Variety reported that Paramount+ opted to end Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, with season 2 as the final season. The reason given was that the ‘divisive’ young adult-skewing Star Trek series “failed to find a significant audience. Across its 10-episode first season, it has failed to rank on the Nielsen Top 10 streaming viewership charts.”
On X, William Shatner offered his thoughts on the premature end of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Of course, Mr. Shatner was the lead of the original Star Trek when it was canceled by NBC in 1969, and he eloquently speaks of the “unimaginable possibilities of exploration and human endeavor” that Star Trek and the “fantasy of science fiction” offer, before sharing his “sorrow” about Starfleet Academy’s cancellation. Read Bill’s post below:
William Shatner continued on X by pointing out the cycle Star Trek repeatedly finds itself in, with fans reacting negatively to new incarnations of the franchise. Mr. Shatner reminds fans of the “tons of hate” Star Trek: The Next Generation and its actors received in 1987 “because it wasn’t [the original] Star Trek,” all the way to a similar reaction “the series with [Scott] Bakula” [Star Trek: Enterprise] was met with in 2001. Bill concluded with the wise words that “Star Trek is different for everyone.” See Shatner’s post below:
Finally, William Shatner called out accusations that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is “woke DEI crap” from a segment of fans, pointing out that if that terminology existed in the 1960s, it would have been levied in the Star Trek episode in which Captain Kirk kissed Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Shatner reminds fans that “many southern stations pulled the episode & condemned the show.” Read Bill’s post below:
William Shatner is right that, unfortunately, not much has changed in how portions of the audience react to new iterations of IPs and franchises like Star Trek, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2026. While Mr. Shatner admits that he famously doesn’t watch Star Trek, he remains inextricably connected to the franchise he helped build, and Shatner is insatiably curious and well-informed.
When Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiered in January, William Shatner reacted to White House advisor Stephen Miller’s X post condemning the new series and asking Paramount to “save the franchise” by giving Mr. Shatner “total creative control.”
After 12 TV series and 14 feature films, Star Trek has evolved to live up to its mantra of “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has continued the inclusiveness and progressiveness that have defined Alex Kurtzman’s era of Star Trek, with Academy Award winner Holly Hunter leading a cast that includes a queer couple and Star Trek‘s first gay Klingon.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s cancellation cuts the series’ intended story short after just two seasons. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was designed to reflect a four-year college experience, and now the cadets’ story will end in their sophomore year, reportedly with a cliffhanger. As William Shatner points out, it’s a loss for the generation that embraced Starfleet Academy as “their” Star Trek.
Paramount+ is expected to premiere Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 2, which wrapped production in late February, in early 2027, followed by the final season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This puts the Star Trek TV franchise in limbo with no new series in production or greenlit as of now.
- Release Date
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January 15, 2026
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau
- Directors
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Douglas Aarniokoski, Alex Kurtzman, Andi Armaganian, Larry Teng
- Writers
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Gaia Violo, Alex Taub, Jane Maggs, Tawny Newsome, Kirsten Beyer, Kiley Rossetter, Eric Anthony Glover
