Starfleet Academy's Official Place On The Star Trek Timeline Explained

In the "Star Trek: Discovery" episode "All Is Possible" (December 9, 2021), Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) led a dangerous away mission with several Starfleet cadets. Although Tilly was still a little bashful, she carried herself well as a commanding officer, mostly because she was still hopeful and positive about what Starfleet Academy has to offer the future. It should be remembered that the U.S.S. Discovery had, at this point in the series, been thrown forward in time over nine centuries into a future where the Federation had shrunk to a tiny, secret organization, and Starfleet Academy barely existed anymore. 

At the end of "All Is Possible," Tilly was offered a teaching position at the newly-regrown space college, and she accepted. 

That was the last time we saw Starfleet Academy. 

In March 2023, Paramount announced a new series called "Starfleet Academy," a show to be set at the Federation's most venerable college. As of this writing, few details have been revealed about the new series, other than the casting of Holly Hunter in a central role. Trekkies have pondered what a Starfleet Academy series would look like, as the school has previously only been explored in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," both set in the 24th century. It also served as a central setting of J.J. Abram's 2009 "Star Trek" film, set in the 23rd century. When exactly will the new show take place? And will it still be located in San Francisco, the school's traditional location?

"Star Trek" head honcho Alex Kurtzman recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times about "Starfleet Academy," and he cleared up a few details. He confirmed that, yes, "Starfleet Academy" will continue the arc established in "All Is Possible," placing it squarely in the late 32nd century.

The Times asked Kurtzman if "Starfleet Academy" would be set in space, or safely lodged in a planet-bound campus somewhere. Kurtzman coyly split the difference, saying: 

"I'm going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we're in the middle of answering the question: What does San Francisco — where the Academy is — look like in the 32nd century? Our primary set is the biggest we've ever built." 

The series is still being constructed, and Kurtzman is likely ginger about spoilers, but we do now know that large portions of "Starfleet Academy" will take place on a traditional college campus, even if it is set in the distant future. 

In the era of "Next Generation," Trekkies saw Starfleet Academy as a thriving four-year academic program that is incredibly difficult to get into. After graduation, cadets are traditionally given a rank and an assignment, depending on their field of expertise. Many choose to serve on starships, although others might want to work in research labs or even on distant observational outposts. Students learn medicine, language, history, engineering, piloting, astral physics, and a slew of other super-advanced subjects. Because the program lasts four years, a "Starfleet Academy" series would necessarily have to rotate cast members out as they graduate. Kurtzman doesn't clarify if the main characters of "Starfleet Academy" will be students, faculty, or both. 

Kurtzman and Noga Landau will serve as the new show's showrunners and executive producers. 

Kurtzman also wanted to go on record as to why he's setting "Starfleet Academy" in the "Discovery" timeline, and it had a lot to do with how dark the real world seems at the moment. If "Starfleet Academy" was set in a known era of "Star Trek" — the 23rd or 24th centuries — then the series, he felt, would be infused with that era's sense of safety, nostalgia, and optimism. In the 24th century, the future is certain. Kurtzman doesn't feel that way about the year 2024, and felt that his new show should reflect his own personal uneasiness. He said: 

"As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he's inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it's going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that. And that's a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set 'Starfleet Academy' in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it's not going to speak to what kids are going through right now." 

Recall from above that the 32nd century is an era in the "Star Trek" timeline when everything is being rebuilt. A galaxy-wide cataclysm wiped out every functional starship centuries before, and the Federation was reduced to almost nothing. Evil Orion traders rose in its place. It wasn't until the arrival of the U.S.S. Discovery — from almost a millennium ago — that the hidden Federation could re-emerge and reestablish trust throughout the galaxy.

Kurtzman, it seems, wanted to write a show about how difficult it is to rebuild a broken system. And that, one can see, reflects on the viewpoint of a Gen-Z kid like Kurtzman's son.