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STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Series Begins Production in 2024

Welcome back, Tilly!

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This is interesting... I thought the next show (if one was coming) would have either been Section 31, or a Picard follow-up (Star Trek: Seven of Nine maybe). This one just dropped in on the radar.

But still, "Prodigy" had its skeptics, and it rocked. And I don't really see an Academy show as being dark, dreary, or excessively serialized (which were the chief issues people seemed to have with DIS and PIC, the weakest performers of Nu Trek). So I think this could be a worthy addition to Trek canon.
 
I have to be honest, I love this idea and I always have. I think it's sufficiently different to justify its own existence, and it has a lot of potential for some really interesting story lines within the universe. I like the idea of getting to know the students and the instructors and what their perspectives are. I like that it will likely be a smaller-scale undertaking.

I like that it will show us a piece of Starfleet that we've always heard about but not seen much of. We've seen live of starships and space stations....which I'd imagine encompasses 85% of what Starfleet is all about. Now we get to see the Academy.

I really REALLY hope it's not set in the 32nd Century, though. As much as I like DSC, the time period is really as uninteresting as it gets, and I'd much rather see a late 23rd Century to early 25th Century setting.
 
I'll put it this way: my anticipation for a Starfleet Academy series is roughly at SNW/PRO level. I think I'll like it, but I won't be a super-excited super-huge mega-fan where I'm right in the thick of it in the forums or anything like that. It won't be DSC/PIC level. Those days of my anticipation and participation being at that level are still coming to an end. PIC Season 3 is like The Farewell Tour and DSC Season 5 will be The Encore Presentation. "Still had one more in him!"
 
SYLLABUS: FIRST WEEK

  1. How to Get Along. Your seatmates will likely look, smell, and sound very different from you. Don't stare. Don't sniff. Reach out! They could by your new best friend or future commanding officer! Win respect by offering it first!
  2. Transporter Facts & Myths. Yes, it can make a clone of you. Yes, it can transport you to a parallel universe. Yes, it can split your personality in half. Yes, it can remove your clothing. It can also save your life and end awkward conversation. It is a miraculous machine when maintained properly and used wisely!
  3. Paging Mr. Garak! A well-tailored EV suit will keep you alive in lifeless environments. Learn how to wear yours and regard it like you would your own skin. And learn how it cleans itself after a bout of space sickness!
  4. Rank and File. Learn the hierarchy of Starfleet. Study the chain of command so you know who to follow and when to lead! You won't be a Cadet, Ensign, or Lieutenant forever! Move up the Starfleet ladder to boldly reach those stars!
  5. Location. Location. Location! Learn where you are in relation to your neighbors in space, and where they are in relation to each other. A background in astronomy is useful, but if you're Sirius about interstellar exploration, then our introductory course to the Alpha Quadrant is a great place to start!
  6. Talk is Cheap! Not everyone is a Hoshi Sato or Nyota Uhura, but when the Universal Translator is down we'll show you some tips to keep the dialogue flowing to prevent an intergalactic war!
  7. Waste Not! We've come a long way in biological waste extraction. Learn the most efficient and private ways to find relief in any environment. Pass it on to your pets if you have them!
 
I'll put it this way: my anticipation for a Starfleet Academy series is roughly at SNW/PRO level. I think I'll like it, but I won't be a super-excited super-huge mega-fan where I'm right in the thick of it in the forums or anything like that. It won't be DSC/PIC level. Those days of my anticipation and participation being at that level are still coming to an end. PIC Season 3 is like The Farewell Tour and DSC Season 5 will be The Encore Presentation. "Still had one more in him!"

Well, it certainly doesn't excite me as much as PIC or DSC or even SNW...but it means that we can get out of the box and do something very different and unique that, in my mind, secures the future for more interesting and different franchise shows. Star Trek will go the way of ENT and NEM if it falls back into the same rut of "let's have some peeps on a ship flying to planets and getting in adventures" every series. I'm all for "perpetual Trek" so long as it stays fresh and risks different ideas.

For me, I like when Trek takes risks. Sometimes it works for me (DS9, DSC, PIC S1), sometimes not (PIC S2, LD)

It's why I liked DS9 and DSC so much...they took risks and did things that were bold and created controversy. That's how you keep the franchise alive...not by pumping out SNW 2.0 and Star Trek The Next Next Generation every 4-5 years. Those type of shows should still be the flagship/backbone of the franchise, but they are only made possible if the other shows around them are unique and diverge from that format enough so as to not make them mundane and stale.
 
I think it'll depend on the tone of the show.

If it's just an Academy based show, where the struggle from episode to episode is seeing who gets the top score on some exam, or who gets to take who to some sort Starfleet formal as part of a love triangle, then I'm not that excited.

But I would love the hell out of a show that did something like the "Valiant" episode from DS9. Put a group of cadets in a precarious situation cut off from the rest of Starfleet and see how they react to it.
 
I think it's in the order of "Which one are we able to get off the ground first?"

Probably it's been in the pipeline for the longest too. It was teased as far back as DSC S4 (2022) which was in production in 2021. This is new news for us, but it's been on the table as far as Paramount is concerned for a long time... They are only just seeing the reaction to PIC 3 now, hence no 25th century announcement.
 
I think it'll depend on the tone of the show.

If it's just an Academy based show, where the struggle from episode to episode is seeing who gets the top score on some exam, or who gets to take who to some sort Starfleet formal as part of a love triangle, then I'm not that excited.

But I would love the hell out of a show that did something like the "Valiant" episode from DS9. Put a group of cadets in a precarious situation cut off from the rest of Starfleet and see how they react to it.

Drama is drama. There are plenty of great movies and series based upon people learning and growing in highly competitive institutions or training situations.

Not everything needs to be action-based aboard a spaceship.

I'm not saying I devalue your opinion (everyone has their own tastes and limits)...I'm just saying that I think having it be something very different than "cadets on a ship' (see also: PRO which is already a show in production) would be more interesting to me, and I think still worth a look to the broad fanbase. I could envision a "Red Squadron" angle that could be sort of a "Top Gun in space" where elite performers in the academy are called upon to do above-and-beyond training and even missions...but also exploring the pressure and danger that comes with being in that kind of situation amongst a larger peer group and a group or varied and demanding instructors.
 
Will any previous cast be showing up in this show? Like Janeway and Chakotay popping up in Prodigy, the TNG cast in "Picard", or everyone they can find in "Lower Decks"?
 
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