Star Trek is returning to our TV screens in January 2017

Star Trek is returning to our TV screens with a new series in January 2017.

The new show is being launched by CBS Television Studios just after the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The original series debuted September 8, 1966.

The series 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".

CBS TV Studios distributed the original series, which was produced by Paramount Television and Desilu Productions.

Created by Gene Roddenberry and starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, the series ran for three seasons and 79 episodes from 1966-67 on NBC and became a huge hit.

An animated series (1973-74) followed, along with a series of feature films, starting in 1979, and four TV follow-ups.

The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network.

The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

It will also be distributed on TV around the world by CBS Studios International.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series.

Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.