Technically, you're beholden to CBS who could pull the show from its available online library at any time. As I understand it, you pay CBS for access to their streaming service -- just like Netflix -- and what's supposed to make you want to do that is the content they make available to you -- like Star Trek.
Essentially, this is no different from HBO putting Game of Thrones behind a subscription paywall, which nobody bats an eye at, or Netflix putting Daredevil behind its own paywall, which nobody bats an eye at, or Amazon putting The Man in the High Castle behind its own paywall, which....well, you get the idea.
Yeah, I get you Dan, It is always going to be about money because they need to cover expe. That said, I'd expect that CBS will put the new show both on Bluray, and on other services like XBox Live, Amazon Video, and the Apple iTunes store for purchase. So, you can pay for the season (or per episode), or you can pay CBS for access to their whole library.
So, yeah, it's about money, but...so what? To my way of thinking, the only reason people would be pissed about this is that they used to be able to get Trek for free in reruns, or live on network TV. I'm guessing CBS has seen the success of HBO's streaming service -- driven in large part by people wanting to see Game of Thrones -- and figured they'd do the same with Trek. It's not "sticking it to the fans," and CBS has no obligation to make the show available to you for free just because you really love the brand.
) and because of that the franchise has had a multitude of VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases over the years all of which can be bought relatively cheaply on eBay. So I was just curious as to why the OP dosen't want to buy physical copies of the show, if he's worried about it dissapearing from streaming services at the drop of a hat.
