When CinemaBlend asked Robert Picardo in 2025 whether Paramount's merger with Skydance would impact the franchise, he felt pretty certain that it wouldn't happen. Of course, no one could predict that months later, Paramount Skydance would also merge with Warner Bros. Discovery, which has once again thrown everything into flux. Now, amidst positive assurances that the show would be fine, Starfleet Academy has been canceled, and the actor has offered a sobering message about his hopes for the franchise going forward.
Picardo added his voice to other Star Trek actors' comments, like William Shatner, who bemoaned the cancellation not long ago. On Screen and Beyond interviewed Picardo, and he shared his thoughts on what he hopes will be ahead when it comes to Trek programming in the future:
There will be no new Star Trek for a while, and then Star Trek will come back. But I hope that it does come back with the same core values that it’s always embodied, and have always been really essential to Roddenberry’s optimistic vision of humanity’s future in space… It’s a future in which we are valued not for the color of our skin or our sexual preferences but for the content of our character and what we contribute to the crew, to the collective. And all of those core values of Star Trek, I hope, will be there in whatever new Star Trek there is in the future.
The actor's comments are in reference to the discourse that surrounded Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in Season 1. Some fans decried the series as "too woke," citing changes like an openly gay Klingon as too extreme for the franchise. While critics and overall reviews for the series were high, the series seemingly failed to find enough of an audience for Paramount Skydance to bring it back for Season 3.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cancellation comes at a key time, as it's the final year of Alex Kurtzman's deal with Paramount+. With no active shows in development at the moment, it appears as though the company will select a new person to head Star Trek television, though nothing is set in stone at this time.
Whatever the case may be, it would seem that this era, which started back in 2017 with the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, is over. It's possible Paramount could look into rebranding the franchise for its future shows or evaluate ways to try and entice new viewers while still serving the classic fandom.
Paramount Skydance has not signaled its plan for Star Trek television, though there have been public intentions to get a movie back in theaters soon. We're coming up on a decade since the last Trek movie premiered in theaters, but it seems like that could soon come to an end if all goes to plan. Whether that means television will take a backseat until that goal is realized, we can only wait and see.
There's a lot of uncertainty in Star Trek right now, but fortunately, most of the shows are still available to stream over on Paramount+. Plus, we also have the final seasons of Strange New Worlds and Season 2 of Starfleet Academy on the way, so there will be some new content to look forward to as the franchise figures out its next steps forward.
