Is Starfleet Academy in danger of becoming a Discovery spin-off?
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy won’t officially drop on Paramount Plus until Jan. 15, 2026, but the upcoming streaming series continues to make headlines in the press months ahead of its release. Showrunners Noga Landau and Alex Kurtzman already have a full roster of characters in place to help tell their 32nd century story, but another familiar face from a somewhat controversial Star Trek show could be “enrolling” in Starfleet Academy next year. At least, there is that "opportunity."
Matt Webb Mitovich revealed via his subscription site, Matt’s Inside Line, that he had spoken with none other than Sonequa Martin-Green of Star Trek: Discovery fame — or infamy depending on which side of the fence Trekkies are on. And while she didn’t outright say her character, Michael Burnham, will show up on Starfleet Academy, the talented actress did tease — as Admiral Kirk once pointed out — there are always possibilities. Here’s the answer Martin-Green gave on possibly showing up in the series (via TrekMovie.com):
"Let me tell you something — it would be so much fun. I’ll put it like that. And I will also say that Alex Kurtzman did it on purpose. He put SFA [Starfleet Academy] in the same timeline [as Discovery] so that there would be the potential for crossovers. There’s a lot of opportunity there, and that’s exciting.”
Now, are most Trekkies really interested in seeing Captain Burnham, or even other characters from Discovery, show up on Starfleet Academy? After all, while critics doted on the now defunct Star Trek series, as evidenced by the show’s Rotten Tomatoes score of 84% (Tomatometer), the clear majority of fans did not enjoy the five-season 32nd century Trek: Discovery’s Popcornmeter rating, formerly the RT audience score, is quite “Rotten” at only 34%.
How do you feel about Sonequa Martin-Green possibly showing up in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?
Martin-Green is an immensely talented actress — one needs look no further than her riveting performances over the years on The Walking Dead. However, Starfleet Academy already has enough detractors online without it becoming a Discovery spin-off. Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!