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Comic-Con: 'Star Trek: Discovery' is launching 'Short Treks' episodes, adding Mr. Spock

SAN DIEGO – "Star Trek: Discovery" is boldly spawning some side missions into the franchise's final frontier.

Four standalone "Star Trek: Short Treks" episodes will roll out monthly this fall on CBS All Access streaming service. Each will run 10 to 15 minutes , and lead up to the second season of the sci-fi show  in January.

Rainn Wilson reprises his role as cosmic con man Harry Mudd in a short he's also directing. In another mini-episode, Aldis Hodges debuts a new character named Craft, who discovers he's the only human aboard a deserted starship. Doug Jones' alien Saru gets a backstory, as the first Kelpien to join Starfleet, while ambitious officer Ensign Sylva Tilly (Mary Wiseman) gets a solo adventure aboard the U.S.S. Discovery and a new friend.

A new trailer for the second season of "Discovery" was unveiled at Comic-Con, providing the first look at new cast member Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, an iconic character from the 'Trek" mythology and captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise who takes control of the Discovery.

Mount said that growing up in Tennessee, he watched every episode of the 1960s "Star Trek" by the time he was 10. "Every day I walk on that set, I have to pinch myself. It is so surreal to be in 'Star Trek.' "

Jones revealed that the show will travel to Saru's home planet; Anthony Rapp teased "fun stuff about redshirts"; and Mount said  fans will also get to meet "the original Number One," a character played by Majel Barrett who only appeared in the unaired pilot episode ("The Cage") of the original 1960s "Trek" series. "I can't tell you who it is, but her initials are Rebecca Romijn," Mount quipped.

Executive producer Alex Kurtzmann also confirmed that arguably the most famous "Trek" character of them all, Mr. Spock, will appear on "Discovery." (He also happens to be the foster brother of the show's main character Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green).