EAS Today

Starfleet Academy: Comment on Premise and Trailer

The concept of a Starfleet Academy series has been proposed time and again. One early example from the 1980's is Harve Bennett's pitch for a prequel about Kirk and Spock's cadet years. This idea resurfaced in various forms over the decades. Yet, it never gained traction among fans. Polls on Trek sites and forums prior to 2017 consistently showed overwhelming support for settings like post-"Nemesis", the "Lost Era" (2293–2364) or future scenarios. Prequels and "Academy" concepts were always at the bottom of the list.

Some may argue that fan preferences have changed in recent years. Others see the fandom as saturated or even frustrated, so much that any new series would be given a hard time. Perhaps Starfleet Academy is the Trek that the franchise needs now, and we just don't know yet we want to see it?

Starfleet Academy (SFA) is set in the far future and not yet another prequel. So far, so good. Unfortunately it is not a popular future but the one established in Discovery. Although Discovery finally left behind its canon issues and became watchable since season 3, it never gained broad appreciation. The storytelling revolved around galaxy-ending stakes and Michael Burnham as the Savior - a formula that wore thin in each of the three seasons set in that era. Also, 32nd century design feels bland, and starships with their detached nacelles are awkward. Despite possible success in Paramount+ streaming metrics, Discovery never captured the hearts of fans like Picard season 3 or like much of Strange New Worlds. In this light, the direct spin-off Starfleet Academy has a difficult starting position.

Although it is not remotely as accursed as "Section 31" was before it even aired, SFA's reception is polarized. This may have to do with general dislike for the premise but also with some specific creative directions. The trailer, released in July 2025, currently sits at 11k upvotes and 11k downvotes on YouTube. It looks somewhat generic to start with, but that's often the nature of trailers. We can see a number of hybrid characters, including Klingon-with-other-race combinations for some reason, according to the preliminary character descriptions. Most notably, a female Jem'Hadar is introduced and explained as being a Klingon/Jem'Hadar hybrid. I hope this will make sense in a story or in her backstory, rather than being a mere shorthand for "This is the future - anything is possible". Let's wait and see. The cast is visibly diverse, which I generally don't have a problem with. But right now, the diversity feels more like a self-purpose ("We all want and have to be diverse, don't we?") than something organically tied to the story. Again, let's reserve judgment.

The trailer attempts to connect with young people's emotions and addresses themes that may resonate with them. This is a good thing because after all the young cadets are in the focus. Yet, it comes across a bit like a high school or a coming-of-age series about love and feelings, dancing and feelings, feelings and feelings. On the other extreme end of the emotional scale, there is one element that stands out, and not in a good way. It is the chanting: "Duty, Honor, Service!" The last time Trek gave us something like that was "Red Squad, Red Squad!" in DS9: "Valiant", and we all remember how that ended. Last time in Germany was in 1945, by the way. It just doesn't belong in Trek.

The EMH (Robert Picardo) is back, clearly included to draw in old fans like me, who adore him. Maybe we'll get an explanation for why he looks older (but not 800 years older). Then again, Trek producers may have grown tired of inventing excuses for such issues unless they can turn them into stories.

Holly Hunter plays the Academy Chancellor. She's an accomplished actress, no doubt. But she doesn't feel at home in the captain's chair. The way she sits down, with her knees pressed together like a shy girl on a bus, doesn't demonstrate leadership. Her speech to the cadets is restrained, even though she's doing nothing less than welcome them to Starfleet. I like her thoughtfulness, but she is somehow disconnected from the role. Hopefully this isn't another Geneviève Bujold situation (the Canadian actress once quit Voyager after a few scenes as Nicole Janeway, visibly uncomfortable on the bridge). On the plus side, Hunter speaks with her natural Southern accent as far as I can tell. She sounds much more pleasant than fellow Lanthanite Pelia (Carol Kane), whose performance in SNW has been disappointing - more weird than wise. Maybe we all get weird after 800 years? Anyway, let's hope Hunter's character goes in a different direction.

Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) is the regular villain of the show. He's another hybrid, this time Klingon/Tellarite. There seems to be a personal connection between him and someone at the Academy. However, does the series need a villain at all? I've made my stance clear in many previous reviews: Trek is better without individual, mustache-twirling villains. The Klingons, Borg or Breen were sustainable, credible antagonists. But all the Khan clones? Not so much. Giamatti whistles the Star Trek theme at the end of the trailer, breaking the fourth wall. I don't understand why some fans are upset about that. Let the creators have fun with gimmicks, as long as they don't mess with the characters, storylines or canon.

On the topic of canon, there's a lot of namedropping in the trailer: the James T. Kirk building, a cadet researching Sisko's fate (is that contrived shot part of an actual episode?), a memorial wall with dozens of familiar names. That's a lot of references packed into a short trailer. Starfleet Academy clearly wants to be a firm part of the franchise. Whether it can live up to the legacy of those names is a different question. We've already had the adult comedy (Lower Decks) and the teen Trek (Prodigy), both mostly successful with the fans. I could even imagine Star Trek: Emergency Room or Star Trek: CSI. The universe is big enough for that, and maybe for a Star Trek: 90210 as well, if the centerpiece remains intact.

For me and for most fans I know, the centerpiece of Trek has always been exploration. Going where no one has gone before, with a bold leader and a crew of committed and competent officers (plus maybe a few newbies like Chekov or Nog). I don't know whether this works with a bunch of cadets who are wet behind the ears. The Academy has a ship (or *is* a ship?) named USS Athena. It appears to be the Defiant of this series, providing the space action that the campus in San Francisco naturally doesn't have to offer. The bridge design looks good, but the exterior is... ugly. We'll definitely get some exploration, not just high school drama.

But can Starfleet Academy be the centerpiece of the franchise? It may have to, as Strange New Worlds will end after Season 5, and no new series has been announced. If SFA gets renewed, it could be the only Trek series left. Right now, it doesn't seem strong and relevant enough to carry the franchise. The future of Trek is uncertain, especially after the Paramount-Skydance merger. Kurtzman's time may be coming to an end. So maybe I should want Starfleet Academy not only to succeed but to become *the* Star Trek. Still, like most fans I talk to, I'd much rather see Star Trek: Legacy as proposed by Terry Matalas. And no, Akiva Goldsman's brainchild, the SNW sequel aka TOS remake, doesn't have my support.

I wish Starfleet Academy good luck. I didn't downvote the trailer, in case you're wondering.

Bernd Schneider

Archive

By clicking above, you agree that Twitter runs scripts to track you. If this widget shows "Nothing to see here", try to lower your browser's security settings for this site.