Star Trek Officially Makes Franchise History With Starfleet Academy

by

It’s fitting that the first new series celebrating the 60th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe centers on the next generation of Starfleet officers. The idea of a show set at Starfleet Academy has been around since the very beginning of Star Trek. This new series, Starfleet Academy, marks the first time a single Star Trek show has spawned two direct spin-offs.

The new series Starfleet Academy is set roughly 300 years in the future, immediately following the conclusion of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 – similar to how Strange New Worlds connected to Discovery’s Season 2 finale. Discovery kicked off a third wave of Star Trek television shows, but it ended in May 2024, nearly two years before Starfleet Academy premiered on Paramount+. Interestingly, Discovery was the first Star Trek series to directly lead to multiple spin-offs. It’s also considered the most debated show in the franchise, due to its complex, ongoing storylines, some inconsistencies with established Star Trek history, and its initially darker and more serious tone.

Star Trek TV Series Are All Technically Spinoffs, but Most Stand on Their Own

Initially, the original Star Trek series didn’t quite live up to expectations. Four years later, most of the original actors—with the exception of Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov—reunited for Star Trek: The Animated Series. Later in the 1970s, plans for another spin-off, Star Trek: Phase II, were nearly finalized. However, the popularity of Star Wars and Close Encounters of a Third Kind led Paramount to instead develop that project as a feature film.

I was completely captivated when Star Trek: The Next Generation arrived for the 20th anniversary of the original series – it wasn’t just a continuation, but a bold reimagining! Set nearly 80 years later with a fresh crew and a new vision, it truly felt like a reboot. That success paved the way for Deep Space Nine, and it was amazing to see Captain Picard make an appearance in the first episode. Then came Voyager, building on storylines DS9 had already established, especially with the introduction of the Maquis, and I loved seeing Quark pop up in that pilot too! Finally, Enterprise went back to the beginning, acting as a prequel to the original TOS, and it felt directly inspired by the events we saw unfold in Star Trek: First Contact – a fantastic way to explore that era.

It’s fair to say that every Star Trek series builds on the foundation of The Original Series. However, each show also introduced its own unique stories and characters. Deep Space Nine can be considered a spinoff of The Next Generation due to Captain Picard’s involvement and how events from TNG impacted Captain Sisko. Voyager follows a similar pattern, stemming from the Maquis storyline introduced in DS9, and the ship’s journey actually began from that very space station. Enterprise, though, wasn’t directly connected to any previous series.

Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds Both Build Off the Events of Star Trek: Discovery

The new show isn’t just connected to Discovery – it draws heavily from the events and experiences within that series. Starfleet Academy feels even more like a direct continuation, as it brings back characters like Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr), Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). The Academy was actually reopened thanks to the efforts of the USS Discovery in bringing the galaxy back together after the devastating event known as “the Burn.”

After Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery traveled to the 32nd Century, they found the Federation struggling. A strange disaster had cut off the galaxy’s supply of dilithium, which is essential for warp-speed travel, but the crew of the Discovery managed to fix the problem and restore the dilithium supply. The story begins with the first group of new Starfleet cadets in over 120 years. While Starfleet ships can now travel at warp speed again, the organization has lost some of its former prestige.

Similar to the first two seasons of Discovery, Strange New Worlds is set before the events of The Original Series. While Burnham and her crew traveled 800 years into the future, Captain Pike and his crew are exploring the 23rd century. This new Discovery spinoff happens at the same time as the final seasons of Discovery, which opens the possibility of characters and storylines crossing over between the shows. Discovery itself has now made Star Trek history by becoming the first series to launch two direct spinoffs.

You can find all of Star Trek: Discovery on DVD, Blu-ray, for digital purchase, and streaming on Paramount+. New episodes of Starfleet Academy arrive on Paramount+ every Thursday, and the fourth season of Strange New Worlds is anticipated to premiere in 2026.

Read More

2026-01-14 17:08