Paramount’s Starfleet Academy series is already under fire—and it hasn’t even premiered yet. Now comes word that Season 2 may already be canceled, according to a new rumor dropped by the Tachyon Pulse Podcast on YouTube.
If true, this could be a brutal vote of no confidence in Academy, which already suffered heavy backlash following the disastrous teaser trailer—currently having racked up over 30,000 dislikes on YouTube to just 6,900 likes.
Skydance Reportedly Not Impressed
According to Tachyon Pulse, a source claims that Skydance, which now oversees Paramount content, has seen early edits of Starfleet Academy Season 1 and they’re “not massively impressed.” Worse, the show is reportedly very expensive, which might be tipping the scales toward shelving Season 2 before it gets rolling.
The YouTuber goes over how due to the current contract with Paramount, Secret Hideout—Alex Kurtzman’s production company—has the rights to produce Trek shows and pitch them to Paramount first. If Paramount passes (as it did with Prodigy), Secret Hideout can shop them to Netflix, Amazon, or elsewhere.
That scenario may now be playing out again with Academy, according to the YouTuber:
“What I’ve been told is that Skydance have already seen a lot of Academy season 1. They’ve seen obviously a lot of the early edits and things and Skydance aren’t massively impressed and it’s massively expensive.”
“They basically got this deal where they can do whatever they want with Star Trek in theory. They just have to give Paramount the first dibs.”
History Repeating Itself?
This is exactly what happened with Star Trek: Prodigy. Paramount bailed on Season 2, and Secret Hideout sold it to Netflix, which is now airing it instead (Netflix opted not to renew for a third season).
If Academy Season 2 has already been filmed or is near completion (said to be starting production soon), the same route could happen, especially if Paramount walks away.
If true, this would be a major embarrassment for Alex Kurtzman, who co-showruns Academy. It could also reflect Skydance’s deeper skepticism about continuing to fund his creative vision for Star Trek as it’s also rumored a Star Trek reboot will happen once the merger officially goes through.
Why the Cancellation Rumor Matters
This rumor—unconfirmed but plausible—signals serious uncertainty around the future of Academy and Trek under Kurtzman.
Even if Season 1 airs on Paramount+ in 2026, a canceled Season 2 would send a clear message: the studio isn’t confident in the product. It also would seemingly corroborate the rumors of a full Star Trek reboot under Skydance.
With Strange New Worlds going off the rails with musical numbers and puppet episodes (officially ends with Season 5), and Starfleet Academy already being ratioed online, the franchise looks more adrift than ever.
Release info
Star Trek Academy Season 1 is set to premiere on Paramount+ in early 2026. New episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 are currently streaming.
