Star Trek has not ventured into the world of animation since the original Animated Series, which ran from 1973-1974 and featured the voices of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and most of the original show's cast as they revived their characters for new adventures aboard the USS Enterprise. In the years since, there has been talk here or there about new animated ventures for the franchise, but that talk never really went anywhere. Until now...

Star Trek: First Look at the Animated Short Treks 8 IMAGES

“The Girl Who Made the Stars”

“Ephraim and Dot”

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Debuting this week as part of CBS All Access' latest round of Short Treks are two animated shorts, “The Girl Who Made the Stars” and "Ephraim and Dot." The latter was directed by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who has scored all three modern Trek movies. Both segments debut on the streamer on Thursday, December 12, and we've got some exclusive images from the shorts. Check them out in the gallery below:Here are the loglines for the episodes from CBS All Access:When a lightning storm in space scares a young Michael Burnham, her father aims to ease her fears with a mythical story about a brave little girl who faced her own fears head on.Written by Brandon Schultz. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.Ephraim, a humble tardigrade, is flying through the mycelial network when an unexpected encounter takes her on a bewildering adventure through space.Written by Chris Silvestri & Anthony Maranville. Directed by Michael Giacchino.Obviously both shorts are centered in the world of Star Trek: Discovery, so it should be interesting to see not just what Star Trek can do in modern animation but also how these shorts will further flesh out this corner of the Trek mythos."The Girl Who Made the Stars” and "Ephraim and Dot" both debut on CBS All Access on Thursday, December 12.For more on Star Trek, check out what Anson Mount wants from a Captain Pike show , watch this behind-the-scenes clip about how the specialized Section 31 phasers were made, or dive into the making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture with the visual effects legend Douglas Trumbull.

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