By Chris Snellgrove | Published
After hating the first episode of Starfleet Academy and for the second time (did the writers really forget how Betazoids work?!), I found myself inexplicably loving the third episode. This was a script that abandoned any attempt to tell a larger story about Starfleet or the Federation and settled for a surprisingly fun “snobs vs. slobs” caper style, and the episode was very strong for it. It was then that (unlike Picard in “All Good Things”) the paradox hit me: Starfleet Academy it excels when it stops trying to be a Star Trek show and focuses on telling stories in completely different genres.
The first episode of Starfleet Academy received mixed reviews from longtime Star Trek fans because it couldn’t decide what kind of show it wanted to be; scenes of broad comedy (including poop jokes and profanity) sat comfortably alongside star-studded attacks and motivational speeches. It felt like a strange love child in between Lower Decks again Adoptionresulting in enough tonal whiplash to fill a Starbase. The second episode of the new series fared better because it focused on the youth show’s strengths (like the will/won’t they relationship between the good Betazoid girl and the new Starfleet bad boy), but the ridiculous scenes of Federation politicking dragged the episode down.
Star Trek Opens the ’80s
Starfleet AcademyThe third episode (“Vitus Reflux”) is the strongest, which is ironic because this is the lowest episode so far. We don’t get sad backstories, supervillain introductions, or major changes to Federation lore. Instead, the episode focuses on a prank war between Starfleet Academy and the War College, which includes everything from competitive laser tag and dirty mascots to a bunch of giant, talking plants right off the bat. Little Shop of Horrors.
Now, if you had asked me last week if I would enjoy a good episode of it Starfleet Academyif I said no; after all, the first two episodes were pretty bad when they tried to be funny, and a lot of the show’s youth drama was very entertaining. A prank war involves, of necessity, a lot of teenage drama again children’s comedy, so I was completely prepared to hate everything about “Vitus Reflux” from start to finish. Instead, I enjoyed most of it for a surprising reason: Starfleet Academyy is much better if it stops trying to be a Star Trek show altogether.
Snobs Vs. Slobs (In Space)
Instead of trying to tell a classic Star Trek story, Starfleet AcademyThe third episode adopted the “snobs vs. slobs” storytelling style known from classic films like Animal House. This time around, the lovable slobs are played by the school’s new recruits, including a pacifist Klingon, a ditzy hologram, and a rebellious kid. The slobs are played by War College cadets who (unlike their professors) see Starfleet Academy cadets as easy, weak-hearted targets.
Surprisingly, most Starfleet Academythe biggest flaws more or less disappear when it stops trying to be a Star Trek show. The broad jokes, bad jokes, and foul language of the first episode, for example, are a big part of why this new outing never felt like The Next Generation or Voyager. But all of that actually flows well (though not entirely) in an episode that stops trying to be Star Trek and instead does its best to deliver Caddyshack.
Star Trek Spinoff Strips Down to the Basics
Weird, profanity-laced trash talk, for example? That’s obviously not good for a starship, and such jokes fall flat in the first episode during the Nus Braka attack. But the “Vitus Reflex” lowers the stakes of “my school was better than your school” and makes the villains rival cadets; in this context, both the dirty language and the hot temper of the youth who have nothing but pride in the line suddenly do a lot more sense.
The incredibly simple structure reminded me of a phrase often used by a great podcast The Greatest Generation (you’ll always have a DeSoto friend in me, guys): “Star Trek is a place.” According to these podcasters, nobody, the archetypal type of Trek show; instead, there is endless room to tell all kinds of stories within this familiar futuristic setting. That’s why The Next Generation suddenly become a Law and Order the episode “Human Measure” and Deep Space Nine suddenly it’s a war movie with “The Siege of AR-558.”
Star Trek is a broad space where its writers can navigate different genres and explore other forms of storytelling. In this third episode, Starfleet Academy trying its hand at snobs vs. slobs tale, and completely human love movies like that, I thought they were great. It’s not the best episode because the humor of the older characters (especially Holly Hunter’s chancellor) still comes through loud and clear, but this episode graciously focuses on the younger characters while giving them the most sympathetic motivation of all: the need to take *bullies* down a few pegs.
The Show That Finally Finds Its Voice
Sadly, Starfleet Academy it’s unlikely to continue this momentum, and we all know it’s only a matter of time before the show focuses on serious gameplay interspersed with lazy motivational speeches straight out of ChatGPT. But with “Vitus Reflux,” this new spinoff stopped trying to be a serious Star Trek show and just tried to be an ’80s comedy, and it’s almost shockingly successful in the effort. Starfleet Academy he has suffered from trying to be simultaneously a deep meditation on idealism and a witty joke about space cadets; by simply embracing its weird hijinks, this game has finally found its voice.
That voice is, admittedly, something very different from the classic Star Trek shows of the past, but it’s been clear for years that Paramount wants to modernize the franchise and tell new kinds of stories. Unfortunately, NuTrek often focused on bad and bad storytelling (as in the original Adoption again Picard) or colorful nostalgia bait (like Strange New Worlds and later Picard). Now, Starfleet Academy has (after a few failed episodes) managed to find the sweet spot between action, comedy, and originality, and this third episode did something I thought was impossible last week: it made me finally care about these characters.
After this entry into the game of ’80s-style snobs vs. slobs comedy, what will happen to everyone’s favorite Starfleet Academy characters? At this point, I’m getting ready for a toga party!
