Paramount+ has just announced the addition of a brand new original series to the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set to follow a group of young cadets "as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy." While no casting announcements have been made yet for the new series, which was first teased back in 2021, Alex Kurtzman will be serving as an executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Noga Landau. In a shared statement, the duo has dropped a few hints about when the series might take place within the franchise, and where it falls in the spectrum of Star Trek's current offerings.
“Admission is now open to Starfleet Academy! Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!”
With the knowledge that this class of Starfleet cadets is the first "in over a century," its very likely that this show will be set in the Discovery era of Star Trek, which is certainly welcome news for fans of the Sonequa Martin-Green-led series. In Season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, we saw Mary Wiseman's Tilly take a sabbatical and spend some time at Starfleet Academy to explore other avenues besides serving aboard the titular starship. With the announcement that Discovery would be ending with its upcoming fifth season, which is slated to hit Paramount+ sometime in early 2024, getting to extend our time in this part of the universe would be a welcome addition to the franchise. It could also allow for guest appearances from the Disco crew, whom many fans are not ready to say goodbye to yet. Production on Starfleet Academy is set to begin in 2024.
More Spin-Off Opportunities with Star Trek: Legacy
Starfleet Academy is not the only Star Trek spin-off series that fans have been clamoring for recently. Star Trek: Picard is currently airing its third and final season, and with a mere handful of episodes left, fans do not want this story to end—and recent episodes have set up a lot of future potential. Season 3 has delivered the introduction of a "next generation" of The Next Generation, with Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Beverly Crusher's (Gates McFadden) secret child at the center of it all. Showrunner Terry Matalas mentioned on Twitter that if Paramount+ were to greenlight a spin-off series it would be called Star Trek: Legacy. If the show were to continue, and we sure hope it does, we would likely see a series following both the newly introduced offspring of the TNG crew, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Alandra La Forge (Mica Burton), as well as the future of a few legacy characters themselves like Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and Raffi (Michelle Hurd). Star Trek legend Jonathan Frakes even told Fansided that he "could be like Charlie in Charlie’s Angels, the admiral they check in with."
New episodes of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 are currently available every Thursday on Paramount+. Check out our recent chat with Matalas and keep scrolling for the official synopsis for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.