The new Star Trek TV series just got a whole lot more interesting.

That's because executive producer and showrunner Bryan Fuller has recruited Nicholas Meyer to serve as a writer and producer on the show, according to Deadline.

Meyer, quite simply, is a crucial figure in the history of Star Trek. After Star Trek: The Motion Picture got a lukewarm response in 1979, Paramount hired producer Harve Bennett to take over from Gene Roddenberry and re-energize the franchise. Bennett in turn brought Nicholas Meyer on board to direct the second film, which Meyer also ended up rewriting as well.

The result was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, still considered to this day to be the best of the 12 Star Trek films to date and the movie that really revived the brand. But Meyer was not done: He co-wrote Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986, then came back again to direct and co-write Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991, the final film to feature the classic cast.

Seeing a pattern here? All three Trek films that Meyer directed and/or wrote are among the series' best, along with some of its biggest box-office hits. Fuller knows very well who he's just hired. He said in a statement:

“Nicholas Meyer chased Kirk and Khan ’round the Mutara Nebula and ’round Genesis’ flames, he saved the whales with the Enterprise and its crew, and waged war and peace between Klingons and the Federation. We are thrilled to announce that one of Star Trek’s greatest storytellers will be boldly returning as Nicholas Meyer beams aboard the new Trek writing staff.”

The new Star Trek series -- which is not related to the current run of movies that continues this summer with Star Trek Beyond -- will premiere in January 2017 on CBS before moving exclusively to the CBS All Access streaming service, a decision I sorely hope the network reconsiders soon.

What do you think about the great Nicholas Meyer joining Bryan Fuller to write the new Star Trek show?