Since it was announced in early 2023 details on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy have been limited. Now the man in charge of developing new Star Trek for Paramount+ is talking about the YA-focused series, including when it might arrive and the impact Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome is having in the writers’ room.
Season 1 will have 10 episodes, may not premiere until 2026
Attending SXSW for the Star Trek: Discovery sneak preview on Monday in Austin, TX, Alex Kurtzman talked to Collider about the next Star Trek show in the pipeline: Starfleet Academy. Kurtzman confirmed the first season will have 10 episodes, as is customary for Paramount+ Trek series. The double strikes of 2023 paused work for the series. The writers started up again last fall but now shooting is expected in late summer. Kurtzman explained how the first season of a new show often takes the longest to produce, as everything is being built for the first time, which could mean the show is still well over a year away from arriving:
“It could end up not airing until 2026. We don’t know. But by starting [shooting in late summer], just building the sets alone is a massive endeavor, then six months of shooting, then six to eight months of post. If you recall, there was all this noise around season 1 and season 2 of Discovery because the streaming service, they were like, ‘Oh, it’s like a turnaround on a cop show.’ I’m like, ‘No, you don’t understand. It’s eight months of visual effects turnaround, and we’re not gonna rush that.’ So, it’ll come out, but it’ll come out when it’s done.”
When asked how the academic calendar could affect the plot, and if new students would arrive each season or if the series would follow one class throughout their careers, Kurtzman said the format of the show would “allow for both of those things to happen.” A series based on the adventures of a young academy crew has been a popular concept since the 1980s and was almost the basis for Star Trek VI. Aspects of the idea were incorporated into the 2009 movie, but the concept will get its full exploration for the first time in Starfleet Academy.
Tawny Newsome bringing the spirit of Lower Decks into Academy
Kurtzman’s description of the tone of Starfleet Academy made it clear the show is about education vs. the confident, experienced Starfleet crews in previous Star Trek shows:
“There’s a lot of different kids from a lot of different places. Some of them want to be there, some of them don’t want to be there. It’s gonna be a fundamental reinforcement of all the things we love about Starfleet, in general.” Kurtzman explained. The writing team includes Tawny Newsome, who stars in Lower Decks, and Kurtzman said “it feels like the spirit of that show has somehow also migrated into Starfleet in some ways.”
Starfleet Academy won’t alienate die-hard fans
Throughout the interview, Kurtzman was notably silent on details pertaining to the plot of the show. He didn’t describe any characters or even confirm what time period the show will be set, although TrekMovie’s recent interview with Doug Jones matches fan speculation that it will be set in Discovery‘s 32nd century.
Without getting into specifics, Kurtzman said that creating a new Star Trek series brings with it the unique challenge of satisfying core fans while offering something compelling to new audiences:
“You have to make sure that you are also pleasing people who have been around and are die-hard TOS fans, die-hard Next Gen fans, whatever iteration of Trek is yours. You cannot alienate those people. You actually also have to invite them to the tent. So the challenge is how do you do that while also bringing Trek to a new generation of fans that have no experience with those shows, has never watched those shows?”
On a more philosophical note, Kurtzman talked about wanting to answer fundamental questions about the Star Trek universe and how it came to be, indicating that Starfleet Academy will continue Star Trek’s tradition of optimism and hope for the future:
“How did we get here? How has this generation inherited the mistakes from previous generations? And what are we gonna do to fix it, to build that optimistic future that is Roddenberry’s essential vision?’ That is very much going to be at the heart of Starfleet Academy.”
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
Looking forward to seeing this show.
I was too, until I read this article.
I second that emotion. (I know, its not logical) . I really hope that this show is not set in the 32nd century. I also hope that Tilly is not involved. You talk about not alienating fans while alienating fans.
you have issues
Anyway, given the way things are going in hollywood nowadays, there is chance this show may not see the light of day. Hollywood has lost a lot of money, not to mention the course corrections that are currently taking place. Paramount like all studios likes making money. Star Wars spent billions trying to upend Star Wars. How did that work out?
I think setting the timeline of a series around a show that has been polarizing and somewhat lukewarm to most of the fandom is a mistake. Set it during the show during the ‘strange new worlds’ era. That would be cool.
Me too! It’s better that they take their time to get the show right than rush it and it sucks. It’s a wise decision.
The writing team includes Tawny Newsome, who stars in Lower Decks, and Kurtzman said “it feels like the spirit of that show has somehow also migrated into Starfleet in some ways.”
OMG, WTF? Please, Nooooooooo!
Yeah, “zany” is not something I want to see at Starfleet Academy.
Of course, Jim Kirk was said to be “a stack of books with legs” during his Academy years, and that doesn’t sound like something with wide appeal, even though *I* would like it. So I understand that they need to inject some humor or drama into the show and can’t just have everyone grimly studying. But please DO make the students serious people who care about Starfleet and about doing the right thing!
How do you know she’ll bring ‘zany’ to it? Just because that’s the character she plays on Lower Decks? That doesn’t mean that’s her personal default writing style.
The article explicitly stated that she was bringing a Lower Decks vibe to the writer’s room.
Plus, she ad libs some of her stuff for LD.
Yeah, I mean, it’s quite obvious from what the article says.
No… it said nothing of the “vibe” … it stated that she would bring the spirit of the show.
I fail to see much of a difference between “spirit” and “vibe” in the context of what’s in the article and Coyrlea’s comment?
“Vibe” and “Spirit of” are indeed different.
Would you be confident placing a large wager on that in Vegas?
(No, I think not!) ;-)
Where does it say that she will bring “zany”??? It was said that it will bring the spirit of Lower Decks… to me, that means the close friendships of the lower decks crew. And I would think that would translate well to the Academy series… different recruits tossed together that form strong friendships and bonds. I don’t know why people here are so negative.
No kidding. This news makes me even more unenthusiastic about the show.
Saved by the Bell: SFA Edition
The keep ham-fistedly trying to narrowcast all these shows to a specific demographic (kiddie shows, comedy lovers, musical lovers, young adults, etc.). Yet somehow, the most successful of the lot. — indeed arguably the *only* successful one of the lot creatively — is PICARD.
Sooner or later, it’s going to flop. I think SFA will be the one that flops.
Have you forgotten about Strange New Worlds? It’s gotten ratings at least as good as those of Picard and has been nominated for a bunch of awards.
We also don’t know how the other shows fared in the ratings before they decided to include P+. I suspect that Discovery would have made several appearances, especially during its years on Netflix.
It’s a loaded question, because for years, we haven’t seen streaming ratings. Those were the first two Trek series to be rated by Nielsen, and I believe they did similar numbers. The bigger question is one of financial success. Shows produced for a streamer are not the same as convenential, because ratings only say why you’re getting subscribers. With the streaming wars all but over, with most reaching a point of stability below what they hoped for.. it’s going to shift from shows that were baked into an operating budget (and inflated beyond their operational income during the time they were trying to grow the streamer), it will soon be how can they monetize them to make money as a profit endeavor, like theatrical movies and broadcast TV. and/or licensing to other streaming services for money, physical media sales, etc. I say all that just to say… we have no idea what the disposition for Paramount plus is, until there is a sale.. and that will greatly effect the future of this show. I just don’t think ratings is going to have a lot to do with it, unless they feel there is enough indication from numbers to have it survive whatever happens with this streaming platform. Could be a merger, could go away completely. Would they license shows to another network / streamer? Too many questions to know and understand what effect ratings will have on the future of these.
Heyberto basically responded for me, but the one point I would add is that Paramount seems to be a distressed situation these days; this is one reason why I’m a bit skeptical that these shows are quite the hits that they may appear to be from the rankings.
Having said that, this is why I spoke of the shows’ success creatively. Obviously individual views will vary, but it seems to me that to the extent we have a critical consensus, it’s that PICARD is the best of the lot.
It’s certainly generated the most buzz online out of all of them. The victory lap the cast and crew has been doing on the convention circuit is nothing short of incredible, and speaks to how adored it was. I don’t feel that same energy out of the fanbase about any other show. BUT.. How the braintrust behind Trek has made decisions about the franchise from Trek 09 to now is beyond puzzling. I don’t know what is deemed successful by the studio to continue, to rework, or to go a totally different direction.So much of their effort has been to prop up Trek to be something it’s not. Having released feature films in the 80’s & 90s has skewed perception of what this franchise is. Perhaps it’s not for the big screen anymore? Personally, whether big screen or small, I just think they need to find a point of stability. It’s not a blockbuster type franchise. So cater to the fans.. after 15 years of trying to make it a bigger property than it is, that’s the best path to success. Trek is more Dr. Who than Star Wars. Time to accept it.
SNW has had multiple eps in the Top 10 of Streaming shows.
It’s weird to me that you’d say that, since – with all due respect to the many talented artists of all disciplines who put their hearts into the show – I personally think Picard is the least creatively successful TV show in the current era of the franchise. But different strokes and all that.
Let’s be honest… anything but a 1:1 rehash of “the originals” would have had you be unenthusiastic…
Everyone don’t judge Tawny Newsome’s talent as a writer until after the episodes air! it’s not fair to Ms. Newsome and the people putting together the show. My suggestion is be patient.
I think the Lower Decks vibe makes *more* sense at SFA — they’re young adults! They need to make mistakes in order to learn how to become SF officers. Did nobody hang or out have fun in their college years?
I was just hoping for more Kobayashi Maru-type stuff, and less comedic stuff like Badgey and Moopsie showing up for gags.
Well, yeah, cartoon comedies need visual gags like that because it’s animation. I guess I mean the vibe of everyone anxious or trying to figure things out with some comedic outcomes at times.
I suspect there will be a lot more Kobayashi Maru-type stuff than you think. Can easily see them getting hooked on some alien substance while trying to cram a study session and the episode being equal parts funny (as they Naked Time there way through the night) and serious (using drugs to achieve or whatever).
These will be hour-long episodes, right? If they try to make every episode like “Charades” or “Those Old Scientists” I think it will be a huge mistake, but I don’t think they’re going to do that.
I certainly hope you and Silvereyes are right on this.
Let’s not forget that TNG episode where Wesley was trying out to get into the Academy. The tests were very grueling and there was nothing Lower Decks vibe about it, even if I do love that show. So hopefully they’ll keep the levity to an appropriate level (no Moopsy).
There’s a helluva lot of selective memory being exercised from folks imagining life at Starfleet Academy. Kirk a “walking stack of books with legs”. Picard pining for the days of students learning about hon-or and due-tee. The Academy is still a bunch of young adults likely away from home for the first time, and for every ramrod straight plebe with a stick up their @$$ I’d imagine there are plenty of Finnegan’s to keep them grounded. As Trek alluded that enlisted personnel also went to the Academy, there’s room for some storytelling here. There’s room for some storytelling here, and it’s way to early to be writing this off as a failure.
It would be interesting if they almost took a Starship Troopers approach to this. You have a bunch of friends that all hang out and stuff but when they graduate, one becomes a Lieutenant and one becomes a Lower decker and they have to go on a mission together where all of a sudden ranks are pulled and friendships get. Strained.
My son gave the Navy eight years. S**tty pay, but, hey, submarines! He was always ‘Dad, it’s a job’. Starfleet Academy is a really fuzzy part of Trek lore (I’m not well versed in the non-canon stuff). It’s also established that everyone who serves goes to the academy, but it’s a huge stretch to think that some maintenance or security schmuck went to the same command school that officers do. So, I’d imagine the show will have to flesh that out a bit, and also that the entirety of the academy isn’t likely in San Francisco. There’s room for some creative storytelling here – those whining about the format (that no one’s seen yet) are forgetting that there was a lot of hand wringing over DS9 because it wasn’t a ship and crew “boldly going” show. DS9 ended up being what’s in my opinion, the best Trek show produced. So we’ll have to wait and see….
I’m not sure it’ll be that drastic.. but I expect that weird tone of the SNW crossover episode. Fart jokes, and 21st century colloquialisms will likely abound.
After being a total straight-arrow in high school (I only cut one day, to help a friend move into his first apartment), I pretty much ‘majored’ in The Viking Lounge at West Valley JC till I was suspended. In other words, I spent my time playing pool and smoking. I didn’t start out that way, but I found pretty soon that even if I got to the school a half-hour early, I could still spend an hour cruising for a parking spot … and that happened nearly every damned day. Even the cost of gasoline was killing me, and I was driving a car that only got 7miles to the gallon, so I actually had the experience of running out of gas near school, then running out again before I got back to my job later that same day. I have no good memories of college at all, but then again, I never learned how to study in grade school, and so the chickens came home to roost with a vengeance for me in professional terms w/ no college, and I really have been mired in crap jobs ever since. I’ve even lost writing gigs from outlets that already know my work once they realize there is no kind of sheepskin at all.
Dude, you are such a buzz kill.
:-)
Seriously, that sucks — I feel for you!
“You have to make sure that you are also pleasing people who have been around and are die-hard TOS fans, die-hard Next Gen fans, whatever iteration of Trek is yours. You cannot alienate those people. You actually also have to invite them to the tent.”
It’s pretty obvious he’s been reading social media and messages boards since the #1 complaint from old TOS and TNG fans is that the show isn’t going to be for them and why more of them are pushing for the Legacy show.
But since I’m actually looking forward to this (cautiously) that’s good to hear for some of the doubters.
But 2026, wow! If LDS doesn’t get renewed again that means SNW could be the only Trek show happening in 2025 now. Prodigy would need two years minimum even if that got renewed tomorrow.
Depressing.
TOS fans moaned when TNG came along and it’s been the same whenever there was a new Trek show that fans of the previous itineration complained.
As a TOS fan, I still think S1 of TNG is pretty crappy Trek, and I know many, many fans of both TOS and TNG who basically agree with me on S1. It’s not like that season has improved over the years. So I am not sure what your point is exactly?
Season 1 is vintage TNG, in my opinion. Season 2 as well.
Nothing will ever top Measure of a Man.
Most of the “moaning” went away pretty quickly (at least after S1) once TNG’s quality became clear. We’re now seven years after DISCO premiered. The current moaning is continuing for a reason.
I think with only a few glorious exceptions that s2 is at least as bad, enough that I actually gave up on the series and only came back after s3 had already started when I heard they finally had an open submission policy. Outside of the VFX, I saw no reason for a show like TIME SQUARED to exist (I did submit a spec that leveraged very heavily off stock reuse of those ‘Ent on the brink’ shots), and pretty much feel the same way about the aired version of THE ROYALE, and I never ever got all the way through LOUD AS A WHISPER. Except for MEASURE, MATTER OF HONOR and QWHO, I pretty much write the whole season off, as while eps like CONTAGION and PEAK PERF are okay, they aren’t anything special.
Picard vs a giant cat lol
Is that a pussygalore joke?
Yes very true. I think in this case though if you don’t like Discovery or the premise of this show I get the apprehension. But hopefully people will be won over.
That was a unique circumstance though. TNG was the first time ever fans had to deal with the idea that Trek does not have to revolver around Kirk and Spock. And even then by season 3 lots were on board. I think with DS9 it took even less time to get people on board. But I do see your point.
I’d argue that the backlash to TNG was short lived. It improved by a mile after Season 3. I know people have bigger microphones now. but if anyone was not happy with TNG they just moved on or came around on it. There is a large segment of the fanbase that just hasn’t come around on this iteration.
I’m sorry but that comparison just isn’t anywhere near the same situation and magnitude at all.
I agree about him reading those message boards! I feel like Star Trek should be an easy sell with its built in fandom but it’s becoming so polarized that they might not be getting the returned they expect from it. That’s just the skeptic in me though. I have no actual facts to support this. Just my own thoughts given the comments in star trek forums etc. Personally I am meh on the starfleet academy show at this point. Just not enough being released for me to be disappointed or excited about it.
I know a new show takes a long time to get up and running but I can’t help but wonder if financial issues are also effecting the turnaround time? I mean some of the stuff from Discovery can surely be reused quite easily? I don’t think everything new is required. After all isn’t that one of the positives for staying in this time period is to save some money on sets, costumes, and cast members? Or maybe I have just misunderstood why they felt the need to make this show?
Yeah, I too think it’s likely that they are stretching out the production for budgetary reasons. There is no reason why they could not have been ready to shoot this Spring, with a Spring 2025 TV schedule set for the series — if budget was not that big of a concern.
correction: Spring 2024 TV Schedule
That and let’s not forget Section 31 probably being the priority by far.
It’s just ridiculous how much time it takes to make these shows. I know Kurtzman made it clear how much time to produce the FX but a ten episode season still shouldn’t take 18 months either.
It probably is a budget issue but you really do appreciate the old shows even more knowing they used to make 25+ episodes in under a year. Now it takes twice as long with less than half the episodes.
And while quality wise they make look better In terms of of story itself the difference is negligible and many times subpar IMO.
Yeah, 2026 is out there a ways. I’m assuming early 2026. Which will still be sooner the Trek 14 hitting the big screen….
I’m guessing 2027 is now the soonest we’ll get another Trek film. I keep readjusting my dates every six months for the last six years now lol.
At this point we probably have to create a red matter black hole and jump to a different universe before we ever see Trek XIV
Gawd, they messed up the 50th now missing the 60th.
It’s pretty depressing the last time we got a great anniversary with a movie was First Contact.
No one seems to be moving heaven and earth to get a movie for the sixtieth. They announced the new prequel movie and its been complete crickets since. They actually have the opportunity to get it made by 2026 but if a TV show they are planning to shoot this summer won’t make it on air until 2026 then yeah a movie usually needs two years minimum and it’s already March and per usual zero movement. Add to that they never said when they expected the film to premiere is another sign that they probably have no hard date on anything.
My guess is it’s just more smoke and mirrors that will quietly die off like all the others.
The best one ever was 25th with ST VI. Thank goodness that was not the Academy outing!
Yep. I’m starting to feel like Trek might just be a little bit cursed.
I dunno. This seems like the same speak we get everytime there is a new “reboot” project coming from anyone in Hollywood anywhere.
The fact that Kurtzman is trying to appeal to old school fans is a desperate reaction to the success of Picard Season 3. I really think that his takeaway from PS3 is that in order for Trek to be successful, it needs to be full of legacy characters, moments, and Easter Eggs. Also, I really think that Kurtzman does NOT want Matalas to run a Legacy show. Kurtzman’s ego seems at play here.
If this is set in the Picard era (I know most indicators are its going to be the post-Burn era) I could see them morphing it into ‘Legacy’ in a sense.
They’re saying this has a Lower Decks energy. We’re focusing on students, young adults, so chances are there will be teachers. I’m thinking Season One will be intro, Season Two would find them on a ship and that ship will be Seven’s Enterprise.
There is history of this. Remember that the Enterprise was, at one point, attached to the Academy as a training vessel.
That actually makes a lot of sense, but I do not think that Kurtzman wants Matalas to run it.
I don’t think they’d have to have Matalas involved if they went this route. By technicality Legacy still happened (thus appeasing the fans demanding it) and their academy show happened too.
Pardon the Trek pun but they’ve had the best of both worlds….
Well they did a fantastic job at doing exactly that, alienating fans.
Exactly when you consider just a little over a year ago they were bragging there would be Star Trek all year round from various shows.
By creating a show based on a thing “diehard fans” have heard about for almost 60 years, they’ve already done the work of catering to or making sure it’s pleasing to these fans. This show is set so far in the future beyond the diehard eras of Trek that they really are free to do something new and great with it!
Anyone in these comments connected to the show, I promise you — I *assure* you — that if you make a great show, you do not have to be concerned with making it accessible to old fans. The quality will win the day. The diehards have had decades of shows and movies aimed at them, for one thing. For another thing, involving them doesn’t have to mean referencing the old stuff or even being reverent to it — you can iterate without directly referencing it! And for one more thing: this series is necessarily a different format than a space-set show and focused on a character set different from pretty much every other series. Lean into the differences and don’t try to make it adhere to the past. Make something good and let we older fans adapt or move on. Quality will allow the show to stand the test of time. Aim to be a great TV show first and the Star Trek stuff second.
Now Kurtzman will be able to sleep at night…phew!
;-)
I hope so! And on a very large pile of money!
So true!
I do love Lower Decks, and I love Tawny Newsome. But a show about Starfleet Academy with a Lower Decks feel just sounds… I dunno, I don’t want to say “bad” because I’ve not yet seen it and thus don’t have an opinion of its quality, positive or negative. I’ll gladly reserve judgment on that. But at the same time, it doesn’t sound “good,” that’s for sure, especially if Tilly ends up added into the mix. I genuinely hope they prove me wrong, because I’ll watch anything with the Star Trek labels on it.
They already said the show will be more comedic months ago, so I don’t think anyone should be too shocked.
But I don’t think it’s going to be LDS slapstick humor but probably more breezy and light like SNW has been. That can be a pretty comedic show as well, certainly more so than DIS or PIC (although season 3 actually had some good laughs).
2 reasons I will give SFA a miss.
1) I gave LD a season and a half and really don’t like it because Mariner has to be the most irritating character in Star Trek right now and the show is just not that funny. I love Futurama and a Star Trek animated show with those writers would really appeal to me. I gave it a chance but I found it hard work.
2) A teenage Sar Trek Academy show with SNW sit com vibe sound just awful. I am not part of the audience that would actually enjoy this type of Trek.
There are plenty of decent Sci Fi shows out there so we are not left wanting, unfortunately for me the future of Star Trek doesn’t look great. It’s all Discovery and it’s spin offs which so far is pretty average Trek.
I am totally behind all you said there, Hammer. Luckily there IS a bunch of great sci-fi out there to check out, it just hasn’t come from SH, imo. I’ll give SFA a try when it starts, but will hardly be waiting with baited breath for it.
I think most people here misunderstood what Kurtzman said when talking about Tandy Newsome. He said: “it feels like the spirit of that show has somehow also migrated into Starfleet in some ways.”
The SPIRIT of the show is not the humor. Sure, Academy will surely have some humor, but that’s not what he’s talking about here. The spirit of LDS is “younger/lower ranked people coming unto their own.” And if you see it like that, that fits really well with an academy show.
I can be wrong, but I don’t think I am. I am not sold on this show, but I am cautiously optimistic. Then again, I always liked YA shows.
Yep I think you nailed it. A lot of young, optimistic people excited to be in space for the first time and discovering themselves. Tendi can be the poster girl of Starfleet Academy in so many ways as long as they ignore her past. ;)
32nd century, hmm? Well, I think it would be fun to see a generational leap with each season, sort of in the way that For All Mankind does it. Or maybe even bigger leaps: first season in the TOS era, second season in the TOS movie era, third season maybe in the “Lost Era” or the TNG era, etc.
You could also have a character of a long-lived species like a Vulcan tie the eras together, and see how they change over time.
Any attempt to bring some creativity to TREK is welcomed by me, though to make this work is going to take special care, time and great writing. Would rather see this attempted than a Legacy series for sure. I wish them good fortune, though I still say a Fenris Ranger series would have been more interesting, and easier to pull off. Though, I do like that they are willing to attempt an Academy series, I also fear it’s being done more as an economic move to bring younger fans into the franchise. That being said, I wish them good luck.
Well, I wasn’t excited about this idea in the 1980’s and still am not now, honestly.. I’ll give it the same 3 or 4 episode treatment I give any other new show, then either watch it or drop it. Kurtzman-Trek has disappointed me too many times for me to have too much faith. Prodigy has been a pleasant surprise. Write a good story with compelling characters, respect what came before and viewers will follow. It’s all about the writer’s room. Sadly, I’ve learned over the past 10 years or so that just because it says Star Trek on it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. Best of luck to the production.
“You have to make sure that you are also pleasing people who have been around and are die-hard TOS fans, die-hard Next Gen fans, whatever iteration of Trek is yours. You cannot alienate those people”
Too late…..
I got a good chuckle out of that one. :)
“It’s eight months of visual effects turnaround, and we’re not gonna rush that…So, it’ll come out, but it’ll come out when it’s done.”
So, here’s the thing. If production starts in July and Paramount tells Kurtzman that they want season 1 for April, 2025, he’ll need to deliver THEIR show for April, 2025. He’s working on Paramount’s schedule, not his own.
There are other factors at play here that have less to do with production schedules and more to do with the state of streaming and the changing realities of Paramount+ as a content provider. We’re probably looking at one live action series each year. SNW in 2025, Academy in 2026, SNW again in 2027. What follows is anyone’s guess with the fate of Paramount as a whole kind of up in the air.
The fact that they feel they need that heavy of an investment in VFX in a character-driven show points to them putting too much investment on eye-candy IMO. That’s no surprise, but with this kind of show, they should have actually been able to do a fair number of bottle eps if they did things in a smart (to me) way. I wouldn’ think viewers would expect to see STARSHIP TROOPERS on a show like this each week. (and so far as that goes, I remember the series PAN AM, which had tons of virtual sets, had a one-week turnaround time for VFX. But that was dealing with Stargate I think, a company formed by TMP engine and vger lighting genius Sam Nicholson. )
I was expecting more of a ‘ground based’ series for season 1, not a VFX heavy one, structured more like SNW (yup, those bottle eps).
Pan Am was a good looking show! They did a great job on that one.
I supposed they could blow vfx budget on a fully CG character or two, but honestly, with so many potential ways to put actors and makeup folks out of work, I’d hate to have to justify that call. Have no interest in seeing species 847-5309 or whatever it was called as a regular.
Yup, I agree.
If Paramount survives, which now is highly ???….likely won’t be called Paramount and definitely not owned by the current ‘powers that be’. I wouldn’t be surprised if some or all the Paramount Star Trek IP (especially CBS-TV IP) is bundled and sold off like the current rumors have disclosed. The Licensing and sell of of Trek IP is underway like what has happened to Prodigy. I can also see this Starfleet Academy being nixed and cancelled before filming starts. Next few months will be critical.
Out of all the Trek series this one is the lowest and least interesting for me, won’t watch it especially if it’s in the 32nd Disco-Verse.
Licensed but not sold off. It’s still too valuable an asset. For years, Star Trek was like printing money (even in those final days of Enterprise). There was always money to be made on the back end. Once they locked Star Trek into All Access and Paramount+ exclusively, more money cash was going out than coming in for the franchise.
Sony is making money because they avoided streaming and opted to continue producing and licensing content instead for broadcast, cable and streaming. It’s a model that worked for years and something all of the studios are beginning to revert back to again in some capacity.
I’m afraid of a worse fate than Paramount getting sold to the highest bidder. What I am really afraid of is Paramount being chopped up and sold for parts and Star Trek once again finding itself a franchise split between 2 different companies.
The irony is everyone expected both Paramount and Star Trek to become a stronger force once the merger happened. I envisioned even more Trek shows on and some big crossovers between the shows and movies like Picard showing up in a Kelvin movie or something.
Now it’s future is in doubt once again.
Sadly so.. When we got the 2nd show in the new era and they announced a new trek every week all year long I think I might have literally jumped for joy. But at least I *think* we can take solace that P’s issues have nothing to do with Star Trek. Without Tom Cruise and Trek Paramount would probably be in flames already.
Streaming has taken a big bite out of everyone but it’s probably hurt Paramount way more than the rest. I mean for gawd sakes I heard even Apple is feeling it a little bit. In that one tiny division of them anyways lol.
The Taylor Sheridan productions are carrying a lot of the weight at Paramount too – there are 11 of them in different stages of development there as we speak, a ton more than Trek, and with some big name actors attached.
For Apple, television and film is essentially a side hustle to have a presence in that space. They’re not making any money from Apple TV+ but for Paramount, they need to make it work to stay afloat.
A lack of focus and a lot of confusion about streaming has taken its toll.
I think the most likely scenario would be Paramount Pictures and CBS Studios being sold together and the linear assets sold to another entity. This would mean Paramount focusing on producing and licensing content as a studio for television and film.
When National Amusements decided to pair the film studio with broadcast and cable when splitting the company nearly 20 years ago, they really didn’t think it through.
My hopes are they nip this disaster in the bud, and cancel it, sooner rather than later.
With Paramount hanging out a ‘for sale’ sign, that’s a real possibility. The bean counters have cancelled several movies after they are completely finished, and this misguided project has a target on its back, waiting for an arrow from Paramount’s new owners.
Please give us some Star Trek like Star Trek, instead of this YA melodrama.
Sounds like JJ Trek all over again. I wish this show the best as I always wish Star Trek the best, and I’ll watch it. Every episode. Because it’s Star Trek. But, this is ringing absolutely zero bells for me.
“Some of them want to be there, some of them don’t want to be there. It’s gonna be a fundamental reinforcement of all the things we love about Starfleet”
Wait, in all curiousness, when have we ever seen Starfleet cadets that didn’t want to be there? Wesley Crusher burnout aside.
But I think because for the time it’s in, a lot of people are probably not used to being off their homewold the way it is by the 23rd century. That’s another reason why this show has more potential to be different because you have people joining Starfleet because maybe it’s their only way out the same reason many join the military today I’m real life. They don’t really care about being there it’s just a way to have a good life in the end when there are no other good options.
And I’m sure there are students like that in the other eras but probably mostly people not part of the Federation. In the 32nd century the Federation is still mostly a joke and most kids probably don’t look at it the same way kids like Wesley did and who grew up in Starfleet.
That’s a good point. People could have lived for a generation or 2 without ever having left their own solar system. Didn’t think of that.
I just remember how hard it was for Wesley to get in and he is a genius and every cadet fought so hard for it.
I know it’s too late for DISCO, but I want Robert Picardo to show up on this new show if it is 32nd century. The timeline of Living Witness lines up almost perfectly with this.
Legacy characters!
There’s really no reason why The Doctor couldn’t have made an appearance.
Why? For what story purpose? For nostalgia sake isn’t a reason, unless you’re Matalas.
He’s been online and sentient since the 24th Century, having seen and experienced more than any member of Starfleet or the Federation. Not-so-much nostalgic as organic. “Star Trek” is still in the title, after all.
I’m cautious, to be honest. Yet, I’m more hyped about season two of my #1 current Star Trek show: Prodigy.
Same! 🙂
+ 1, same here.
Don’t worry about alienating die-hard TOS fans, they stopped watching by 2010.
Die-hard TOS fans are also die-hard TNG fans (Kurtzman doesn’t seem to know the audience). They never stopped watching.
Tawny Newsome has confirmed that it’s set in the 32nd Century. We pretty much could deduce that from even the original announcement of the show, but still…. ;)
I don’t even understand what is the point of keeping the time frame a secret when it was basically revealed in the press release?
Unless it takes place several decades after Discovery or something everyone already knows because they told us up front. So ridiculous.
Yes, with Discovery finishing why keep that time frame.
No I understand why they want to keep it in that time frame because it’s completely open. They can literally do whatever they want with it. We haven’t even been introduced to any big bad guys yet (and I don’t count the Emerald Chain as ‘big’).
There are tons of possibilities they can take it unlike the 23rd, 24th or 25th century where things are much more set. A big reason I’m looking forward to the show.
Forget making Starfleet Academy and Section 31. These shows are doomed to fail.
The 60th anniversary is coming up. Give us a Legacy movie!
So basically you don’t want anything new, or anything that pushes the franchise forward… you just want nostalgia and legacy characters.
I’ll take new.
But it has to be done right. And they just need to make it about scientists exploring space and actually have some science in there with the fiction. Go full on Gene Roddenberry Utopia – show a positive future. Make it unique.
Don’t give us a concept that was rightfully rejected when it was proposed for ST6 in the past. And don’t give us a concept antithetical to a bright optimistic future!
The trouble with Trek is that it’s so hard to write for characters that are enlightened and it’s hard to write when all the conflict is supposed to come from without. Witness how TNG had a revolving door of writers. Now, we just get grimdark stuff and stupidity like Red Angel Suits or crying aliens causing mass destruction, not to mention fairground ride turbo lifts, mighty pew pew battles, cameras with a flash on them in the depths of space…..I could go on.
Funny, crying aliens causing mass destruction seems like it would be right at home in a TNG episode.
And yet they never did. There were misfires in almost every series but never on such a grand scale. As reveals go, it fell way short of expectations.
You know the problem with it in Disco? It took up a whole season and that was the ‘payoff’. You can survive a bad episode here and there because of bad plot conceits. It’s a lot harder to get around a season long arc built around a bad conceit. THAT was why Disco was ridiculed about it. Some of the episodes in that season aren’t necessarily thought of as bad.. but when you get to that kind of hokey explanation for a plot device.. you’ve devalued the entire season.
The Academy series is a spin-off a series that was cancelled due to declining viewership that left the audience deeply divided. The Academy series is a bit of a risk as a sin-off in this era and if Prodigy is any indication, the intended demo for this series likely won’t show.
Something new would mean something entirely new and unexpected, something I personally would love to see. An Academy series could have been set in virtually any timeline or universe. The show needs a hook to appeal to a new audience and a direct spin-off of Discovery isn’t it.
Well, you’re getting the Academy show and the S31 movie. Enjoy.
Would love to see someone make a TV movie around the original Harve Bennett ST6 academy idea where at the end Kirk & Spock show up to warp off on the Enterprise to another mission. They could still do this today with either the current Kirk & Spock from the kelvin movies & some de-aging or all new actors for a reasonable price!
Tilly Trek is the best Trek
God help us all.
There might be an interesting possibility – because it’s an Academy, after 1-2 seasons the characters could graduate and leave, and we get some new characters, a new intake. Lecturers and teachers could come and go and change too. That said I’m kind of ‘meh’ about the 32nd century.
I will check it out, I wish it every success, but it feels like it’s going to be Star Trek 90210
One of my favorite Star Trek comics was the Starfleet Academy title in the 1990s by Chris Cooper (Marvel). It was basically about Nog’s time in the Academy on the “Omega Squad” with some other characters. I was bummed that it ended unresolved, but it was a great story that fit nicely into the DS9 episodes that were also on air at the time.
My favorite Star Trek video game is also called Starfleet Academy. It starred live-action video of William Shatner, George Takei, and Walter Koenig. It was an amazing bridge simulator game for the time (late 1990s). It was also a good story and had an accompanying novel.
I sincerely doubt this live-action Starfleet Academy by Kurtzman will live up to those stories.
Ricky believes “Academy” will be shelved and cancelled thanks to Star Trek’s upcoming ownership change. Discuss!!
Depends on how much they have invested in it, but you may be right about it going away. We obviously don’t know what deal Secret Hideout has with Paramount.. we also have no idea on the business side, how they grade performance on these shows, and if a buyer will agree with any of the metrics in place that determine success. It’s going to be VERY interesting to see how this plays out.
So far enough work for a bit of a tax write-off. This shows feels a bit up in the air.
the farther out they move it’s premiere, the more in danger it is.
Here’s hoping!
Why does Ricky believe this, when this show will likely air before Paramount changes hands?
I think they need to move on this thing as quickly as possible before it becomes a tax write-off for any work done to date.
More doublespeak out of Kurtzman.. saying things like ‘fans will love it’ and ‘this is how we grow the audience by appealing to a younger audience’.Lather, Rinse, Repeat. It hasn’t worked yet, and I don’t see it working here. After however many years working on Trek, he still does not understand his audience.
Right on!
TNG was so successful partly because it found a huge new audience by thoroughly reimagining and updating the franchise. It alienated many TOS fans but, but producers didn’t dwell on appealing to those fans. As far as I’m concerned, they are welcome to redevelop Star Trek for a new audience. It’s a nearly impossible task to appeal to an old audience while engaging a new one. Just make the best story you can and the rest will follow. But more importantly, especially in a geeky franchise, build the world out and be consistent about it!
It didn’t alienate TOS fans and if there was a new audience it was because TOS fans kept watching, introducing it to their kids, friends, significant others, etc. TNG would never have gotten past season one if not for TOS fans who tuned in each week. If you weren’t a Star Trek fan before TNG premiered you weren’t going to tune in to that first episode. Season 1 was rough but fans stuck with it and that patience eventually paid off.
Of course many who watched TNG completely tuned out DS9, then Voyager and Enterprise.
I was there, TNG very much alienated many (not all or most) TOS fans and they were outspoken about it. I for one fell in love with Star Trek because TNG spoke to my generation better than TOS, both stylistically and culturally. And TNG failed in its first two seasons trying to appeal to TOS fans who ultimately rejected it anyway. Once they got fresh producing, not tied to TOS, they thrived and found a broad new audience.
Yeah I mostly agree with this. There was definitely a big push back by TOS fans at the time. I was still just a kid who grew up with TOS but I was excited for NEW Star Trek and characters. But I don’t know if I was in the majority at the time either.
But I also think many TOS fans came around when the show just got better and started to fall in love with those characters. TNG really should’ve failed for many reasons but it proved ultimately Star Trek could just be more than Kirk and Spock and here we are.
I’ve got a few years on you, Tiger! I had just started school when it premiered and my fellow Trek nerd pals from high school all watched each week from around the country. By the time we all finished school we were getting together every Saturday night to watch. A lot of us almost bailed after season 1 but we kept coming back and that wasn’t unique to us. There was a slow acceptance for TNG for TOS fans as the show started to hit its stride (there was a lot of hate watching before hate watching was a thing).
TNG did seem expand the fanbase but by the time it ended, viewership in season 7 was about a third of what it was in season 3. Star Trek eventually reverted to a norm and that was the core fanbase.
I guess this is a long-winded way of saying that the core fan base keeps coming back in some capacity but expanding that core base always seems to be a bit fleeting (the success fo the first two Kelvin films comes to mind).
“So the challenge is how do you do that while also bringing Trek to a new generation of fans that have no experience with those shows, has never watched those shows?””
This mentality is the problem. When TOS first appeared – *everyone* was a new fan. When it was in syndicated repeats, it drew *new* fans just by being itself. With TNG, they kept to the same basic formula, and huh – wouldn’t you know it – it worked – look at all the new fans that the show generated.
Star Trek has been resilient and relevant for over 50 years because those root shows weren’t terribly worried about being different just to attract new people. Work the formula and people will – history has shown – enjoy it.
Nailed it. Just focus on writing a good show. If the show is THAT good, people will discover it (which is essentially what happened with the Battlestar Galactica reboot).
You actually make a great point but it is a damn if you do damn if you don’t situation. The reality is TV works best when it sticks to a formula people love and you stick to it over and over again even if the variables change with a new show, but still stick to the tried and true
There is a reason why there are so many Law and Order shows on today and there has always been some version of the show on the air for literally over 30 years now. As crazy as that is it’s really the best example of taking something that works and expanding on it. They have certainly changed things up with newer shows but the basic formula, look and style of the show has stayed basically the same. In other words when you turn on a Law and Order show you know what you’re watching five minutes in.
In the Berman era of Trek people complained the shows looked and felt too familiar because again you stick with the formula you know works. The one time they did try to do something radically different was DS9 and plenty of people HATED it at the time. It LOOKED like a Star Trek show but they try to alter the formula too much from TNG and TOS that many fans at the time rejected and basically just went back to what worked in Voyager and later Enterprise. Again, people claimed those shows were too TNG in nature but that’s because for majority of fans TNG IS Star Trek and especially for a network show that was trying to what fans responded to.
And now here we are AGAIN! Discovery came out and while it looked like a Star Trek show the formula was just too radically different for a lot of fans. Not as different as DS9 but different enough. But then it made the HUGE mistake of not feeling like it belonged in the same universe which to this day was its biggest mistake. Even if you didn’t like DS9 it fit right in the universe. Discovery just went way too far off the reservation for some.
Now of course it’s a new show that was developed by new people and was trying to appeal to a different of TV audience. Again totally get it but you can’t have it both ways either and that put off people even more. But it tried to go away from the formula too much and many people rejected it.
So what was it’s first true spin off? Strange New Worlds, the most formulaic Trek show currently on the air lol. It’s basically NuTrek’s Voyager. They went back to the same style and format people loved. It feels exactly like TOS/TNG/VOY/ENT. Every episode made so far could’ve fit in any of those shows easily.
They went back to the tried and true and surprise surprise people are responding to it positively.
But this is the problem. I do believe Star Trek fans when they say they want something radically new and different. I put myself in that camp. But I don’t think we’re the majority either. I’m guessing the majority of people would just be happy getting more TOS/TNG style shows. Not those shows specifically but just the same format. I do think people really want to go forward again in new time periods, new characters etc, but it still has to be Starfleet officers on a starship exploring strange new worlds basically.
That’s why stuff like a Section 31 and Khan show (ugh) fell to the way side. They sounded too radically different from what the audience expected and TPTB ultimately knew that.
Now maybe SFA will be a very different show as well. But I’m still 90% convinced the show is going to take place on a starship with actual senior officers over seeing them, ie Prodigy in season 2. Because they know ultimately that formula wins out more than anything.
SNW’s familiarity went a long way. My father couldn’t get into Discovery but absolutely loved SNW.
thanks – and to this point:
“ I do think people really want to go forward again in new time periods, new characters etc, but it still has to be Starfleet officers on a starship exploring strange new worlds basically.” –
The best Trek has always explored ** our humanity ** through the lense of a strange new world or circumstance, it’s never been aliens for aliens sake or lasers or cool ships. That seems to also be what Disco misses for MacGuffins and explosions.
They do seem like they are *trying* to explore some human emotions but – like a poor marksman – well – you know the rest.
One more thing, during the Kelvin movies many people kept saying if you put Star Trek on TV again, it can’t be more TOS or TNG. It has to be something radically different and again I think the new people felt the same way and hence Discovery.
But again this is the problem, when you have such an old franchise like Star Trek nostalgia sets in and people want a longing of the past. And when they make up the bulk of your audience they ultimately become your masters. All I heard was no more TOS or TNG whenever Star Trek returns to TV, that type of format will die a quick death for the audience who watches stuff loke GOT, TWD, Breaking Bad, etc. That era is over. And then we get SNW and Picard season 3 that is as close to the old shows you can get and easily the most popular shows in the modern era. And at least Picard season 3 still felt a bit different from TNG but still similar enough to spark heavy nostalgia just the same.
The franchise MUST attract new people, everyone seems to agree on that. But I don’t think any of these new shows have really done that. Sure some but the overwhelming bulk seems to be old fans. Again look at Discovery. It gets a new change up every season because it’s clearly trying to appease the old fans who hated the show. If there there were really that many new fans and they truly loved it, the show wouldn’t be so radically different today. But those aren’t the people mostly watching and subscribing every month to watch it either.
And when season 5 comes and we somehow get a 850 year old Worf joining the show that would make it extra clear lol.
As usual, I agree with Tiger2 here. I think Star Trek can be successfully different shows in the same universe. DS9 is proof of that. The problem is the previous shows’ attempts simply did not work. So, try something different! While I enjoy SNW, it does get a bit boring simply by being more of the same.
I think the first two seasons of The Mandalorian is a great example of a different type of show set in the same universe. (3rd season was a miss, for sure). Andor as well. Not every Star Wars thing needs a Skywalker or a light saber. And not every Star Trek needs a star ship. Just saying.
I’m all for diverse options of Trek programming. I just want certain overarching things we aren’t getting, present in newly produced Trek. I want it to take Trek history and characters seriously. I want it to push boundaries, and not rely on nostalgia to prop up mediocre storytelling. I can give a lot of latitude when it’s good. When it is, everyone forgets about all the nitpicky stuff, the canon stuff, the nostalgia stuff. I am the first to admit, that Picard Season 3 is not perfect.. but by doing the very basic things, it built a lot of goodwill that makes most fans accept imperfections / things they don’t like. Something as simple as showing the original Constitution Class Design at the Fleet museum. That kind of reverence is missing from every other series of the Secret Hideout era.
Scrap plans for this before you commit/waste any more time and money on this.
We don’t need a tiny beanie space opera parody as the next Star Trek series.
Sounds interesting. Don‘t worry about pleasing die hard fans too much. haters gonna hate. Just make a good show and we‘ll watch it and pay for it – on streaming or Blu-Ray or both. ;-)
This is the one Trek concept that I have dreaded for so long. I have zero interest personally, and I just don’t see how this is what is going to bring people to Trek.
Ah cool, well when this is cancelled and the suits see how much money has been wasted, hopefully they will eventually boot Kurtzman and sell the franchise to Apple. Then Apple can bring in people that respect the franchise/universe and who can actually write competently, like Matalas, RDM, maybe Steven Moffat, Neil Gaiman etc.
Then we can get back to the 25th Century and back to the business that is good STAR TREK.
no – I don’t trust Apple at all after how they have handled Foundation.
Nor do I trust Netflix with how they seem to be ruining Three (not 3) Body Problem.
L E G A C Y
Yep this sounds utterly terrible as I predicted. Starfleet psychological testing of recruits that we saw crusher goes through would rule out the ones who don’t want to be there.
I’ve been in the “it’s definitely set in the 32nd century” camp, but what if it’s actually set in the 25th – what if we’re getting cadet Elnor? I’d be fine with either tbh but I’ve had this weird feeling lately like it’s not really set in stone that we’re in the 32nd century. Also, unless we’re going to have holo appearances of past captains and other officers in the 32nd century as “teachers” since they would still be essentially restarting the Academy after all those years – then why else would the writers room have to be so particular with canon? The more I think about the possibilities of this show and what potential it has, the more I’m actually really excited.
The one Trek I have less than zero interest in. But, hey. Good luck, I guess.
How about just don’t bother? Instead get Star Trek: Legacy started later this year or early 2025