I just want to get one thing out of the way upfront. I will not be discussing the political nonsense surrounding Starfleet Academy.  To those complaining about the show being “too woke”, I will not be taking you seriously, and I will simply refer you to Captain Kirk himself:

“During the first airing of my Star Trek series where a kiss was objectionable; many southern stations pulled the episode & condemned the show. Using today’s vernacular it would absolutely be called “woke DEI crap” because it went against “norms” of society for its time. Not a lot seems to have changed. 🤷🏼😑”

William Shatner

That’s all I have to say about that.  Moving on.

To Boldly Know

What I really want to address is the claims that Starfleet Academy is not “Real Trek”. In short, those claims are absolute bullshit. But I know that response simply won’t be enough for some people. So, let’s do this. Let’s explore what Star Trek is, and what it means to be “real Trek”. Because apparently some “fans” need to be reminded.

When people say, “real Trek”, they usually have a very specific, narrow image in mind. A confident captain on the bridge of a ship. A crew of consummate professionals, dealing with the problem of the week. A dilemma that is solved in the last ten minutes with some technobabble and a philosophical speech. But if that is what defines Star Trek, then half the franchise doesn’t even count!

“Starfleet Academy still very much embodies the spirit of Star Trek, both in the stories it tells, and the mirror it holds up to the society currently watching it.”

Infinite Diversity in Limited Seasons

Star Trek has never been just one thing. It started out as a “Wagon train to the stars” with The Original Series. Then it pivoted to a diplomatic adventure full of ethical dilemmas and philosophy in The Next Generation. Deep Space Nine gave us a gritty, character driven political noir and war epic. Voyager often dabbled in Survival Horror and a “lost at sea” tone. Enterprise took us back in time to the early days of Starfleet to give us a gritty industrial frontier drama. And Lower Decks even took a big swing with a workplace comedy.

So to say that Starfleet Academy—A young adult drama about the experiences of a group of 32nd century Academy cadets learning to work together and navigate life and duty in a post-burn galaxy—somehow isn’t “Star Trek” is complete nonsense. Starfleet Academy still very much embodies the spirit of Star Trek, both in the stories it tells, and the mirror it holds up to the society currently watching it, with the same idealistic and aspirational values the show held in 1966. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

It is a tragedy that the series was cancelled so quickly without ever having the chance to grow and spread its wings. I look forward to watching Season 2 when it releases, but it will be a bittersweet experience knowing it won’t be allowed to continue.