Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Is Greenlit

After just announcing renewals for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks were each renewed for 2024 airdates, Paramount+ has now announced a new series. The long rumored Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 is now a go for a 2024 filming start and likely a 2025 release date.

The showrunners will be Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau (Nancy Drew, The Magicians) along with a slew of producers. Of note is Tawny Newsome, who voices Beckett Mariner in Star Trek: Lower Decks, has joined the writers room for the series. No details on cast or characters as yet.

The announcement of the new series says  “Explore the galaxy! Captain your destiny! For the first time in over a century, our campus will be re-opened to admit individuals a minimum of 16 Earth years (or species equivalent) who dream of exceeding their physical, mental and spiritual limits, who value friendship, camaraderie, honor and devotion to a cause greater than themselves. The coursework will be rigorous, the instructors among the brightest lights in their respective fields, and those accepted will live and study side-by-side with the most diverse population of students ever admitted. Today we encourage all who share our dreams, goals and values to join a new generation of visionary cadets as they take their first steps toward creating a bright future for us all. Apply today! Ex Astris, Scientia!”

The series will follow "a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself."

The when is probably not to much of a leap as the line "for the first time in over a century" would place it firmly in Star Trek: Discovery's 32nd century continuity since the Academy was closed for over 100 years due to the Burn preventing warp travel (season 3 story arc). Chances are an episode or side story in the final season of Discovery will tease more of the Academy with some Discovery characters transferring to the school as teachers. Personally I would have set it in more familiar time of post Picard continuity in part because it would have allowed them to tap decades of Star Trek characters, planets, and events (to use as training). My guess is the producers like the open continuity sand box that remaining in 32nd century allows along with saving in production costs as they use actors/characters, sets, and FX library built up over the last five years.