Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has been axed less than two weeks after the season one finale aired on TV.
Given the second season of the Paramount+ series had already been filmed and production recently wrapped, the second instalment will still go ahead, but will be the last of the franchise reboot, Variety reports.
Studio bosses from CBS Studios and Paramount+ broke the bad news with Trekkie fans, sugar-coating the cancellation by praising the creators’ boundary-pushing efforts.
“We’re incredibly proud of the ambition, passion, and creativity that went into bringing Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to life,” the statement read.
“The series introduced audiences to a bold new group of characters, welcomed familiar faces, and expanded the Star Trek universe in exciting new ways.
“We’re grateful to Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau, Gaia Violo, and the entire cast and crew who pushed storytelling boundaries in the spirit of Gene Roddenberry’s vision. We look forward to sharing the upcoming second and final season with everyone, and continuing to celebrate the cast, crew, and all that was accomplished with this series.”
Set in the 32nd century, after the events of Star Trek: Discovery took place, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy chronicles the lives of students and teachers who attend the re-established academy. It was meant to bring new life to a classic and reignite sci-fi passion in the younger generation. Except, it didn’t.
While the addition to the franchise was initially well received, with the series granted a critical approved rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, the spin-off quickly flew straight into a meteor shower of controversy, with sci-fi fans claiming the series was too “woke”.
The show’s failure to launch a loyal fanbase didn’t come as a surprise to many, who reacted to the cancellation on X.
“The concept was so exciting. All they had to do was have decent storylines and interesting characters played by attractive up and coming actors and it would have been a huge hit. Instead they tried to push it further left than ever before, alienating most of the fanbase,” one person shared online.
“They put a gay Klingon in it. So this show basically appealed to only woke weirdo’s.
Of course it was going to be cancelled. Anyone could have seen this coming,” another harsh critic responded.
Another unsurprised fan added: “Modern audiences didn’t show up again, huh?”
Meanwhile, Star Trek veteran William Shatner, who played the iconic commander, Captain James T Kirk, in the original series, also added his two cents – claiming he was disappointed to see the series didn’t lift.
“Star Trek exists in more than one world. It exists in the fantasy of science fiction – weird and wonderful things that play unimaginable possibilities of exploration and human endeavour. But it also exists in the fantasy of human beings, the perfection of human beings, the exploration that human beings have made since the dawn of time and the continuing exploration – physically mentally and morally,” he wrote on X.
“It’s that aspect of Star Trek that I’ve always loved, to look at something physically that doesn’t exist now by these talented writers & designers but also to tackle the eternal human questions the agonies, the ecstasies.
“Star Trek should exist for a long time to come based on those truths. I for one would love to see its continuity. It’s with sorrow that I hear about the cancellation of the new Star Trek series.”