Posted in: CBS, Preview, Star Trek, streaming, Trailer, TV, YouTube | Tagged: bleeding cool, cable, cbs all access, discovery, Late Show, lower decks, paramount, paramount plus, patrick stewart, Picard, preview, short treks, star trek, starnge new worlds, stephen colbert, streaming, teaser, television, trailer, tv

Star Trek: Picard, Stephen Colbert, Spongy Surprise Help Save the Day

Okay, let's get the business stuff out of the way. Everbody? Take a minute to write this down: "On March 4, CBS All Access is being rebranded as Paramount+ starting March 4 in the U.S. and Canada and in other parts of the world later that month." Everyone got it? Good- now we can get down to the real business at hand: the final chapter in our saga that finds Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ambassadors Capt. Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Star Trek: Discovery ambassador Capt. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) working to keep ViacomCBS' most viable IPs alive as they journey to the top of Paramount Mountain. They've kept the survivors alive, motivated, and moving forward. They've put down insurrections, saved a team member from potentially fatal puppet frostbite, saw another sacrifice themselves for the greater good, and appreciated just how funny the innuendo behind the word "crack" is. But now? Our journey has come to an end as our heroes reach the summit- the end of their destination. But what's awaiting for them there?

Actually, it's more like who was waiting for them- and is it really any surprise that it's Stephen Colbert tending bar and Captain Jen-Luc Picard with a martini (both rocking a tux) ready to greet them? Of course, to keep Starfleet's mission a secret Picard's going by the name "Patrick Stewart" here- but it's pretty clear by the presence of noted uber-geek Colbert that there's a deeply-embedded rescue mission taking place. While the survivors have questions, Picard makes the case that their journey was a metaphor for the streaming service and the journeys that still await:

Even though clearly, sacrifices were made…

We can tell by the way Pike looks at Picard- with a mix of awe and respect- that the real mission is going exactly as planned:

But to keep this level of mass distraction going, Picard looks to Colbert to bring out the big guns:

Ladies and gentlemen… SpongeBob SquarePants!

And with that, our heroes celebrate their journey and the horizon that awaits next month with dance- well, at least Picard and Colbert:

Everyone else just seems confused and a bit annoyed. But hey, they're alive (minus a puppet arm and Thomas Lennon's Lt. Dangle) and in the world of "Star Trek"? Any day where you're not "wearing the red shirt" is a good day:

The move comes as ViacomCBS looks to strengthen its footprint on an ever-more-crowded streaming landscape by highlighting its portfolio of broadcast, news, sports, and entertainment brands. So what that means is all of that content you've been enjoying on CBS All Access ("Star Trek" franchise, The Twilight Zone, etc.) will be making the move to Paramount+. Outside of North America, March 25 sees the rebranding go live in the Nordics and mid-year sees the transition happening in Australia. Viewers will get a preview of what they can expect on February 24 when an overview of the company's streaming plans for Paramount+, Showtime's OTT service, and the free, ad-supported Pluto TV will be presented as part of ViacomCBS' quarterly earnings report.

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