Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premieres on Paramount+ For 60th Anniversary

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This is an exciting week for Star Trek fans with the debut of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+. 2026 will be a special year—the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, commemorating the September 8, 1966, premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series on NBC.

The 60th anniversary of Star Trek began on New Year’s Day with a special appearance at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. George Takei, known from the original Star Trek series, Rebecca Romijn from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Tig Notaro and Karim Diané from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy all rode on a *Star Trekthemed float.

The major Star Trek news for January 2026 is the debut of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. This will be the sixth Star Trek series on Paramount+, and it’s executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. The series stars award-winning actors Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premieres This Week

I’m so excited! Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is finally coming to Paramount+ this Thursday, January 15th, and they’re releasing two episodes at once! The first episode is called “Kids These Days,” and it’s immediately followed by “Beta Test.” It’s going to be amazing to have two whole hours of new Star Trek to watch for the first time this year!

The new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has launched to positive reviews, earning an 85% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It features a new group of characters, led by Captain Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter, and includes Starfleet cadets portrayed by Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks, Karim Diané, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, and Zoe Steiner.

Fans were eager for a fresh Star Trek team and ship, and Starfleet Academy provides just that with the USS Athena, which also serves as the campus for the Academy. The series also features returning Star Trek favorites, including The Doctor (played by Robert Picardo) from Star Trek: Voyager.

With the debut of the first Star Trek series aimed at young adults, some fans are cautiously optimistic—and others are sharpening their critical arguments. However, many Star Trek enthusiasts are excited about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy offering a new perspective and venturing into the 32nd century, the furthest point yet in the show’s established timeline of over a thousand years.

Star Trek Podcasts Also Have A Big Week

The recent premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy generated significant media attention, with many major news sources covering Star Trek due to the film’s popular cast. We’re also seeing a lot of new Star Trek news this week thanks to interviews with the actors and creators involved.

2026 will be a major week for Star Trek podcasts. All the popular podcasts, offering different viewpoints for fans, will be covering Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. This includes shows like The 7th Rule (hosted by Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk), Strange New Pod, and Open Pike Night.

This week also features popular Star Trek podcasts led by original cast members. Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner will be doing a Q&A on their new podcast, Dropping Names… And Other Things, on January 13th. And The D-Con Chamber, hosted by Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating, is back on January 18th to start a rewatch of Star Trek: Enterprise season 2.

The future of Star Trek is currently unclear, and fans are eager to see what Paramount Skydance has planned. However, the premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy with its first two episodes offers a hopeful sign – a return to the optimistic future envisioned by the series’ creator, Gene Roddenberry.

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2026-01-12 16:00