'Star Trek' unveils new starship and series title: 'Discovery'

Bryan Fuller, showrunner/executive producer of the 'Star Trek: Discovery' poses for a portrait during the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (Rich Fury / Invision)

SAN DIEGO -- The next chapter of the "Star Trek" franchise will be called "Star Trek: Discovery."

The title and footage of the starship Discovery were teased at the end of a Comic-Con panel Saturday celebrating the series' 50th anniversary with actors from every previous "Trek" series.

"Discovery" executive producer Bryan Fuller said the show coming to the CBS All Access streaming video service will draw upon the optimistic tone established by "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry.

"We have to celebrate a progression of our species," Fuller told 6,500 fans gathered inside the San Diego Convention Center. "Right now, we need a little help."

The brief teaser featured close-ups of a Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Discovery moving out of a docking station located within an asteroid.

"The idea of naming it 'Discovery' just felt so intrinsic to what 'Star Trek' represents and where we need to go as a species and how we're going to collectively come together as a planet," said Fuller during an interview after the panel.

Fuller noted the writers and producers are currently working on casting "Discovery," writing the first three scripts and constructing the show's sets in Toronto. He said they were looking for a diverse team.

"'Star Trek' is about family and finding your family," Fuller said. "We absolutely intend to continue that tradition of progressiveness in our casting choices and representation."

During the panel, Fuller said "Discovery" will be more like a novel and less episodic than past "Trek" shows.

Fuller was joined at the pop-culture convention by original "Trek" series star William Shatner, "The Next Generation" actors Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn, "Enterprise" leading man Scott Bakula and "Voyager" actress Jeri Ryan.