Starfleet Academy Star Trek Series In The Works
Here's what they've said so far about the new Starfleet Academy series for Paramount+.
This article is more than 2 years old
Paramount+ continues to build its collection of Star Trek shows. Another one is getting added to that last with a Starfleet Academy series hitting the streaming platform. The reveal comes from a New York Times interview with producer Alex Kurtzman. He spoke about the current hits and what’s to come for the sci-fi franchise. While Michelle Yeoh’s (Crazy Rich Asians) show, Section 31, moves forward, the producer gave a hint at what to expect for the Starfleet Academy series. It is not much, but he did say that it will be for a younger audience.
Adding up Section 31 and Starfleet Academy, Kurtzman will have produced seven Star Trek shows for the streaming service. So far, he has touched Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Some of these Paramount+ Star Trek shows are either returning or debuting between next week to next year. Lower Decks will return for its second season next week on August 12, Prodigy debuts this fall, and Strange New Worlds is releasing next year.
To the producer, the sky is the limit for Star Trek. Pointing to Marvel, he feels that the Marvel Cinematic Universe proved that you could “push boundaries” with a franchise. He wants to do that with Star Trek, but he notes that you need a “foundation,” and with these series, he believes it can be achieved.
Having a family-friendlier show like the announced Starfleet Academy would not be the first for the producer or for Star Trek. Prodigy will be an animated series for younger audiences. It will follow young travelers who discover the U.S.S. Protostar ship and go on wild adventures. It will star Rylee Alazraqui (Summer Camp Island), Dee Bradley Baker (American Dad), Brett Gray (On My Block), Angus Imrie (The Crown), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth), Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), and Ella Purnell (Army of the Dead). When the 10-episode season wraps, it will be available on Nickelodeon. Although Starfleet Academy will be similar in its aimed demographic, it is uncertain if it will be animated like Prodigy or live-action.
Not everything is for all ages, like Prodigy or Starfleet Academy. Lower Decks is a more mature animated series. Created by Mike McMahan (Rick and Morty), it takes on an adult sense of humor that pokes fun at the long-lasting sci-fi franchise. It stars Jack Quaid (The Boys), Star Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes (Picard, Insurrection, Generations, Nemesis), Tawny Newsome (Space Force), Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island), and Noël Wells (Master of None).
Alex Kurtzman has done more than just Star Trek series like the announced Starfleet Academy. He recently wrapped filming The Man Who Fell to Earth, which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), Clarke Peters (Da 5 Bloods), Rob Delaney (Bombshell), and Naomie Harris (Moonlight). He will be co-writing the remake of Bride of Frankenstein with writers Neil Burger (Voyagers) and David Koepp (Jurassic Park). As a producer, Kurtzman has lined up non-Star Trek projects with Far Rockaway, Van Helsing, and Now You See Me 3. He is also said to be attached to the untitled Dracula, Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, and Hunchback of Notre-Dame remakes.
