At Home with Tech

Sure, it might have been fun to trash “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” over the past months as many reviewers did. If their goal was to help get the series cancelled, then I suppose they’re happy now. But no true Trekkie can be pleased with the resulting void.

As a core fan throughout my life, I must admit there were a few ‘details’ to complain about with this show. The freshman season of “Starfleet Academy” was certainly a mixed bag.

A Bumpy Freshman Year

The series began slowly and introduced us to a batch of unknown Starfleet Academy cadets. We also had fragments from the Discovery crew and an unusual captain Aki (played by Holly Hunter) who liked to walk around in her bare feet. Then, there was the return of the famous Doctor from “Star Trek: Voyager” (played by Robert Picardo).

So, there were some interesting ingredients here, even without a break-out star character. 

But the storytelling is what’s always most important…. Was it any good?

Well, the first half of the season focused primarily on cadet backstories, and we really didn’t get into compelling “Star Trek” plots until the last few episodes.

By then, it was too late.

It’s Dead, Jim 

The viewers apparently never showed up. Season 1 finished its run. And Paramount promptly announced the series had been cancelled.

Season 2 had already been shot. (Principal photography was mostly wrapped before season 1’s first episode even premiered.) But it didn’t matter.

Yes, we’ll eventually get to see season 2, but our cadets from “Starfleet Academy” won’t get past their sophomore year on Paramount+.

There’s really no way to spin this other than “Starfleet Academy” failed.

How could the warp core implode like this?

Navigating in the Dark

You can take issue with the characters and the storytelling. You might debate that the style was a parsec too far from traditional “Star Trek” we know and love. And you can say the producers abandoned the Trekkie base in search of a younger demographic that never showed up.

Fine. There’s plenty to quibble about.

But how strong was the first season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation?” 

“Star Trek: Discovery” needed a total retrofit after its first season.

Said another way, the producers fixed those problems. They were offered some time to do that. 

But “Starfleet Academy” was set up to navigate its fate without the benefit of any viewer feedback. No ratings. No chance to course correct. 

Absence of Strong Scripts

In time, one could see this show find its footing. But time was the one variable “Starfleet Academy” didn’t have.

You can blame this on Alex Kurtzman, who’s been behind all new “Trek” over the past nine years. You can blame Paramount. You can blame the high cost per episode.

Ultimately, I blame the writers. Strong storytelling and good science fiction plots are critical for any successful “Star Trek” series. And I would say there wasn’t enough of either in season 1.

There are likely any number of reasons that I’m not privy to which contributed to “Starfleet Academy’s” early demise. But I believe my core logic as a simple ‘consumer’ still holds.

It’s All Cancelled

So where does this leave us? “Star Trek” as we currently know it has ended.

• “Starfleet Academy” is now a dead series walking with one more season.
• “Strange New Worlds” has wrapped shooting its fifth and final season containing only 6 episodes. (I think ‘cancellation’ also applies here.)
• There’s no “Star Trek” on the horizon other than a ‘promised’ movie reboot in theaters with few details to date.

“Star Trek” in series form has seemingly ended.

As a Trekkie, I find that entirely discouraging.

Nothing Left to Celebrate?


Sure, there are rumors regarding what might come next. Perhaps we’d get “Star Trek: Legacy” which would be a spinoff from “Star Trek: Picard” or maybe “Star Trek: Year One,” which would be the spinoff from “Strange New Worlds” (Kirk’s first year in the Enterprise’s captain’s chair).

But we’re pretty much eating static right now.

I suppose there’s always time for Paramount to keep the series format alive. We’ve still got season 2 of “Starfleet Academy” and seasons 4/5 of “Strange New Worlds” to watch.

Though those episodes will come and go quickly…

In this moment, the “Star Trek” universe at its 60^th anniversary looks rather bleak. Not much to celebrate.

But as Kirk once said, (at the end of “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan”) “There are always possibilities.”

Hailing frequencies remain open.