Paramount tried to sell Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 2 to Netflix, according to a business insider source speaking exclusively to the Tachyon Pulse podcast. The move would mirror what happened with Star Trek: Prodigy in 2023. That precedent offers a cautionary tale about what Netflix actually gets out of these deals.
Tachyon Pulse’s host was direct about the sourcing: “I’ve exclusively been talking to a business insider over at Paramount in this case. And they have said they have seen evidence, and this is firsthand, so can’t really say it’s a rumor. I think it’s news that actually, yes, Paramount tried to sell Starfleet Academy season 2 to Netflix.”
The proposed deal would bundle both seasons together. “That would probably include a deal for them to show Starfleet Academy season 1 as well,” the host explained, drawing the explicit parallel: “Prodigy is probably the closest example to this.”
Prodigy established the template. Paramount cancelled the animated series in June 2023 after it underperformed on both Nickelodeon and Paramount+. Fans launched a vocal “Save Prodigy” campaign, including an aerial banner flown over studio offices, and Netflix picked up the show later that year. Season 1 dropped on Netflix in late 2023, Season 2 in 2024, with the Hageman brothers and Kurtzman publicly thanking fans for the rescue.
What Netflix got for their investment tells the real story. Season 2 charted in the Top 10 in eight countries its debut week, mostly European markets, peaking at number three in Germany. Sustained engagement collapsed. By 2026, Prodigy carries a buzz score of 0.5 out of 100, ranking 1,156th among all television shows. Netflix passed on Season 3 and is pulling the series from the platform entirely.
Netflix bought Prodigy banking on the broader Star Trek audience, a demographic with demonstrated loyalty and purchasing power for decades. That audience didn’t follow the show to Netflix in meaningful numbers. Fan campaign volume, it turns out, doesn’t translate directly into viewership.
Tachyon Pulse acknowledged the commercial logic for Paramount despite those numbers: “I think this show would do okay on Netflix. I genuinely believe that. The viewing figures were not great for Paramount, obviously.” The core business motivation is straightforward: Paramount needs to recoup production costs from a show that failed on its own platform. “It would recoup some money. They would get a fee from Netflix,” the host noted, adding that Netflix faces minimal downside given the size gap between the two platforms.
The timing connects to something larger. Tachyon Pulse linked the potential sale to Paramount’s broader Trek reset under new Skydance ownership. If Kurtzman doesn’t get a new deal, the new owners will want to announce different projects. Offloading Starfleet Academy Season 2 to Netflix clears that runway sooner. “Getting rid of Starfleet Academy season 2 over to Netflix allows you to do that a bit sooner, to start that process a bit sooner,” the host said.
As of now, the deal is stalled. “Netflix either have declined the kind offer or have not really responded yet,” Tachyon Pulse reported. “This may be something that has to be negotiated a little bit.”
Paramount built a show so unsuccessful they’re now trying to make it someone else’s problem. Netflix already learned from Prodigy that fan campaigns don’t equal audiences. Both parties know exactly what Starfleet Academy is worth.
The negotiation continues accordingly.
Should Netflix take a chance on Starfleet Academy Season 2? Let us know in the comments.
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