PU 29: The State of Star Trek

Holly Hunter plays what passes for a captain in the latest Star Trek show “Starfleet Academy” (Paramount+)

With the cancellation of Starfleet Academy, there is no Star Trek series in active production for the first time in a decade. Why is that and what does it reflect about the state of our culture?

Punching Upwards, Episode 29 for 29 March 2026

Topics: Politics / Culture

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Credits

Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and John C. for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it!

Sources

1. “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” to End With Season 2, Variety, 23 March 2026

2. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Cinematic Intro (1997) Interplay, ScifinewsDE, 15 January 2026

3. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 CCXP Sneak Peek, Rotten Tomatoes TV, 7 December 2025

4. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 - Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, IGN, 21 January 2026

5. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Clip “Hello” - Bella Shepard, Kerrice Brooks, TrekMovie, 12 January 2026

6. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Clip “Old and Boring” - Tig Notaro, TrekMovie, 12 January 2026

7. Star Trek Starfleet Academy “I think I swallowed my combadge”, Worth it or Woke, 18 January 2026

8. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Exclusive Clip, IGN, 25 February 2026

9. Picard speech with the first link the chain is forged, HD_Picard, 29 March 2017

10. Picard vs. Picardo, Lt. Mark, 1 February 2026

The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules!