STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Showrunners Break Down the War College and Why It Matters

With Star Trek: Starfleet Academy pushing the franchise further into the future than ever before, the series is introducing a new generation of cadets and also reopening one of the longest-running debates in all of Star Trek. What exactly is Starfleet supposed to be?

Set in the 32nd century, Starfleet Academy follows the first new class of cadets after the galaxy-spanning catastrophe known as the Burn. That disaster wiped out most dilithium in 3069, crippling warp travel and forcing the Federation into survival mode.

Now that the Burn has been resolved and Starfleet is rebuilding, the Academy has reopened. But it isn’t the only school training future leaders of the Federation. Alongside it exists the War College, a place that reflects what Starfleet had to become during a much darker era.

In the show’s second episode, Starfleet Academy Chancellor Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter, publicly thanks the War College for producing the soldiers who protected the Federation through the last century.

That moment was interesting and showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau explained to /Film that splitting Starfleet education into two institutions was a way to show how deeply the Federation has changed and how it’s trying to change back.

As Kurtzman put it, the Burn forced Starfleet into a defensive crouch that pushed exploration to the side.

"The idea is obviously that they're emerging from the Burn, the era of the Burn and the era of the Burn, Starfleet was like, 'We just have to defend our borders.

“We really don't have time to do the mission of exploration that has so defined 'Star Trek' forever.' And now obviously because Discovery came, fixed that problem, the Federation is back on its feet, the Federation is returning to its old ethos, what do you do with the War College now when the job isn't just to defend your borders?"

That tension is spelled out in the episode during a classroom scene, when an instructor explains exactly what was lost during Starfleet’s survival years.

"Comparative Xeno-Mythology was dropped from the curriculum 100 years ago, when Starfleet's emphasis shifted from understanding those with whom we share a universe to defending ourselves against them."

And yet, the show doesn’t pretend the military side of Starfleet has disappeared. The very next scene takes viewers into combat training led by cadetmaster Lura Thok, played by Gina Yashere, who drills cadets on “duty, honor, and service.”

The War College exists as a reminder that Starfleet talks peace, but it’s also one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy.

That contradiction has always been baked into Star Trek. The Federation is often described as a progressive utopia where money is obsolete, diversity is celebrated, and humanity has largely moved past old prejudices.

When the franchise tackles bigotry, it usually does so through alien allegory. At the same time, Star Trek has never fully escaped its American roots. Space is framed as a “final frontier.” The Federation functions like a galaxy-sized democracy modeled on the United States. Its enemies frequently mirror real-world geopolitical rivals.

That blend of optimism and militarism is one reason why Star Trek appeals to a wider range of political viewpoints than its reputation might suggest. The franchise has occasionally tried to argue that Starfleet isn’t really a military, including in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but the answer has never felt completely settled.

Kurtzman’s approach with Starfleet Academy is more straightforward.

"Starfleet still is a military organization. It's not like they don't believe in the military, it's just that they also believe in space exploration and all the other things. They're not solely designating all of their focus on the military."

The War College isn’t just philosophical world-building. It’s also there because a show about a school needs conflict. Kurtzman continued:

"Who's the rival football team? I mean, we also have Friday night lights. You need that friction. And so I think the idea of letting the War College cadets and our cadets deal with this together is very fun."

That opens the door for rivalries, clashes of ideology, and maybe even a future Parrises squares showdown between the two schools. It also gives Starfleet Academy a way to explore what Starfleet stands for when survival is no longer the only goal.

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