Nearly one year since Paramount+ announced Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, we finally have an update on the show's progress, including a possible release window.
Collider spoke with executive producer Alex Kurtzman at SXSW who revealed that filming on the new series is slated to begin in late summer. And now for the disappointing news; the series may not air until 2026.
"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."
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is an original series that follows the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. The synopsis reads:
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.
While specific details about this new crew of cadets remain under wraps, Kurtzman describes them as "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," he added. "You always want to ask yourself, 'Why this show now?"
Kurtzman continued by comparing this new group of cadets to current real-life teenagers, and the questions and struggles they face.
"I think that one of the big things that certainly my 17-year-old son is facing, which is kind of a fundamental 'Star Trek' question, is, '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."
For Kurtzman, this series represents an opportunity for Star Trek to appeal to a younger audience, but he noted that it's a delicate balance between bringing in new viewers while still pleasing the die-hard Star Trek fans who have been around since The Original Series and The Next Generation.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's first season will consist of 10 episodes. In other news, Star Trek: Discovery returns to Paramount+ on April 4 for its fifth and final season.