Starfleet Academy Set In 32nd Century After Discovery Explained by Alex Kurtzman

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy executive producer Alex Kurtzman explains why the 32nd century after Star Trek: Discovery is the most relevant setting for Paramount+’s upcoming series. In July, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy dropped its first teaser trailer, revealing an early 2026 premiere on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place after the end of Star Trek: Discovery, in an era where the United Federation of Planets is still rebuilding after The Burn. Starfleet Academy‘s cadets are the first class of the newly opened school in 120 years.

Speaking to Collider at San Diego Comic-Con, Alex Kurtzman, who was joined by his Star Trek: Starfleet Academy cast, including Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter, detailed why Starfleet Academy was “always” going to take place after Star Trek: Discovery. Watch the video and read Alex’s quote below:

“It was always after Discovery. It was always the 32nd century… Whatever Trek show you’re making has to individuate. It has to be its own show. It has to have a reason for being other than the other Star Trek shows. And in the 32nd century, you’re dealing with a post-Burn world where trust in government has broken down. Where the Federation is rebuilding. Where people are divided. Where there’s all these major issues. And in Discovery, the ship came and started bringing the Federation back together again. And now our kids are the first class back in over 120 years.

And so you have a generation of kids who are facing the mistakes of their elders or the issues that have been handed down to them by their elders, and are now having to deal with it. And it felt like a very relevant topic. As a father, I see what my son is going through as he’s about to go off into the world, and it felt very much like what our cadets are going through.”

Why Star Trek’s 32nd Century Is The Right Setting For Starfleet Academy

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the culmination of several failed attempts to launch a TV series or movie about the San Francisco institution that trains future Starfleet Officers. What makes the post-Star Trek: Discovery 32nd century ideal for Starfleet Academy is that it’s set after The Burn, in a time of rebuilding for the Federation.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy being set at the farthest point in Star Trek’s Prime Timeline also allows the series to draw from the breadth of Star Trek‘s history. The Doctor (Robert Picardo), who is an instructor, is a living, holographic bridge between Starfleet Academy’s uncertain but hopeful present and the past glories of Star Trek’s 24th century era.

Star Trek traditionally excels at adapting modern day issues and addressing them through its unique sci-fi lens. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy may be set over a thousand years after our present day, but Alex Kurtzman assures audiences that the next Star Trek show will tackle pertinent issues that concern us, adapting them into Star Trek‘s future.

Our Take On Starfleet Academy Being Set After Star Trek: Discovery

I’m glad that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is continuing the distant future Star Trek: Discovery introduced. Star Trek has to keep moving forward, and creating the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 allowed for a brand new final frontier where anything can happen. Discovery only scratched the surface of the 32nd century.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is also an important step in Star Trek cultivating a younger audience, since the fandom for Gene Roddenberry’s franchise skews much older. The way for Star Trek to reach a young adult audience is to depict issues that are relevant to them but seen through Star Trek’s lens.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century is ripe with potential, and it’s a tumultuous yet idealistic time for college-age Starfleet cadets to work towards their dreams in the final frontier. Hopefully, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can inspire a new generation to fall in love with Star Trek the way longtime fans already are.