News Starfleet Academy Coming to P+

I definitely think appealing to a younger demo isn't necessarily a bad idea. Most of the cast was born before the 90s (when I was) so a younger focus can work so long as its not done by someone who thinks they know how to write younger people without actually knowing

SO REAL that’s the worst when it happens it’s either super cringey to people that actually are that age and appeals to an even younger audience OR they’re like adults instead and it’s like… what late teenagers/early adults do you know
 
The fact of the matter is that it's always adults (usually 30+) who are writing fiction aimed at young adults. Which isn't that surprising really - everyone old was once young, so we can all write relatable young characters.

One advantage that Starfleet Academy has over a lot of IP trying to focus on young folks is that you don't need to worry about pop-culture references. It's way easier to try and write relatable young adult characters as a middle-aged person if you don't have to actually know what teens are into these days. Indeed, the few attempts that Trek made to engage with pop culture in the past, like the hippy episode of TOS, were cringe, as the kids say these days.
 
A few thoughts:

1. For the Canon Cops: It mostly wouldn't apply to SFA if at all, except if we have a scene that takes place in a History Class and the professor is giving a lesson. "In 2375, the Dominion War ended, but there were malcontent Changelings who formed an alliance with the Borg Queen by 2401... "

2. To me, at my current age, even though they're legally adults, I think of traditional college students as slightly older high school students. Technically they're adults but I think they're kids. I wouldn't have thought so at their age, but I definitely think so at my age. Sorry. The longer you're in school, the longer you put off the adult world.

It's way easier to try and write relatable young adult characters as a middle-aged person if you don't have to actually know what teens are into these days.
That and why would a teenager in 3190 reference stuff from 2020-something? Unless they're the equivalent of someone today who's into medieval times, which usually means fantasy.
 
The fact of the matter is that it's always adults (usually 30+) who are writing fiction aimed at young adults. Which isn't that surprising really - everyone old was once young, so we can all write relatable young characters.

One advantage that Starfleet Academy has over a lot of IP trying to focus on young folks is that you don't need to worry about pop-culture references. It's way easier to try and write relatable young adult characters as a middle-aged person if you don't have to actually know what teens are into these days. Indeed, the few attempts that Trek made to engage with pop culture in the past, like the hippy episode of TOS, were cringe, as the kids say these days.
Exactly so. Also, and more importantly, a "coming of age" style story is not exactly a foreign concept. Even if people haven't all gone to college or such, they have all had an experience of feeling like they are becoming an adult, or struggling with identity and relationship building moving from adolescence to adulthood. It might not be the same for all, but the challenges are relatively identifiable.

Starfleet Academy keeps getting treated like it's just going to be school based, which might explain the reticence to embrace the idea. For me, there are several possibilities that can touch upon with the Starfleet Academy. One, is a new recruit, who is wide eyed, interested in learning all they can possibly learn, and that excitement, even with their inexperience. You can have a more seasoned crewmember who is working on becoming an officer. You can have a student from another background, or from another academic institute with integrating different ideas into the way Starfleet does things.

Setting: The Academy doesn't have to be set just on one campus. If you look at current US NAVY Midshipmen coursework, they have a cruise that they can participate in during the summer, depending on the specialization, including aviation, or Marines, nuclear powered vessels. Here's a full list: Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps - Summer Cruise Training (navy.mil) and would be a good place to start for ideas.

So, the Academy can be set on a ship and doing training options, working their way through a ship, from the hull up. If you want an example of this read the second book of David Gerrold's "STAR WOLF" series, and a newly assigned crewmember going through a bit of a hazing with helping out various department heads and learning in the process.

The various book series that have used the Academy as a setting often utilize cruises, and planet based assignments, as well as disaster response. It can be fun, it can be light hearted and silly, and serious and explorative. In short, it has a wide variety of possibilities that can appeal to many people, regardless of age.
 
1. For the Canon Cops: It mostly wouldn't apply to SFA if at all, except if we have a scene that takes place in a History Class and the professor is giving a lesson. "In 2375, the Dominion War ended, but there were malcontent Changelings who formed an alliance with the Borg Queen by 2401... "
Yeah, I imagine it would be dialogue referencing the distant past.
 
I guess that this show is why Dal and the gang never got to go to the Academy. Unless the Academy show is actually a live action Prodigy spinoff? :D

The premise of both Academy and Prodigy season 2 are pretty similar, dealing with young cadets. Season 2 of Prodigy could lead in to Academy season 1, where the gang get to *really* go to the Academy after proving themselves during field training…

…onboard the USS Voyager A?

Unless they want to set Academy in the 32nd century? :shrug:
 
"Now, who here can tell me who Jonathan Archer was without having to consult your database? Yes, Cadet?"

"He was faith of the heart."

"Wellllll, he was more than that. A lot more. But yes, I'll award you class credit for your statement. Jonathan Archer was indeed a form of faith of the heart."

You know, I think the song is terrible... but the joke is good. Thus, it deserves a like.

:bolian:
 
Teacher: I'm sorry Cadet, the correct answer was Romulans sabotaged the Synths on Mars, not the Borg.
Fan Watching at Home: How did you not know that? You fucking idiot!
They could take advantage of the 900 year gap by teaching incorrect history on purpose. Imagine the number of online impressions they'd get from nitpicking fans:lol:
 
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I head canon Christopher's mission to Saturn at 2025 but could work closer to 2030. That gives Christopher time to be born (he didn't yet exist in 1969), grow up, go to flight school and later astronaut training and win the billing to command the Earth-Saturn Probe.
 
"Wellllll, he was more than that. A lot more. But yes, I'll award you class credit for your statement. Jonathan Archer was indeed a form of faith of the heart."
I thought for a second you were going to reference the time that Sisko mentioned it.

"But there is more to baseball than physical strength. It's about courage, and it's also about faith, and it is also about heart."

:)
 
This is the only bit of news back in October on SFA.


“Fun” Academy show is aimed at a new generation
The other big project announced earlier this year was the new YA-focused Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series. Writing for the new show shut down due to the WGA strike in May, but Kurtzman says they are back at work and still on track, and reminded the crowd that a certain Lower Decks cast member is in the writers room:

“So we are back in the writers room. We are officially going to start shooting next year. Noga Landau—the amazing Noga Landau—and I are running it. For all the Nancy Drew fans out there, she’s incredible. First of all, it’s the greatest writing staff. 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. And one of our writers is in fact, Tawny Newsome, which is really exciting. She’s a genius.”

The executive producer and co-showrunner also talked up why he is excited about this new series:

“What I’m so excited about the Starfleet Academy is that it’s really important that every show really has its own distinct identity. Otherwise, what’s the difference between one or the other? And I think fans were waiting over 60 years to go inside the chocolate factory and see what’s like in there. And 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 – I look at my son and we look at kids now, they’re inheriting all these massive, massive challenges. Then the question becomes how do you hold on and rebuild all the hope? And I think that’s what our show is so much about. It’s really fun. It’s really funny. And it’s ultimately a show that speaks to the generation now. And that’s this question of how are our better angels going to emerge and what are they going to do to get us there? Because it is going to be on the next generation to do that.”
 
It's way easier to try and write relatable young adult characters as a middle-aged person if you don't have to actually know what teens are into these days.

No, it's not.

If you don't know "what teens are into these days" you can't write relatable characters of that age group at all - unless by "relatable" you mean "characters that middle-aged viewers can relate to as hypothetical young people they don't know much about."
 
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 – I look at my son and we look at kids now, they’re inheriting all these massive, massive challenges. Then the question becomes how do you hold on and rebuild all the hope? And I think that’s what our show is so much about. It’s really fun. It’s really funny. And it’s ultimately a show that speaks to the generation now. And that’s this question of how are our better angels going to emerge and what are they going to do to get us there? Because it is going to be on the next generation to do that.”
And this is why I want an Academy show. Don't tell me "oh, humanity became better." Take me there. Show me the process, help me to see those better angels of our nature. Otherwise, it's pure BS platitudes.
 
A trailer of the CW Nancy Drew tv show to give a taste to those of us who never watched it, a taste of SFA's showrunners handy work. Looks intriguing.

 
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