Starfleet Academy wrapped production on Season 1 back in February, but we still don't have a lot of details on the upcoming Star Trek show. Sure, we know the cast is great, and that former stars from other franchise shows will be in the mix, but what's the vibe of the show? Some have suggested the show will have a YA feel, seeing as it's centered around cadets working their way through schooling to eventually join Starfleet, but stars Kerrice Brooks and Bella Shepard pushed back on that idea.
The duo spoke to TrekMovie.com about Starfleet Academy, specifically about whether it was a series geared toward young adults. Shepard said it's more of an "everything" show and added it's "young adults going through some real shit," while Kerrice Brooks offered the following:
Yeah. To be honest, it doesn’t feel super YA. I don’t think things are like simplified or spoon-fed...But just like life brings you to a level, that’s what the show feels like it’s doing to the cadets. It feels like it is bringing us to a level instead of coming down to a YA, not that it’s a negative thing. But instead of coming to us, we’re like joining a Federation, so we’ve got to come up.
Brooks' response is just what I wanted to hear, and it's not hard to believe. It seems like the point she and Bella Shepard are trying to make is that Starfleet Academy is a show with young adults rather than a show for young adults. That's not to say people of that age won't appreciate it, but there was seemingly no obvious effort to make this show feel similar in tone to something like Riverdale or any other CW teen drama.
Star Trek could use shows to appeal to all audiences, as we've reported on Paramount's internal belief that the franchise needs to pull in new fans. With Star Trek: Prodigy's fate still in limbo, there are only limited opportunities for the series to pull in fresh blood, so here's hoping Starfleet Academy will be the series that does that.
It certainly feels like Paramount is hoping for the new series to be a hit considering the all-star talent like Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter being part of the cast. There's also the massive set constructed of the Academy, which I do hope becomes available for the public to tour at some point. I mean, we got the Picard set at a Universal Fan Fest theme night, so I don't think it's impossible to believe it will happen.
We're still waiting on an official trailer for Starfleet Academy, but for now, it's good to have some clarification on what the show will be like. That said, I was planning on watching no matter what Kerrice Brooks and Bella Shepard said, but I'm sure their comments about the YA theme will put some fears to rest.
Starfleet Academy is expected to premiere on Paramount+ in 2026. Fortunately, we have Star Trek: Strange New Worlds kicking off Season 3 on July 17th, so there's a healthy dose of Trek to tide us over before the new show arrives.
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