Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will officially end after Season 2. There’s a sense in which Starfleet Academy Season 1 was something of a 60th anniversary celebration for the entire Star Trek franchise. It was a story full of unexpected homages and surprise sequels, blended with a narrative style clearly aimed straight at Gen Z. Starfleet Academy Season 2 had actually wrapped production before the Season 1 finale had even aired.
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Variety has confirmed that Season 2 is the end of the road for the cadets of the USS Athena, however. “We’re incredibly proud of the ambition, passion, and creativity that went into bringing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to life,” CBS Studios and Paramount+ said in an official statement.
“The series introduced audiences to a bold new group of characters, welcomed familiar faces, and expanded the ‘Star Trek’ universe in exciting new ways. We’re grateful to Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau, Gaia Violo, and the entire cast and crew who pushed storytelling boundaries in the spirit of Gene Roddenberry’s vision. We look forward to sharing the upcoming second and final season with everyone, and continuing to celebrate the cast, crew, and all that was accomplished with this series.”
Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek Era Isn’t Over
Starfleet Academy‘s cancellation doesn’t come as a massive surprise, though. The show was an odd mix of nostalgia and Gen Z storytelling, meaning it struggled to find its audience. While lessons were no doubt learned for the second season, it’s clearly a case of too little, too late. The real irony, though, comes in the fact the Season 1 finale felt like it wrapped up all the stories perfectly; in contrast, there are reports Season 2 ends on something rather like a cliffhanger. This particular cancellation feels rather messy.
More concerning, though, is the surprising fact we’ve come to the end of an 11-year Star Trek streak in which there was always either another show greenlit or in production. Both Strange New Worlds Season 5 and Starfleet Academy Season 2 have already been shot, and the future beyond them is uncertain. Still, Variety note that visionary Alex Kurtzman (the man behind the current incarnation of Trek) is currently in talks with CBS Studios for a new deal that will keep him in the fold during the ongoing corporate restructures.
Kurtzman’s tenure as steward of Star Trek has been fairly controversial. Gene Roddenberry preferred a more utopian future, but Kurtzman is more interested in pointing out the dark side of the Federation; Starfleet Academy Season 1’s ending felt like an interrogation of this, complete with the Federation put on trial. That said, he’s a competent and capable individual, responsible for massive hits such as Discovery and Strange New Worlds. It’s easy to see why CBS would want to keep him on board as studios and networks decide the future of Star Trek.
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