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Paramount+ has just announced a new series coming to the Star Trek franchise in 2025, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The streaming platform has seen a massive amount of success with its Star Trek series since 2017, with shows including Strange New Worlds, Discovery, Prodigy, Picard, Lower Decks, and now Starfleet Academy.
While the J.J. Abrams movies seem to have ended with 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond, the franchise is alive and doing well with its streaming content. Another streaming platform and space-themed series has had a similar experience, as Disney+ has found much success and popularity with its various Star Wars series. The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other exclusive Disney+ series have rejuvenated the franchise and brought a new cast of characters to generations of fans.
Star Trek changed the game of television and film in the 1960s, especially in sci-fi and space exploration. While not the first show to take viewers into space, it was the first that really resonated with fans, blowing up into one of the largest and most well-known franchises. The series showcased futuristic technology that inspired much of our modern computers and phones and fueled a desire for exploration, community, and hope. Star Trek would eventually help inspire the Star Wars films, which continued to explore space while taking a rougher approach to intergalactic issues, but continued to spread the desire to explore and appreciation for space.
The first Star Trek series that streamed exclusively on Paramount+ was Star Trek: Discovery, which premiered in 2017 and was set about a decade before the timeline of The Original Series. Disney+ premiered in 2019, releasing the first season of The Mandalorian along with it. Although Discovery had about two years on The Mandalorian, the Star Wars series had a bigger fanbase and bigger platform to promote it, allowing it to rapidly grow its fandom and its universe.
In an era where cancellations are abundant on streaming platforms, Discovery alone did well enough to last for five seasons and kickstart several additional series in the franchise as well as a spin-off. However, it would be remiss to not acknowledge that the mass popularity and ubiquity of the Star Wars series has helped Star Trek to prosper as well. While Disney+ has been pushing out and promoting its content as much as possible, it’s helped pave the way for Star Trek to do the same and connect with a new generation of fans.
Do you prefer Star Trek or Star Wars? Tell us your favorite in the comments below!