Starfleet Academy was reopened by Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) in Star Trek: Discovery season 4, which is ironic. The next Star Trek series and a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy continues the 32nd-century era, with Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter cast as the Chancellor and Captain, while Emmy winner Paul Giamatti plays Starfleet Academy's recurring villain. The seeds for Starfleet Academy, however, were planted in Star Trek: Discovery season 4.
A hundred years before then-Commander Burnham and the USS Discovery arrived in 3188 and 3189, respectively, a catastrophe known as the Burn crippled the galaxy. The Burn detonated the dilithium in starships' antimatter warp cores, destroying thousands of vessels and making warp travel impossible. The United Federation of Planets broke apart. Becoming an isolationist world, United Earth expelled the Federation and Starfleet, and Starfleet Academy was shut down. But after the USS Discovery solved the mystery of the Burn and restored warp travel, Starfleet Academy was finally able to reopen after a century.
Why Star Trek: Discovery’s Captain Burnham Opening Starfleet Academy Is Ironic
Captain Burnham never attended Starfleet Academy
Captain Michael Burnham reopening Starfleet Academy in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 is ironic because Burnham never attended Starfleet Academy. Michael was raised on Vulcan by her adoptive father, Ambassador Sarek (James Frain), since she was 10. Burnham attended the Vulcan Science Academy, and Sarek pulled strings for Michael to be posted by Starfleet on the USS Shenzhou under Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Nonetheless, it was Captain Burnham who delivered the keynote speech to Starfleet Academy's inaugural class of 3190:
Today, we reopen Starfleet Academy for the first time since the Burn. And in this moment, I feel like anything is possible. You are tomorrow's ensigns, lieutenants, commanders, and captains. And in this new world, all of you will go where no one has gone before. And you will make the path by traveling it. And from what I see... from what I see... I am honored to be in your company.
Of course, countless dignitaries and luminaries have delivered keynote speeches to educational institutions they did not attend. Captain Burnham was given the honor by Federation President Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) because of her accomplishments in leading the USS Discovery to solve the Burn and restore warp travel to the Federation. Burnham's heroism led to her Captaincy of the USS Discovery. By the end of Star Trek: Discovery, Michael Burnham cemented herself as the most important Starfleet Captain of the 32nd century and a future Admiral.
What To Expect From Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
The next Star Trek series picks up where Discovery left off
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now in production for a targeted 2026 release on Paramount+. Starfleet Academy not only stars Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, along with a young cast playing Starfleet Academy's new cadets, but the series also includes several Star Trek legacy characters and actors. Star Trek: Discovery's Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr), Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), and Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) have joined Starfleet Academy, along with The Doctor (Robert Picardo) from Star Trek: Voyager.
Starfleet Academy's cadets must navigate the social and educational challenges of turning into future Starfleet Officers.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will bring a new perspective to the final frontier, introducing a class of cadets who must face mistakes Starfleet has made while also encountering a new enemy to the Federation. Starfleet Academy's cadets must navigate the social and educational challenges of turning into future Starfleet Officers. Starfleet Academy will be set both in space and on Earth, with the series returning to the school's San Francisco home base and filming on the largest set ever constructed for Star Trek. It's safe to expect that Captain Burnham's words in her keynote address in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will be fulfilled by Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
