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Trekkies can look forward to more adventures with the characters not just on the big screen. "Star Trek" may be returning to TV as well, and fans may have Marvel to thank.

CBS has announced it will debut a new 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� series at the beginning of 2017. The program will get a 鈥減review broadcast鈥� on network TV, according to CBS, then after that it will be available on CBS鈥檚 subscription streaming service .

The show will center on new characters, rather than those seen in previous 鈥淭rek鈥� stories.聽

Of course, the science fiction franchise is no stranger to the small screen, getting its start in 1966 on NBC,聽with the original show starring William Shatner as James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock.

Since then, multiple other 鈥淭rek鈥� shows, including 鈥淪tar Trek: The Next Generation鈥� starring Patrick Stewart, followed. The newest movie series stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as Kirk and Spock at the beginning of their careers.聽

So why do 鈥淭rek鈥� fans possibly have Marvel to thank for their new TV show?聽

The comic book company has been king of the multiplex over the last several years, with their various films about superheroes such as the Avengers, Captain America, and Iron Man dominating the box office. And the company has now proven itself a force on TV as well. The ABC shows 鈥淢arvel鈥檚 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.鈥� and 鈥淎gent Carter鈥� as well as Netflix鈥檚 鈥淒aredevil鈥� and several upcoming Netflix programs all take place within the Marvel universe.聽

In 2015, Marvel has shown it鈥檚 possible to have success on multiple platforms 鈥� all at the same time. TV shows have been adapted as movies for years. The stories of successful movies have also come to TV. But Marvel鈥檚 world is called the Marvel universe for a reason 鈥� rather than progressing from one medium to another, the company launches projects across various forms of entertainment simultaneously. Fans can follow their favorite characters across them.

CBS鈥檚 announcement about the new 鈥淭rek鈥� series centering on new characters is also telling. This new show won鈥檛 center on Kirk and Spock, it will be about new people also living in the same universe. Marvel's universe is populated by many characters, many of whom often interact. Perhaps these new "Trek" characters will bump into Kirk, Spock, or Uhura on a mission.

In addition, a TV show premiering in January 2017 means there will be a continuous stream of "Trek" content, if a fourth movie is planned.

That's what Marvel does. It lines up its projects so that Marvel content is debuting all year, with the stories synced up so that the new stories often reference the ones released just before them. (For example, on an April 28 episode of the TV show 鈥淢arvel鈥檚 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,鈥� a 鈥淪.H.I.E.L.D.鈥� character finds out where the tool of a villain is located and in the movie 鈥淎vengers: Age of Ultron,鈥� which opened on May 1, the beginning of the movie shows the Avengers following up on this information.)

If the "Trek" TV show moves forward, the 鈥淭rek鈥� universe will have a similar plan. The new 鈥淪tar Trek鈥� film, 鈥淪tar Trek Beyond,鈥� is set to debut in the summer of 2016. Then the new 鈥淭rek鈥� TV series will debut that following January. Presumably, if 鈥淏eyond鈥� is successful, fans can then follow the franchise to another movie.聽

All this presumes that the movie series will continue successfully, which it might not. The series has undergone a creative shakeup, with director J.J. Abrams leaving for "Star Wars" after having helmed the first two movies. The second film was also less well-received critically and grossed less than the first movie.

Will moviegoers and TV watchers get tired of 鈥淭rek鈥�? Will the new TV show be a creatively satisfying story? No matter what, 鈥淭rek鈥� fans will have months to wait until the next project, as the first one to arrive will be 鈥淪tar Trek Beyond鈥� next summer.