Will Starfleet Academy use nepotism for an accelerated career?

Starfleet Academy was just greenlit as the next new Star Trek production

Right now, due to the writers’ strike, nothing is being done to move the new series, Starfleet Academy, forward. So we don’t know when will see the cadets and instructors on our screens, but one thing is almost certain, there will be abundant nepotism. Quite frankly, it would be difficult for some cadets not to be treated differently, especially if they’re from a legacy character’s family.

Even Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) who played Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Bevery Crusher’s (Gates McFadden) son on Star Trek: Picard’s third and final season admitted he thought his name played a part in his one-year accelerated time at the Academy. Though Picard told his son that names mean nothing, that’s easy to say when you’re Admiral Picard. And while Jack had some special skills, none were really enough to send him soaring through the Academy as fast as he did.

All of this said, will Jack Crusher be the only cadet to breeze through the Academy in only one year, or will we see more students with a well-known last name start their careers earlier than any other cadets?

Starfleet Academy has to confront the issue of nepotism on the series

There are bound to be cadets who are children of admirals and popular captains who are in training for their careers in Starfleet. Or others whose parents are close friends with those Starfleet officers. And while some of those cadets might be treated better, others might be treated worse. So it’s not going to be possible to avoid the issue altogether, especially if the series is going to confront all of the aspects of struggling to get through the Academy.

It wouldn’t be just for the series to ignore the mention of students like Jack Crusher, and that could even be a good thing as it could create some drama and tension among students with popular last names. But it will be interesting to see if there really is an accelerated program at the Academy or if Crusher sailed through because he was the son of a well-respected Admiral and the former Head of Starfleet Medical Services.