Star Trek: Starfleet Academy producer and showrunner Alex Kurtzman shared an update on when the second season of the show will release.
In an interview with TrekMovie.com ahead of the first season’s premiere on Paramount+, Kurtzman was asked what the status of the second season is and if he knows when it will be released given the recent takeover of Paramount by Larry Ellison.
Kurtzman answered, “No, actually, we don’t.”
As for where they are with season 2, he said, “We’re just about to wrap. I can tell you it takes us about a year to finish editing a season. And I’m about to go off and direct the finale of season 2, right now. So you’re really kind of looking at a year no matter what, is my guess.”
“But if they say, ‘Hey, we want to rush it,’ that’s always an option. But it’s always better not to rush, is the truth,” he added.
It was announced that the show would get a second season back in October 2019 with Paramount revealing in a press release, “Paramount+ today announced that the original series STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY has been renewed for a second season. The news comes as season one is currently in production in Toronto.”
It is unclear what will happen with Star Trek on Television following the conclusion of Starfleet Academy and Strange New Worlds.
During a press conference after Ellison took control of the company and became CEO and Chairman, the Co-Chair of Paramount Pictures and Chair of Paramount Television Dana Goldberg hinted that the company would align the television shows with their movie plans. Goldberg said, “Star Trek is absolutely a priority, and it’s a priority across the company. We’re not going to be siloed off so that there’s a conversation happening about television and another conversation’ about the films.”
She also said, “We’re going to make sure those conversations are happening together so that we can do what’s best for the brand as a whole.”
And it appears that they are ditching J.J. Abrams and Kurtzman’s version of Trek for “a completely new take.”
In November, it was announced that a new Star Trek film was in development with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley boarding the film to write, produce, and direct. Deadline’s Justin Kroll described the film as “a completely new take on the Star Trek universe and not connected to any previous or current television series, movie or prior movie development projects.”
It got “renewed” while they were making the first season?
So basically it didn’t really get a second season, it’s just one season that they split into two?!
Any fans this show has will be gone by the time the second season airs. Long breaks between seasons are a deal-killer for most viewers. Even good shows fall off ratings-wise because it takes too long to release a new season because of absurdly high production values. What a waste on this show! Two fairly talented actors with dollar-store props would have been more entertaining.