Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premieres on Paramount+ For 60th Anniversary

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John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 4,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.

It's a great week to be a Star Trek fan thanks to the Paramount+ premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. 2026 is the 60th anniversary year of Star Trek, marking the September 8, 1966 premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series on NBC.

Star Trek's 60th anniversary kicked off on New Year's Day, when George Takei from Star Trek: The Original Series, Rebecca Romijn from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Tig Notaro and Karim Diané from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy rode a special Star Trek float at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

However, January 2026's big event is the arrival of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Executive produced by Alex Kutzman and Noga Landau, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the 6th Star Trek on Paramount+ series, led by Academy Award winner Holly Hunter and Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premieres This Week

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres on Thursday, January 15, on Paramount+ with two episodes: Starfleet Academy's series premiere, "Kids These Days," will immediately be followed by episode 2, "Beta Test." For the first time in 2026, there will be two new hours of Star Trek for fans to enjoy.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has debuted with a Fresh 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has debuted with a Fresh 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and introduces a brand-new cast of characters, with Holly Hunter's Captain Nahla Ake leading a crop of Starfleet cadets played by Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks, Karim Diané, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, and Zoe Steiner.

Fans have clamored to meet a new Star Trek crew aboard a new starship and Starfleet Academy delivers with the USS Athena, which doubles as Starfleet Academy's campus. Starfleet Academy also brings back Star Trek legacy characters like The Doctor (Robert Picardo) from Star Trek: Voyager.

As the first young adult-focused Star Trek series, a segment of fans has sharpened their bat'leths. Yet open-minded Trekkers look forward to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy bringing something fresh and new, and exploring the 32nd century as the farthest ongoing point of Star Trek's thousand-year canon.

Star Trek Podcasts Also Have A Big Week

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's world premiere and junket last week produced a great deal of coverage, including mainstream outlets spotlighting Star Trek because of Starfleet Academy's A-list movie stars. A deluge of interviews with Star Trek actors and producers are a welcome influx of Star Trek news this week.

In addition, Star Trek podcasts will have their first big week of 2026. Every Star Trek podcast catering to a wide variety of fan perspectives will have coverage of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, including The 7th Rule with Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk, Strange New Pod, and Open Pike Night.

Meanwhile, Star Trek podcasts hosted by legacy actors are also prominent this week. Dropping Names... And Other Things, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner's new podcast, will have a Q&A on Tuesday, January 13. The D-Con Chamber hosted by Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating returns on Sunday, January 18, to begin recapping Star Trek: Enterprise season 2.

Star Trek is in a state of uncertainty, with fans anxious to learn what Paramount Skydance's new plans will be for the final frontier. However, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiering with two episodes this week is cause for excitement as a promising return to the optimistic vision of the future based upon Gene Roddenberry's original creation.