Starfleet Academy Reveals Exactly What Happened To One Of Star Trek's Most Important Planets After The Burn

Mild spoilers for the second episode of "Starfleet Academy" ahead.

The new streaming series "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" (read our review here) is set in the 32nd century and overlaps with the final three seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery" in the "Star Trek" timeline. To remind readers, "Discovery" began in 2256 (just prior to the events of "Star Trek: The Original Series"), but its characters encountered a time warp at the end of its second season, throwing them into the 3180s. Now stranded in a distant future, the U.S.S. Discovery's crew learned that the galaxy was recovering from a widespread cataclysm that had wiped out almost every known starship simultaneously. This event was nicknamed the Burn, and it more or less negated Starfleet.

With over 900 years having passed, plus the drama of the Burn, this meant the universe had evolved dramatically away from the familiar, peaceful utopia seen in previous "Star Trek" projects. To avoid the mercurial Mercantile that had come to rule the galaxy, most species were now isolationists and had sealed their worlds off from other planets. (Even humanity and the Vulcans had undergone major changes.) By the end of the "Discovery" series finale," though, an earnest reconstruction period had seemingly gotten underway.

That reconstruction will be the central theme of "Starfleet Academy." The show is set at a newly rebuilt college on Earth, as well as on a high-tech starship called the U.S.S. Athena, and focuses on the first generation in centuries being taught that Starfleet is actually pretty keen. It's also a show about diplomacy, as seen in the second episode. There, we learn that Betazed — a notable "Star Trek" world — built a "psionic wall" to protect its population following the Burn and is only just starting to emerge from its isolation.

Trekkies will instantly be able to tell you that Betazed is the homeworld of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Betazoids are all telepaths and can read each other's thoughts without trying. As one might imagine, modesty is a low priority on such a planet, and Betazoids are also notorious for their nude wedding ceremonies and brash sense of candor. Counselor Troi is half Betazoid and half human, making her an empath more than a telepath. (That is, she can intuit others' emotions better than she can read their minds.) In addition, Betazoids all have black eyes. They were introduced on "The Next Generation" and have played a key role in high-profile diplomatic missions for the Federation ever since. In fact, Troi's mother, Lwaxana (Majel Barrett), is one of the galaxy's most infamous diplomats.

In the second episode of "Starfleet Academy," however, we see that Betazed has, like many other worlds in the post-Burn era, become isolated. Indeed, thanks to their abilities, the Betazoids were able to construct a psychic barrier around their planet, repelling anyone who might come near. Also, since they haven't talked to anyone that isn't from Betazed in centuries, their society has fallen out of the practice of speaking aloud. Thus, a big part of their first appearance on "Starfleet Academy" involves them emerging from their "psionic wall" to determine if the revamped Federation really is as well-intentioned as its leaders claim to be.

Nevertheless, in keeping with the show's themes of reconstruction, it seems that Betazoid are prepared to give peace a chance. Indeed, "Starfleet Academy," more so than "Discovery," appears devoted to ideas of diplomacy and building lasting inter-world partnerships.

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" is streaming on Paramount+.