Jonathan Frakes Talks STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Backlash and Why the Fan Reaction Surprised Him
The conversation around Star Trek always gets passionate, but the response to the newest series has been especially intense. Jonathan Frakes, a longtime pillar of the franchise both in front of and behind the camera, recently shared his thoughts on the backlash aimed at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and the wave of review bombing that followed its release.
Frakes has seen the franchise weather fan reactions for decades, but he admits the tone of the criticism surrounding Starfleet Academy caught him off guard. During a recent interview, he reflected on how fan pushback toward Star Trek projects has escalated with each new installment, regardless of how critics receive them.
Speaking with IGN, Frakes explained that the current environment of online trolling makes the experience feel far harsher than it did during the early days of the franchise. He said laughing:
“I was prepared because when Next Gen came out almost 40 years ago, we were trolled. Nobody wanted us. And this was pre-internet. But it’s still dimensionally more painful [today]…and the trolls are hiding, and the trolls are hating… It’s the first rule of the Constitution.
“I guess they’re entitled to their opinion, but it surprises me how aggressively ‘anti’ they are with each new iteration of the show. And it continues to surprise me, and I try not to let it upset me.”
The reaction he’s referring to is pretty easy to see when looking at the numbers. Starfleet Academy has been getting solid reviews from critics, but the audience scores tell a different story.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series sits at an impressive 88% Tomatometer score from critics, while its audience Popcornmeter rating drops to 51%. Metacritic paints a similar picture with a critic score of 66, but a user rating sitting at just 1.6 out of 10.
That gap has fueled ongoing debate among fans. Some viewers feel the show simply doesn’t capture the spirit that defines classic Star Trek. Others have pointed to issues with the weak writing, performances, and storytelling, arguing that the characters and plots are uninteresting and handled poorly.
Even with the mixed fan reception, Frakes clearly had a great time working on the series. He directed episodes of Starfleet Academy and spoke enthusiastically about the scale of the production.
“It was literally the biggest Star Trek set ever, and so that was a pretty daunting and funny way to shoot. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was already a well-oiled machine.”
Regardless of the debate online, Paramount is clearly confident in the project. The first season of Starfleet Academy wraps up on March 12, and production on Season 2 has already finished filming.
I’m a huge Star Trek fan and for the most part I’ve liked every series that has been released, obviously some more than others, but I enjoyed them all! Starfleet Academy is the first series in the franchise that I didn’t like, and i was excited for it!
Whether fans eventually warm up to the series or continue pushing back remains to be seen. But if there’s one thing decades of Star Trek history have shown, it’s that every new chapter sparks conversation.