Will Starfleet Academy season 3 happen — the jury’s out, here’s why we think it’s in the balance
As season 1 of Starfleet Academy heads to a close, season 2 has finished filming. There’s no word from the shlwrunners, so fans are wondering — will season 3 happen? We believe there are arguments for both yes and no. In the absence of an actual update, we thought we’d share our thoughts.
Starfleet Academy season 3 — why it might happen
It’s fair to say reviews are mixed, but we suspect there’s enough positivity (at least among critics — 88% on Rotten Tomatoes) to warrant consideration. There’s plenty of narrative scope — if nothing else a show set in a college would reasonably expect to have three seasons, and that’s if the focus stays just on one year’s intake.
In terms of the franchise, the number of “live” shows is now down to one. Prodigy didn’t take off. Strange New Worlds may have two more seasons in the can, but no more will happen after 2027. We assume season 2 of Academy will also air in 2027. Is it possible Paramount would have no new Trek in 2028? We find it hard to believe.
You could, though, spin this all around…
Why it might not happen
Critics are one thing. The audience is far less uniform and we see currently an audience score of 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not great. Then there’s the Nielsens — the show has not appeared in the ratings. What about the fact the set has been taken down? Why is there no publicity? No updates on the official site at all since the show started. That’s not a good look. Many fans believe the show already cancelled — there’s little to contradict.
It will be a business decision. That’s possibly the problem
The franchise may be overdue a rest (and we note but don’t necessarily agree with the vocal fans demanding major changes in Paramount’s approach). Ratings may look low, but we don’t see Paramount+’s actual numbers. Strange New Worlds and Discovery (and we believe Picard) didn’t exactly shine in the Nielsens, though had some moments in the chart.
Let’s also consider the Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Worrying about Star Trek isn’t at the top of the list for the company. This suggests to us a simple decision making process, not a complex handwringing exercise. Cancelling the show would certainly be a simple call — what’s a year or so for even a flagship show for a corporation about to vastly increase subscriber base and catalogue? Conversely giving it one final season allow hooks for spinoffs would be as easy.
We can see other option happening. Logic aside, we’re quite enjoying the show (it has flaws and at least some of us aren’t particularly target audience) and would watch more. Give us season 2 and we may row back on that, but for now we would like to see Academy reach a sensible conclusion. If Paramount are reading this, do give us some news soon!