In January of next year, CBS will finally be releasing a new Star Trek TV series, the first since Enterprise went off the air in 2005. What is perhaps most surprising about the new series, Star Trek Discovery, is that we are only about 5 months away from the premier and we don't know all that much about it. But showrunner Bryan Fuller has finally opened up, at least a little bit, about the new show.

Speaking with Ain't It Cool News, Bryan Fuller revealed that there was a big hint to the timeline for Star Trek: Discovery in the promo footage that was shown at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Even though Fuller wouldn't say anything definitive, he did say that the number displayed on the ship in the footage is something to pay attention to. Here is what he had to say.

"There's a big clue in the number of the ship [NCC-1031] that indicates when we're set."

Again, that isn't a definitive statement of any kind, but Star Trek fans should easily be able to extract what Fuller is getting at. The registry number for the new USS Discovery is NCC-1031. Going back to the original Enterprise which was featured in the original Kirk/Spock Star Trek, that ship's registry number was NCC-1701. So, since the Discovery has a much lower registry number than the original Enterprise, it seems like Star Trek: Discovery will be taking place prior to Star Trek: The Original Series.

Die-hard Trekkies may be able to extrapolate a bit more from the Discovery's registry number. Starfleet has had a top secret black ops operation, designated Section 31. This has been depicted in Deep Space Nine, Enterprise and J.J. Abrams' Into Darkness. AICN also asked Fuller if the 31 in Discovery's registry number has anything to do with Section 31. Here is what he had to say.

"There are aspects of our first season that, depending on how well versed you are in that mythology, you could either read into it a connection, or not."

GIven that it looks like Star Trek: Discovery will be taking place very early on in the Star Trek timeline, it will be difficult to have cameos from other Trek alum. However, Fuller has said that he is open to the idea of bringing some former cast members onto the show. William Shatner stated in a recent interview with TVGuide that he would consider an appearance, saying he would do it "If I were useful." Brent Spiner, who played Data on The Next Generation, didn't seem overly optimistic about the idea of reprising his iconic role on the new show, but is high on Fuller as a creative mind.

"I'm not sure if I'd want to be a part of it, having done, at this point, 180-some hours of Star Trek. But I'd certainly like to work with Bryan Fuller."

The picture is starting to come together for Star Trek: Discovery, but it is probably about to get a lot more clear. AICN also revealed that Fuller is planning to "spoiler it up" on August 10 during the Star Trek panel at Television Critics Association summer press tour. Be sure to stay tuned, as we will be keeping you up to date as more details on the show become available. Star Trek: Discovery is set to debut on the CBS All-Access streaming service in January.