‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ is Hogwarts in space by way of ‘Dawson’s Creek’, and we don’t love it (Image Credit: Space.com)
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” has officially docked on Paramount+. It’s the latest expansion in a franchise that has more time hops than Doc Brown’s delightful DeLorean, but this show might be the most puzzling addition yet.
At some point in time, every Trekkie has imagined what it must be like to be a cadet and learn all the various disciplines required to join the Starfleet. Writer Gaia Violo recognized this as well, envisioning a series following an influx of new cadets set after the events of the divisive “Star Trek: Discovery,” while producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau put their names behind it as showrunners. In typical Hollywood fashion, though, a spin on the concept just had to be shoehorned in here.
Caleb has never dreamed of joining Starfleet, but he reluctantly accepts the opportunity. While he’s an outsider and rebel at heart, Caleb makes friends with the likes of Klingon Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) and Dar-Sha Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), and rubs a few others the wrong way. It also doesn’t take too long for Caleb to demonstrate he might have what it takes to become a Starfleet officer after all, even though that wasn’t on his initial bingo card.
Sounds harmless enough, right? Well, it was until someone decided this all needed to play out like a CW teen drama from the 2000s. Think Dawson’s Creek in space. There are noticeable sparks between Genesis and Caleb from the get-go, but he kicks off a romance with the Betazoid Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner) to add more awkwardness to the proceedings. Blink twice if you’re over love triangles on every show and want this trope to disappear for a decade at the very least.
Also, let’s not forget the forced and telegraphed tensions between the cadets, because teenagers need to hate each other for arbitrary reasons before they become bosom buddies in the end. Seriously, is Greg Berlanti ghostwriting this?
While “Star Trek” boldly claims to go where no man has gone before, YA drama might be one frontier too far. It isn’t like “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” is hiding its influences either, as a poster proves to be an unabashed tribute to “One Tree Hill.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with watching 40 minutes of Chad Michael Murray brood and plod through a story that could have been an email, but the problem here is that Tree Hill and Starfleet mix like politics and unity. It’s a real square peg in a round hole situation.
The teen drama influences don’t stop there, though. While it’s got a lot in common with the aforementioned 2000s era coming-of-age dramas, in practice, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” plays out like Hogwarts in space, and this isn’t a compliment.
Ake is the eccentric Dumbledore archetype who sometimes speaks in riddles but wants her cadets to succeed – especially Caleb, aka the Boy Who Lived (and Survived the Cosmos). Channeling their best imitations of Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, and Minerva McGonagall, the faculty members love snark and to openly question if the cadets have what it takes, but while they’re harsh and condescending in public, they root for the cadets behind the scenes and know talent when they see it. All that’s missing is for Gina Yashere’s Lura Thok to take Caleb aside and say, “Yer a wizard, Cally!”
Then consider the Big Bad of the series: Paul Giamatti’s half-Klingon, half-Tellarite Nus Braka. The Voldemort practically hisses off him as he wants to divide and conquer, and he even has a special attachment to Caleb and his mother.
He’s fuelled by pure hatred and is evil because… um, he’s evil?! The way in which Ake speaks about Braka signifies that he’s a major deal, and everyone needs to be wary of him. Well, at least he has a nose here, so there’s that one difference.
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” knows it’s going to annoy the hardcore fans, and it overcompensates through various nods and winks to the franchise’s history, as well as throwback characters from the past. It tries too hard to convince everyone that it is a “Star Trek” show at its core, but this is the hip, new “Star Trek” of 2026.
Instead, it comes off looking like Steve Buscemi’s Lenny Wosniak from the much-memed “30 Rock” scene where he dresses like a teenager and says, “How do you do, fellow kids?” In an attempt to draw in a new generation of viewers, it feels like a show that will appeal to absolutely no one in the process.
Maybe “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” could have worked without the attachment to the famous franchise. By freeing it from expectations and legacy, it could have ventured into whichever direction it wanted and not had everyone befuddled by its bizarre decision to inject YA drama and borrow from the Wizarding World.
Unfortunately, by going down this pothole-ravaged journey, “Starfleet Academy” only gives more ammunition to those who believe all modern “Star Trek” shows – derogatorily known as NuTrek – need to suffer the wrath of Khan, or the Internet (it’s the same thing, really). At least we’ll always have Strange New Worlds.
“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” is available to stream on Paramount+.
