‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ has been canceled after low ratings and fan backlash
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“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” the latest installment of the legacy franchise, has been canceled. Although the second season has already finished filming, CBS Studios and Paramount+ have confirmed that it will be the show’s last.
The decision followed a season one debut that drew criticism from some viewers online for what they described as a “resurrection” in the creative process.
A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that while the studio is happy with the show’s performance, it’s “no secret” that the series failed to appear on Nielsen’s weekly top ten broadcast lists.
In a joint statement, first reported by Variety, CBS Studios and Paramount+ said they were “incredibly proud of the ambition, passion, and creativity” of the series, which they said “pushed the boundaries of storytelling.”
The series has faced backlash from fans over its allegedly “woke” content, as critics have issued harsh reviews and viewership numbers have dropped amid ongoing controversy. (Screenshot/Paramount+ YouTube)
“The series introduced audiences to a new cast of characters, welcomed familiar faces, and expanded the ‘Star Trek’ universe in exciting new ways,” they said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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The first episode of the series was made available for free on YouTube, where it was met with massive backlash in the comments section. Some viewers accused the episode of disloyalty to the franchise and mocked the series’ famous slogan, joking, “Going bold where no one likes,” in the comments below the clip.
At first, cast member Gina Yashere and others balked at the game’s “revival” label, arguing that the franchise had always been portrayed that way. In this series, Yashere’s character is in a same-sex relationship.
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Longtime “Star Trek” actor Robert Picardo echoed that sentiment, writing on Instagram that “the heart of the franchise was ‘awakened'” long before the term existed.
Alex Kurtzman, Robert Picardo, Bella Shepard, Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks and Noga Landau attend the “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” FYC event at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Los Angeles on March 10. (Photos by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty for Paramount+)
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The first episodes received strong reviews from critics but very low scores from audiences. At one point, the show’s audience score on Rotten Tomatoes’ hit a low of 35%, and the series currently holds a 4.4 out of 10 on IMDb, with the majority of ratings being one-star reviews.
William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original television series, commented on the cancellation in a post on X, talking about his famous interracial kiss in the 1960s: “During the first run of my Star Trek series when kissing was not acceptable; many stations in the south pulled the episode and condemned the show.”
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“In today’s vernacular it would be totally called ‘woke DEI crap’ because it was against the ‘norms’ of society at the time. Not much has changed.”
Executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau said the second season is in post-production and they plan to “finish it strong.”
