New Star Trek Picard series will be released on Amazon Prime Video in the UK

Episodes of the show, which will see the British actor reprise his role for the first time in nearly two decades, will be available on the streaming service in the UK and Ireland (and 200 other territories) within 24 hours of their premiere on CBS in the USA.

The multi-year deal will come as a surprise to UK Star Trek fans, given that Amazon rival Netflix currently has the rights to show Star Trek: Discovery.

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“We’re thrilled to partner with CBS to bring the newest edition of the storied Star Trek franchise to our international Amazon Prime Video customers,” Brad Beale, Amazon's head of content licensing, said.

“With the incredible Sir Patrick Stewart returning as the beloved Jean-Luc Picard, we’re excited we can give Trek fans both old and new the opportunity to see him back in action. It’s a terrific addition to our already robust catalogue of exclusive Amazon Prime Video content.”

The series was announced by Stewart at a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas in August 2018. It is set a number of years after the last time we saw Picard on screen (in 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis) and Stewart has said it will “explore new dimensions within” the Starfleet captain.

The new series is expected to debut in late 2019.

Star Trek: Discovery season two concluded in April 2019, having streamed weekly on Netflix following its US broadcast. A third season of the show has been confirmed, with executive producer Michelle Paradise joining Alex Kurtzman as showrunner.

Kurtzman is also leading the Star Trek Picard series, and said he is excited to see the new show air around the world.

“There’s only one word that can begin to describe Sir Patrick Stewart as Starship Commander Jean-Luc Picard, and that’s ‘legendary,’” Kurtzman said. “We are thrilled beyond measure to have him back in command, bringing the optimistic messages of Star Trek to audiences around the world.”