Star Trek: Starfleet Academy feels like Discovery's spiritual successor

Starfleet Academy, which premiered January 15 on Paramount+, shares characters, themes and timeline with Star Trek: Discovery and leans on events like the Burn to continue similar political and ethical storylines.

Star Trek: Discovery ended after its fifth season in a finale that many viewers and some creators treated as premature. Jonathan Frakes later confirmed that the finale was filmed without knowing it would be the show’s overall ending. Paramount+ debuted Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on January 15, and the new series is set in the same 32nd-century era with several returning Discovery characters and shared plot elements. Key details: - Jonathan Frakes has said Discovery’s final episode was shot without confirmation it would be the series finale. - Starfleet Academy premiered on January 15 on Paramount+ and is set in the 32nd century, featuring cameos such as Tig Notaro’s Reno and an announced appearance for Mary Wiseman’s Tilly. - Admiral Vance appears in an expanded supporting role in Starfleet Academy’s opening episodes and helps connect the series to Discovery’s timeline. - The series references the Burn and includes a mission to restore Betazed to the Federation, drawing parallels to Discovery’s political and ethical storylines. - Story elements in Starfleet Academy—Caleb’s backstory, a pirate antagonist played by Paul Giamatti, and an overarching family mystery—echo themes and arcs previously seen on Discovery. - The Starfleet Academy itself is depicted aboard the U.S.S. Athena; the premiere explains the Discovery is undergoing a retrofit and so does not appear in episode 1. Summary: Starfleet Academy carries significant narrative and thematic DNA from Star Trek: Discovery, using shared characters, references to the Burn, and similar political conflicts to continue stories in the same timeline. Whether Discovery’s crew will reappear in future Starfleet Academy episodes or in a dedicated continuation is undetermined at this time.