Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Everything we know about Discovery’s sequel series

If you’re upset about Discovery nearing its conclusion, fret not! Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is on its way to fill that void, so here’s everything we know about the show.

Star Trek Discovery Season 5 is on the horizon, and it’s the final installment of that particular Star Trek show. But, we don’t want to leave the 32nd Century just yet.

That’s where Star Trek: Starfleet Academy comes in. It’ll be set in the same part of the Star Trek timeline as Discovery, and we already know who’ll be leading the cast, too.

So, here’s all we know about the new TV show so far, including when to expect it and who’s involved.

Is there a Starfleet Academy release date?

There is no confirmed release date at the moment. We expect Starfleet Academy to arrive in 2025, though.

According to an update from Production Weekly, the show entered production in the week commencing July 11. So, things appear to be moving in the right direction, at least.

The series was actually meant to be released in 2024, but the Hollywood strikes spoiled that plan. However, things should be back on track now, as revealed by the top dog at Paramount’s Star Trek division, Alex Kurtzman.

In an appearance at New York Comic Con in October 2023, Kurtzman said: “We are back in the writers room. We’re officially going to start shooting next year… We had so much joy just getting each other through the strike, staying connected, and driven, and coming back into the room and working was so wonderful. We just came back this week as a matter of fact.”

Who’s in the cast?

Currently, only two confirmed cast members for Starfleet Academy have been announced: Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti.

HBO

Giamatti was confirmed by Variety as having a recurring guest role in Starfleet Academy’s first season as the show’s main villain. Giamatti’s character is said to have connections to one of the Cadets, but further details are not available.

Little is known about Hunter’s character, but it’s unlikely she’ll be playing one of the Starfleet cadets. Instead, we suspect Hunter will take on the lead role as the mentor of the Academy, akin to the best Star Trek captains of shows in the past.

As for the rest of the cast, we’re likely to see young faces and relative unknowns playing Starfleet Academy recruits. We’d wager there will still be a few more experienced heads to support Hunter, though, so watch this space.

Behind the camera, there’s Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau putting the project together. They’ll have help from Discovery star, Tawny Newsome, too. She’s doing some writing for the show, as she has done for Discovery already.

Starfleet Academy plot and theories

There is no detailed plot yet, but the gist of the show will be that a group of Starfleet cadets go on various adventures while in the Academy.

We do have a statement from StarTrek.com to go on, too. It reads: “For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years.” This tells us the show will be set in the 32nd Century, given the Academy has been closed for more than 100 years.

This puts us into a period where Starfleet and the Federation are navigating a state of recovery following The Burn. Whether the fallout of that plays into the narrative here or not remains to be seen, but the universe will certainly be in a precarious state.

Kurtzman has offered some insight into the general vibe of the show, too. He said: “When you’re in Starfleet Academy, you’re not yet on a ship proper. And so you get to make mistakes, and you get to learn who you are, and figure all that out.

“I think that this idea that the generation is inheriting… all these massive, massive challenges. Then the question becomes how do you hold on and rebuild all the hope?”

The talk of mistakes and challenges certainly suggests the kids of the Academy are going to be in for a rough ride, with lots of lessons to be learned.

Is there a trailer?

There is no trailer yet. It’s unclear where shooting is at right now, but they’re definitely not ready to release any footage at this stage.

For more, check out our guides to Star Trek 4, Prodigy Season 2, and Star Trek Section 31. Alternatively, crossover to the other side of the galaxy and learn about upcoming Star Wars projects.