Starfleet Academy will be coming to an end as Paramount+ has decided not to pick up the show for a third season. That one had its debut in January of this year but did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its nine-week first season run. It received decent marks from critics, currently holding an 87% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but it only has a 51% Audience Score, in part due to review bombing by those who do not like the show’s culture politics. It had been picked up through a second season in advance, and production on that is mostly complete at this point. But there were questions on whether it would continue beyond that as the future of the Star Trek franchise is undetermined at this point. Executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau had the following to say in a joint statement:
Whether you’re working on Star Trek or part of the marvel that is Star Trek fandom — its very heart, soul, and conscience —the joy comes from adventuring across boundaries of time, space, and the humanly possible in service to Roddenberry’s transformative vision of the future. That incomparable vision was fueled by an inexhaustible optimism. Star Trek places its bet on the best in human nature. It dares to imagine a society of ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations,’ free of war, hate, poverty, disease, and repression, and dedicated to the spirit of scientific inquiry and respect for all life, whether carbon or silicon-based, green-skinned or blue.
The decision to end the show after its second season is not being referred to as a cancellation, but that is effectively what is happening as there had definitely been plans to keep it going. This is now the second of the Nu Trek shows to get cancelled after two seasons, following Star Trek: Prodigy. The only other active Trek show at this point is Strange New Worlds which is returning for its fourth season in Summer and has been renewed through a fifth and final season. Alex Kurtzman–who has been helming the franchise–is in the process of re-negotiating his deal with CBS Studios, and there are talks that he could be leaving Trek after this year. That has not been confirmed at this point, though. Fans may attempt a Call to Action to save Starfleet Academy from cancellation, but that did not prove successful with Prodigy.
Since Starfleet Academy had already been renewed for a second season, the cancellation will count for the season in which the second year streams, likely 2026-27. The Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season is at 23 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (52% of the shows tracked) vs. 10 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.
Starfleet Academy takes place in the 32nd century, where Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets are recovering from the cataclysmic events seen in the final season of Star Trek: Discovery. It follows the first class of students and teachers to attend the newly re-established Starfleet Academy as they come of age and train to be officers. It stars Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, and Robert Ricardo.
We are only a short time away from the Upfronts in May when the networks and streaming services announce their lineups for the upcoming season, so I am expecting more renewal and cancellation announcements over the next month or so. Be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for updates and breaking news.
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