Starfleet Academy Haters Are Missing Some Of The Best Star Trek Storylines In Years
By Dan Bibby
February 7th, 2026
Red Alert! Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Spoilers! (Episodes 1-5)
I will be the first to admit that when I first saw the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy trailer, I wasn't all that excited by it. That said, I had already made up my mind that I would give it a fair shot. As a sequel to Star Trek: Discovery, the new Paramount+ show is also set in the 32nd century, and neither of those things particularly interested me. I watched and enjoyed all of Discovery, but it was terminally lukewarm throughout with only a handful of standout moments.
However, Starfleet Academy is far better, and I find myself looking forward massively to each episode. Only episode 3, "Vitus Reflux," has let me down so far, and even that wasn't irredeemably awful. I'm fully aware that some of the oldest Star Trek fans might find Starfleet Academy too "hip" for them, but it winds me up that they're giving weird alternative reasons for why the show is "bad." It really is not a bad show, and if you actually watched it instead of buying into the rhetoric of others who also haven't seen it, you might just be in danger of having a good time.
However, Starfleet Academy is far better, and I find myself looking forward massively to each episode. Only episode 3, "Vitus Reflux," has let me down so far, and even that wasn't irredeemably awful. I'm fully aware that some of the oldest Star Trek fans might find Starfleet Academy too "hip" for them, but it winds me up that they're giving weird alternative reasons for why the show is "bad." It really is not a bad show, and if you actually watched it instead of buying into the rhetoric of others who also haven't seen it, you might just be in danger of having a good time.
Starfleet Academy Is Just As Much For Old School Star Trek Fans As It Is For Newcomers
Nothing has annoyed me more since Starfleet Academy premiered than people who have decided not to watch the show, then somehow criticized it for not meeting their weirdly high standards. First of all, how can you know if it's good or not if you haven't seen it? Second of all, you're wrong about it being terrible. Yes, it is a little "woke," but as I'm sure some of the old guard are sick of hearing, and being forced to admit, that's always a term that has always applied to Star Trek, even before people started saying it.
Regardless, although the show is sort of intended to welcome in a new generation of Trekkies, it's far more than that. Starfleet Academy is absolutely packed with Easter eggs that acknowledge classic-era Star Trek shows. Obviously, Robert Picardo's Doctor is its biggest Star Trek: Voyager reference, but it isn't the only one. Starfleet Academy also doesn't neglect The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, or Enterprise. There are also a number of nods to key storylines from the modern era — even more obscure projects like Star Trek: Prodigy.
Just to give some of the infuriatingly stubborn holdouts a brief overview of what they've missed so far, there's been:
So, if you're one of the crowd still refusing to give the show a try, this is your sign to stop being such a killjoy and just let yourself have a good time. Sure, there are also new characters and storylines, and you might not like them all. But is that really so different from other Star Trek shows? There are always characters you'll like more than others, and episodes that stand out to you more than others. If you can't handle a Klingon in a skirt, that says way more about you than it does the Klingon in question. He's already been at the heart of one of the best Star Trek episodes in ages. And, guess what? He's also not the first Klingon to forego a life of violence.
Regardless, although the show is sort of intended to welcome in a new generation of Trekkies, it's far more than that. Starfleet Academy is absolutely packed with Easter eggs that acknowledge classic-era Star Trek shows. Obviously, Robert Picardo's Doctor is its biggest Star Trek: Voyager reference, but it isn't the only one. Starfleet Academy also doesn't neglect The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, or Enterprise. There are also a number of nods to key storylines from the modern era — even more obscure projects like Star Trek: Prodigy.
Just to give some of the infuriatingly stubborn holdouts a brief overview of what they've missed so far, there's been:
- An impressively cinematic, feature-length pilot episode
- A strongly implied ending to the functionally-cancelled Star Trek: Prodigy
- A Klingon-heavy epic that documents the current state of the species in the 32nd century
- Lots of fun moments with the Doctor
- A goddamn legacy sequel episode to Deep Space Nine (which included Jake's return)
- Interesting, never-before-seen alien hybrids
- The franchise's second member of the Lanthanite species
- & More
So, if you're one of the crowd still refusing to give the show a try, this is your sign to stop being such a killjoy and just let yourself have a good time. Sure, there are also new characters and storylines, and you might not like them all. But is that really so different from other Star Trek shows? There are always characters you'll like more than others, and episodes that stand out to you more than others. If you can't handle a Klingon in a skirt, that says way more about you than it does the Klingon in question. He's already been at the heart of one of the best Star Trek episodes in ages. And, guess what? He's also not the first Klingon to forego a life of violence.
Why Starfleet Academy Features So Many Cool Star Trek Easter Eggs & Cameos
2026 is a very important year for Star Trek. In September, the franchise turns 60 years old. As such, this year is being used as a 12-month-long celebration of Gene Roddenberry's beloved brainchild. While I feel like Paramount could be making more of an effort to mark the occasion instead of just Starfleet Academy season 1 and the return of Strange New Worlds for its fourth season, the former is at least holding up its end of the bargain. I hope SNW does the same, but only time will tell with that one.
It would be purely nonsensical for every Starfleet Academy episode to just be an endless string of Easter eggs that acknowledge other shows. Still...the show isn't shying away from at least trying to pull that off. Depending on your level of Star Trek knowledge, it can be impossible to watch an episode of Starfleet Academy without picking up on multiple references to iconic moments and characters from the franchise's rich history. If you can't enjoy that, then there might be something wrong with you. See a doctor. Hell, see the Doctor by tuning in for the next episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
It would be purely nonsensical for every Starfleet Academy episode to just be an endless string of Easter eggs that acknowledge other shows. Still...the show isn't shying away from at least trying to pull that off. Depending on your level of Star Trek knowledge, it can be impossible to watch an episode of Starfleet Academy without picking up on multiple references to iconic moments and characters from the franchise's rich history. If you can't enjoy that, then there might be something wrong with you. See a doctor. Hell, see the Doctor by tuning in for the next episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Head to Talk Nerdy To Me's TV page for more coverage of your favorite shows.