Paramount+ is one of the newer streaming services (starting in 2021), but it’s also an underrated one. A quick look at the platform will show people that they have content for everyone. For example, if you’re into animation, all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons are there, along with SpongeBob SquarePants and tons of Nickelodeon content. Paramount+ also has all of the Star Trek movies and TV shows. That brings us to the unfortunate news of the future of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
It was recently reported that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (which made its debut in January 2026 with an episode called “Kids These Days") won’t return after season 2. It also stinks because it’s reported that the show will end on a cliffhanger. As someone who’s covered the show, the cancellation is unfortunate, but not shocking because people online have called it "too woke."
"We got some sad news this week and that is that our show is not being extended beyond the second season. I think our show is very much in the tradition of all of Star Trek. It is very diverse and inclusive, and I think some of those values are not, how should I put it, are not as popular in the present political and cultural climate in America. Which is unusual because those are the core values of Star Trek."Robert Picardo
Despite being someone with little knowledge of the lore, this writer is aware of what Star Trek is supposed to be. The franchise has always been something that represents people from various races, creeds, and sexual orientations. It could be said that it started with Kirk and Uhura's kiss, but that wasn’t the end of it. The show continued to challenge social norms from then on. Starfleet Academy just happens to be the one that’s doing it more openly and in the era of social media.
Now, for anyone who spends any time on the internet, you know that it can be a great or terrible place. The good is when people come together and share opinions in a positive way, even when people don’t agree. The negative is when hatred is spewed for something that was peaceful, and there was a lot of that regarding Starfleet Academy. Among the things I’ve seen were people posting puking GIFs when a picture of Jay-Den Kraag was posted online because he is dating a guy.
Now, here’s the funny thing about the show being “too woke” or whatever the people online are saying. One of the cast members from the original Star Trek, George Takei, supports the show and Karim Diané, who plays Jay-Den, the first male, gay Klingon. How that isn’t enough for “fans” is befuddling and disappointing.
So, while people online will continue to say untrue things about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the real fans and alumni are sticking behind the show and the cast. Hopefully, the program will continue because everything about it, from the current cast to the focus on representation, is what made Star Trek an elite franchise.
Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow’s social media pages on Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter for more Star Trek: Starfleet Academy news, opinions, and rumors as they come out.