Star Trek: Starfleet Academy still has another season before its official cancellation, which offers its cast a platform to react to the news and the input on Season 1 from fans. We recently heard from veteran actor Robert Picardo and his hopes for the franchise's future, and now we're hearing from one of its new stars.
Kerrice Brooks was part of the young cast of Starfleet Academy as SAM, and she finally broke her silence about the series' reception during the Trek Talks telethon. Brooks admitted that the negative reception from older fans drove her away from social media once Season 1 got started (Via TrekMovie.com):
I’m not online really much because I’ve had my own relationship with social media since my dance career before acting. And I feel like I know we there’s no such thing as a perfect show, and I know that there are things that I won’t be able to understand, that the older Trekkies feel. But all I saw was negativity, if I’m being honest … And that also kept me off, especially off of Instagram. I don’t have a Facebook. Tiktok is just funny, but the ones where I think Gen Z isn’t so active, all I saw was the hate for our show and for our characters, and that kept me off. That’s why I’m excited to go to the conventions and hopefully they don’t hate on it in person … But hopefully I get to talk to people who, I don’t know, have something nice.
Many assumed Star Trek: Starfleet Academy would have its critics, especially given its ties to the polarizing Discovery series that preceded it. Speaking to what Brooks said specifically, the show also received complaints about being "too woke" from some, which is something that has popped up quite a bit before in this new era for those critical of the new shows.
Article continues belowThe discourse became frustrating amongst fans, both with those who liked Starfleet Academy and also those who didn't, but for reasons aside from casting and supposed diversity inclusion. Kerrice Brooks continued her comments, instructing fans on how to approach criticism of the show when speaking to her:
If it’s not nice, like, let’s just talk about it. Don’t just say, like, I hate it because it’s DEI. Tell me you hate it because of something else, and then we can have a conversation.
I wasn't even aware that Star Trek fans were in the habit of approaching actors just to tell them they don't like their series, which feels pretty rude. This is especially true for someone like Brooks, who is just part of the series as an actor, reading what's in the script. I totally agree they should have more constructive thoughts to share, or maybe just find something else to watch with that Paramount+ subscription.
It feels extra uncouth to do in light of a time in which Star Trek's future is in flux, with no confirmed path about how it will move forward. Starfleet Academy was an attempt to draw in a younger audience, as reports have alleged that the general consensus behind the scenes is the fandom is dying off. This is to say, there are more old fans than young, which explains the attempts to try different forms of storytelling and develop a show with a cast of 20-something adults.
Unfortunately, it didn't draw the audience that Paramount Skydance would've liked, and with zero talk of new shows on the horizon, it seems that the organization is going to let Alex Kurtzman's contract expire and possibly announce a new head of the television side of things. Where that leads we can only guess, but I look forward to more answers when they come.
Stream Star Trek: Starfleet Academy over on Paramount+ right now. Season 2 is expected to release sometime in 2027, and hopefully by then we'll have some answers about what's next for Trek as a whole.
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