Star Trek’s Most Divisive Spin-Off Warps Past a Major Streaming Milestone

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Published Mar 14, 2026, 7:20 PM EDT

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

After ten episodes across almost two months, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 came to an explosive end this past week with the finale episode, "Rubincon." Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, this final episode was both satisfying in the way it tied up threads, but also neatly left the door open for more, given that the series has already been renewed for Season 2. This second season is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, following the news back in mid-February that filming had almost wrapped.

Expect the unexpected in Starfleet Academy Season 2, as co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau are preparing to subvert your expectations and continue with their bold and often divisive storytelling choices. In an interview with Collider's Samantha Coley, Kurtzman teased, "I think one of the things that we really like to challenge ourselves to do in the writer's room is figure out ways to go against the expectation of what you think is going to happen." He continued, "Because as an audience, that's what we like to experience when we're watching television or watching a movie, is like, how do you not stay ahead of the thing?"

But before getting ahead of ourselves, it's worth basking in the afterglow of a successful final installment for the first season of this critically acclaimed spin-off. Although some audiences have proven less receptive, with the series facing backlash from review bombing upon arrival, it has been undeniably popular on streaming throughout its run. At the time of writing, Starfleet Academy has now surpassed the 50-day mark in the Paramount+ streaming top ten across all Amazon channels.

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What Have Critics Said About 'Starfleet Academy'?

Starfleet Academy cast in character on the poster

Boasting an 88% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Starfleet Academy has been a definite hit with critics, with many praising its breaking of the franchise mold and ensemble performances. In Samantha Coley's official review of the new series for Collider, she awarded a near-perfect 9/10 score, saying, "Starfleet Academy is the best example of what Star Trek can and should be doing in this modern era — effortlessly inclusive, compelling, and innovative."

Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.