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Editorial
19 Jan 2025

Why Starfleet Academy Deserves a Chance

The fandom appears more divided over Starfleet Academy than ever before. Many reject the series outright, criticizing the setting, characters, storytelling and the inevitable "wokeness". The number of naysayers seems even greater than those who opposed Discovery. Either that, or they have simply become more vocal and visible. On the other side, supporters celebrate Starfleet Academy as a fresh opportunity to explore new worlds and seek out new audiences. That's only fair, but some dismiss criticism outright. I also don't think that framing disappointed fans as being of one mind with evil Elon is helpful. In the media, the middle ground is drowned out by the extremes. The episodes themselves almost feel designed to provoke division by alienating long-time fans with broad humor and heavy-handed references. Yet even detractors admit the show looks better than expected. The lingering question is: Can Starfleet Academy become a sustainable Trek series, one that simply requires time for audiences to adjust to its style?

I don't consider myself a detractor, but rather a skeptic. However, it is difficult to escape the framing, and in my case, to set aside grievances in order to enjoy what SFA does well. My reviews of "Kids These Days" and "Beta Test" seem to lean heavily on weaknesses, but as an afterthought, I want to highlight the strengths. The sets are spectacular. Everything is bright, crisp and polished, much like in the Golden Age of the 1990s. Despite occasional lens flares and CGI excess, the cinematography is outstanding. SFA is the best-looking modern Trek show. The cast also impresses. Holly Hunter delivers as expected, but the young actors deserve praise for making the cadets feel alive and likable. Then there's the broader setting. Discovery laid the groundwork, but its constant galaxy-saving missions left little room to explore the 32nd century in depth. SFA already does far more in terms of worldbuilding.

I believe Starfleet Academy has the potential to evolve into a meaningful series in the best Trek tradition, if it can deliver compelling stories while cutting back on the silly jokes, awkward situations and nostalgia overload. That said, one more aspect currently doesn't quite work for me. With the exception of Caleb, every cadet is an alien, yet they all feel essentially human. They are distinguished by special abilities, rather than by different values and traditions. SAM has even been programmed as a 17-year-old awkward human girl. I would expect cultural clashes, but the aliens integrate more seamlessly than a German exchange student at an American college. Ironically Caleb is the outsider in terms of the cultural background.

I try to keep an open mind and resist the polarized framing that surrounds Starfleet Academy. Still, my reviews will probably remain in flux as my perspective is evolving. What I can say with confidence, however, is that the claims of SFA being a "disaster" or a "disgrace" are totally exaggerated. The show certainly has its flaws, but I can only encourage fellow skeptics to give Starfleet Academy a fair chance.

Bernd Schneider

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  • 17 Apr 2026

    Model by

    CaptainWhitmire

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  • 14 Apr 2026

    The tiny Starfleet Blackbird-class scout is a mere 104-meters long and dwarfed even by starships from 100-years ago. Far smaller than famous cruisers like the refit-Constitution-class USS Enterprise, these 22-man vessels scout ahead of Starfleet task groups, conduct months-long sector patrols from local Starfleet Starbases and Federation planets, and conduct anti-piracy patrols along Federation shipping lanes, responding to distress calls from any Federation craft, and performing search & rescue missions throughout the Federation to fill in the gaps left by larger and more capable Starfleet ships.

    The Blackbird-class was created by Bernd Schneider in 1996 and is featured on Ex-Astris Scientia (https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/my_ships/blackbird.htm)

    Exterior views by Bernd Schneider, updated by myself. Cross-sectional views and Deck plans by me.

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  • 13 Apr 2026

    The comet had no name yet, only a string of catalog numbers arrayed on the Astrometric LCARS. But to Lt. Alexa Wolff it felt personal, almost whimsical too. A point of light threading the dark, illuminating their way.

    She leaned forward towards the console, taking all the readings in. Data points left and right, immaculate scans of the surface and ejecta. This was exactly what she imagined as a child beneath the domes of Tycho City. Peering through her first telescope, reading stories of daring captains. Batel, Kirk, Saavik, the golden years. Now she was here, at the very same forefront.

    “Helm, bring us two hundred kilometers closer.” came Captain Han Lo’s voice over the comm. The visual lenses adjusted, Alexa noticing the Rooivalk was moving in closer, thrusters gliding her on. The hull catching faint reflections of the comet’s glow. The captain had not questioned her request, not even hesitated. The confidence in her expertise had startled her more than any formal commendation. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a younger version of herself smiling gleefully.

    Enhanced scans blossomed with new detail. Ice and dust resolved into layers. Ancient volatiles trapped since the dawn of time, now shedding themselves in delicate arcs. Alexa adjusted the filters, isolating elements, mapping a 3d simulation, simulcast to the bridge. “It’s beautiful.” she whispered to herself. Obscure beauty indeed. The kind that required patience, curiosity and faith that meaning existed in the far corners of space.

    “Careful, Lieutenant...” Captain Lo said, with a trace of amusement. “At this distance, we might inspire it. Give it a few million years and it could start its own civilization, studying us in return.”

    Alexa laughed softly, though her eyes never left the display. “Then we’d better make a good impression, sir.” She paused, recording another data stream. “If they ever ask how it all began, I hope it starts like this. With someone choosing to come a little closer.”

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    3ds Max / Photoshop

    Vesper Class from ST: Online

    My Links: https://linktr.ee/jetfreak

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  • 12 Apr 2026

    The Kumari Battlecruiser (2)

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Jörg Hillebrand @ Mastodon
  • 12 May 2026

    The dark back wall of the replicator in Jenna D'Sora's quarters is non-reflective in some shots in 's "In Theory"⬆️ but highly (like in earlier seasons) reflective in others ⬆️. This is of course dictated, production-wise (always my perspective!), by the location of the camera in a given shot.

  • 12 May 2026

    We get the best look at Li Nalas' Bajoran Navarch rank pin in this shot in 's "The Siege. You can clearly see that it is identical to Kira's Major rank pin, only the left half of the inner oval is painted black in Li Nalas' pin.

  • 12 May 2026

    Now, this is a little weird (in an episode where we have already seen that sickbay blankets can be used as tablecloths... 😅) but it seems that the same fabric used for the transparent part of Lwaxana Troi's dress in 's "Ménage à Troi"➡️ is used as a tablecloth in Jenna's quarters in "In Theory"⬅️.

  • 11 May 2026

    While watching 's "The Circle", I noticed this for the first time: The same planet surface model /painting used for Rana IV in 's "The Survivors"↖️ and Penthara IV in "A Matter of Time"↗️ is the basis of the Bajor satellite image seen in "The Circle"⬇️.

  • 11 May 2026

    Here's a comparison of the tactical station on the USS Enterprise-D bridge, as seen in 's "In Theory"⬆️ and 's "The Last Generation"⬇️.

  • 11 May 2026

    The final (new) Bajoran emblem we see in 's "The Circle" is this metallic-frame emblem which appears behind the Orb ark in the temple on Bajor seen in the episode. The same (or a similar) one will soon also appear on the Promenade on ...

  • 11 May 2026

    Here are two viewscreen shots of the Mar Oscura (including the M-class planet located inside it) as seen in the original ⬆️ and remastered ⬇️ versions of 's "In Theory". In contrast to earlier such shots in the episode, the nebula shots and the planet look slightly different in the remastered version.

  • 10 May 2026

    In ' "The Man Trap", only a fork from the classic cutlery/flatware set is seen. The red tip (added by the prop master for the show) can clearly be seen in these shots of Sulu eating colourful food cubes.

  • 10 May 2026

    The ribbed circuits inside the bridge LCARS display, briefly seen in 's "In Theory", as the display screen becomes transparent ⬆️ uses the same material also seen covering the walls inside the computer lab in "Evolution"⬇️, which is a cool visual callback. :-)

  • 10 May 2026

    In 's "The Circle", we see three blue, red and gray banners with the emblem of the Bajoran Militia in the Bajoran war room. The banners will be seen again in future episodes, some of them changed and some of them still the same. Wait and see. :-)

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