As Rumors Swirl About Starfleet Academy Season 3, Star Trek's Karim Diané Gave A Humbled Reality Check

Jay-Den in the woods in a flashback in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy — (Image credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+.)

As new episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy continue to arrive for those with a Paramount+ subscription, the cast and crew recently wrapped filming on Season 2. As conversation grows in the fandom about whether the series will return for Season 3 or not, Jay-Den actor Karim Diané has a humbling reality check for everyone.

Rumors have swirled since before its premiere that Starfleet Academy was only going to have a two-season run, as Paramount committed to the series and it was in development before the company's merger with Skydance. There are Trekkies wanting to know if Season 3 will happen, and while he may not know the answer to that, he shared on Instagram he's grateful the series existed to begin with:

THAT’S A WRAP on Season 2 of @StarTrek Starfleet Academy 🖖🏾✨I’ve been in this industry long enough to know something very real: getting one season of a television show is a miracle. Getting to film a second? That’s rare air.There’s been a lot of chatter online about the future of this show, about what comes next, what might happen, what people predict. And I understand the curiosity. But I think sometimes we forget to honor the present while we’re speculating about tomorrow.

Much like when he spoke to CinemaBlend about criticism surrounding the show, Karim Diané delivered another mic drop statement with this post. Rather than be worried about whether we'll have a new season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to watch a couple of years down the road, why not focus on the content we're getting now?

It's easier said than done, of course. I understand the vested interest in fans, as a Season 3 renewal potentially points to a secured future for a series acclaimed by a section of the fandom. On the other hand, cancelling it gives hope to those who don't like the show, and hope the franchise will move in a different direction or possibly enlist new leadership.

Karim Diané isn't thinking about that right now. Instead, he's focused on the present and celebrating the fact that there are now two seasons' worth of episodes where he plays the Klingon Jay-Den Kraag, a role that has already given him so much:

Right now, we have TWENTY episodes of a series about the Academy coming to screens. Twenty stories. Twenty hours of this world. Something that will live on and be discovered long after premiere week metrics fade away. That’s SO worth celebrating! This experience has been life-changing for me. The friendships, the growth, the 2AM call times, the prosthetics, the laughter between takes… all of it. I feel proud. I feel accomplished. I feel incredibly grateful. Thank you for tuning in, for debating, for posting edits, for loving these characters as fiercely as you do. It truly means more than you know. Tonight at the wrap party I’ll be celebrating what we built. See you sophomore year? 🖖🏾🚀

One thing I've marveled about when looking at this young cast is how continually grateful they are to be a part of this experience. I think that's about the best anyone can ask for, especially for a fandom that was wary about the show's premise after seeing some of the promotional material tied to it.