Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Season One [2026] on Paramount Plus

My expectations for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy were extremely low. It’s in the same universe as Discovery, which wasn’t…great. However, the academy delivers perfect trek!

Starring mostly newcomers, clearly led by Sandro Rosta & Bella Shepard, with some familiar faces from Discovery, Starfleet Academy encapsulates all the best parts of Star Trek, and some of the bad sides as well. And while it won’t be for everyone, it is still Trek, through and through.

Yes, there’s one episode that I really hated. And you can get tired from the “forever hopeful”, but that’s Trek. The franchise has always imagined itself as a blueprint for a better future, even when it doesn’t look possible. But utopia without interrogation is propaganda.

In fact, the writing could use some work. And the initial premise to kick off the season? Fully wrapped up by the end. The producers will need a new motivation for a second season, and it better be good, if not better, than Paul Giamatti‘s Nus Braka. Giamatti’s limited screen time was enough to deliver one of the best “villains” of any Trek show and movie. He’s up there close to Khan.

Starfleet Academy suggests that Trek’s next evolution is not abandoning optimism. It’s stress-testing it. And whatever criticisms we have, despite how annoying that central romance is, and it’s very very annoying, when those Starfleet ships appear on screen, I’m back to us being six years old… Hello Voyager era trek! (Also, having the doctor back helps).

Should You Watch It?

Review bombing aside, the show brings new life into the franchise, gives us a different setting, combines layered characters who have deep flaws with intense stories, and ends with a message of hope and community. What more can you ask for from Star Trek?

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+.