Star Trek: Discovery revealed as EW's new cover

To read more on Star Trek: Discovery, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday. You can buy all three here, or purchase the individual covers here, here, and here. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

Here’s a preview of this week’s cover story:

The imposing Captain Gabriel Lorca strides across the Starship Discovery bridge, squinting at the raging battle on the viewscreen, rattling off orders to his crew with rapid precision. There’s a Federation ship under attack by Klingons, and the Discovery is rushing to join their fight. “Lock on the Bird of Prey!” Lorca barks. “Basic pattern Beta 9. Hard to port! Fire at something, for God’s sakes!”

Too late.

The Klingons blast the Discovery. Lorca and his shipmates lurch hard to one side. The high-tech set’s thousands of lights flicker anxiously, conveying the ship’s wounds.

The director halts the action and Lorca, played by British actor Jason Isaacs of Harry Potter fame, steps off the stage. The episode’s writer, Kirsten Beyer, approaches to give a correction on his “for God’s sakes” ad lib.

“Wait, I can’t say ‘God’?” Isaacs asks, amused. “I thought I could say ‘God’ or ‘damn’ but not ‘goddamn.’ ”

Beyer explains that Star Trek is creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a science-driven 23rd-century future where religion basically no longer exists.

“How about ‘for f—’s sake’?” he shoots back. “Can I say that?”

“You can say that before you can say ‘God,’ ” she dryly replies.

And after that … well, for the rest you must pick up this week’s Entertainment Weekly, which features three separate covers, including a special solo shot of Martin-Green that can only be found exclusively at Barnes & Nobles stores nationwide. In the issue, we go behind the scenes of the upcoming CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery and the 12-year mission to bring the ground-breaking franchise back to TV in its boldest version yet.

With unprecedented exclusive access, EW tours the Discovery sets and talks with the show’s cast (led by The Walking Dead‘s Sonequa Martin-Green), producers, and CBS insiders about the epic and sometimes combative challenge of making a compelling 21st-century drama that updates a beloved 20th-century franchise which takes place in a visionary 23rd century (whew!).

To read more on Star Trek: Discovery, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday. You can buy all three here, or purchase the individual covers here, here, and here. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.