fans (as well as actors and crew), who felt betrayed by the very thing they love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Trek fans, let their feelings be known on Twitter, with producers like Michelle Paradise and actors like Anthony Rapp showing solidarity with the fans they make the show for.
After 1 1/2 years in the making, I couldn't be more excited for today's S4 premiere! I'm also really bummed that so many of you can't join us... that was news to us as well. Please know we love and appreciate you and hope to have info soon on when Disco will be coming your way.🖖
— Michelle Paradise (@michelleparadis) November 18, 2021
We remain deeply grateful to you all. We hope that when the show makes its way to you, you will continue to support the hard work that we all have done to bring Discovery to life. We are all of us saddened that you will have to wait months longer to experience Season 4.
— Anthony Rapp SAG-AFTRA National & NY Board Member (@albinokid) November 17, 2021
A week after the initial announcement, ViacomCBS has found a way to bring Discovery season four to many of the countries affected by the removal last week.
We heard you 🖖 #StarTrekDiscovery now premieres internationally this Friday. https://t.co/ymbcp08V07 pic.twitter.com/n2RnCYkXDg
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) November 24, 2021
In Australia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden, Uruguay, and Venezuela where Paramount+ is available now, the first two episodes of the season, "Kobayashi Maru" and "Anomaly," will debut on the service Friday. From there, new episodes will premiere weekly. As an added incentive, the official Star Trek website is offering residents of those countries 50% off of Paramount Plus for three months using the code: STARTREK.
Meanwhile, in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, season four will premiere with the first two episodes on Friday at 9 PM ET on PlutoTV's Sci-Fi Channel, a free streaming service.
While this situation should never have occurred in the first place, international tv deals and negotiations are very complex. This may not be a perfect solution, but to quote Michelle Paradise, "[this was] no small feat to pull off so quickly." We here at A Strange New Pod wholeheartedly agree, and it seems, for now, the international Trekkies do too. Keep your sensors locked on ASNP for updates on this and many other Trek stories throughout the quadrant.
