Star Trek | Paramounts Starfleet Academy is a Total Disaster

Rumors of a Star Trek TV series set in the United Federation’s academy have floated around the internet for years, though it’s only now that it would become a reality. Would the series serve as an origin story, showing, like in the 2009 film, us more of how Kirk, Spock, Bones and friends first met, or would it be a far-future timeline with a bunch of unknown adolescent teens? Well, we’ve had that answer for sometime now and it’s incredibly depressing.

_{Photo courtesy of Paramount}

Starfleet Academy

The new series titled “Starfleet Academy” will debut with its first two episodes on Jan. 15, 2026, with new episodes dropping weekly thereafter through March 12 on Paramount+. The announcement was made during the “Star Trek” Universe panel at New York Comic-Con this past week where the first trailer was shown.

Set in the wake of Star Trek Discovery’s finale, Starfleet Academy will see the revived Federation begin to build a new generation of young Starfleet officers.

_{Photo courtesy of Paramount}

To be honest, I’ve had a bad feeling about it for many reasons, including the fact that it was designed with younger fans in mind (Never mind your core fans). After seeing the trailer, it appears we are bombarded with something that looks like it was conceived by a bunch of executives that had no idea what Star Trek was about. A Starfleet Academy series is the right idea, but this is a disaster waiting to happen.

_{Photo courtesy of Paramount}

Everything I’ve heard about Starfleet Academy so far has felt largely rudderless, so I wasn’t expecting much, but this trailer plays a like a reel that’s designed with only younger fans of today’s mindset in mind. Everything looks the same, it’s showcasing many of the same things we’ve seen recently with series like Star Trek: Discovery and the animated Lower Decks, by going out of its way to deliberately portray social and political issues that plague todays world. Most people want to escape from reality not be reminded of it.

_{Photo courtesy of Paramount}

Beneath it all, the trailer exposes Paramount’s most dangerous habit — an assumption that everyone is okay with a “teen drama” designed to attract a new, younger audience. With Starfleet Academy, Paramount isn’t courting long-time fans; it’s attempting to funnel new subscribers to its failing Paramount+ streaming platform. The series’ entire premise will explore adolescent themes like identity, relationships, diversity, sexual orientation, political and social issues. It’s a decision that feels less like world-building and more like an internal memo — one written by executives who are assuming people binging Paramount+ are begging to tune in to see a mix of young newcomers and a few Star Trek veterans sprinkled throughout dealing with today’s social issues. It’s a dangerous bet, and Paramount has not handled recent Star Trek projects well as of late.

_{Photo courtesy of Paramount}

Executives at Paramount would be wise to cater to their established fandom and hope new fans join, as opposed to trying to bring in new fans at the risk of its established core. Trying to stretch it into something it’s not will only drive fans away. With all the potential options that Paramount has at its fingertips, Starfleet Academy seems poised to explore the least interesting stories possible.

Look! Star Trek isn’t going to die a permanent death but we’re certainly not seeing content that’s significant, measurable, with a noticeable impact to remain relevant and successful moving forward. It’s safe to say Starfleet Academy will most likely die a slow death. This is a disaster for Paramount. People just aren’t interested in watching another series that’s just a political soapbox for writers to preach current politics.

On a positive note, the trailer features actor Paul Giamatti, who may emerge as the series’ lone bright spot. Giamatti always brings a genuine warmth and emotion to the roles he plays.

The series first teaser trailer received a rather divided reaction online. Check it out below. If you can bare to stomach it.

Chad Stevens is a freelance writer who has contributed to StarWarsNewsNet.com, MovieNewsNet.com, Outerplaces.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow me on X @RealChadStevens to talk about Star Wars, Star Trek, Apple computers, politics, and more.