Paramount's 'The Orville Meets Harry Potter' Sci-Fi Series Is Ending Way Too Soon

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Jul 27, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Memory Ngulube joined Screen Rant in April 2024 as part of the Movies and TV team. Since then, she has written for the Perennials and Streaming team, covering a wide range of topics from new releases to old movies and TV shows. Memory is currently a Classic TV writer. Before joining Screen Rant, Memory was a freelance copywriter who specialized in email marketing and social media management. While she enjoyed her job, her true passion was always movies and TV. When she isn’t writing for Screen Rant, Memory can be found reading, baking (which is one of her passions), or watching her favorite K-drama. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The Paramount+ series that blends The Orville and Harry Potter is a must-watch for sci-fi fans. With more and more science fiction TV shows pushing the boundaries of storytelling, the genre is the best it’s ever been. However, compared to other streaming platforms, Paramount+’s sci-fi offerings aren’t as extensive, though it still boasts one of the most iconic science fiction franchises in history. With its diverse cast, young people discovering their place in a vast universe, and themes of friendship and growth, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a sci-fi series that captures the same sense of discovery that made Harry Potter’s wizarding world so beloved. Much like Harry Potter, Starfleet Academy also follows a group of students at an extraordinary school. Still, while the thematic similarities between Harry Potter and Starfleet Academy cannot be overlooked, the series is even closer to Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville, as they are both space adventures with futuristic concepts and stories of exploration. Interestingly, The Orville was inspired by both Star Trek and Star Wars, although its premise is more comedic compared to the mega franchises. After decades of exploring starships, alien civilizations, and legendary captains, Star Trek has finally ventured into a setting that's always existed in the background but has rarely been explored: the place where future officers are created. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy represents a bold new direction for the franchise by moving away from the familiar structure of a starship crew on a mission and instead focusing on the next generation of explorers before they ever take command. Set after the events of Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy pushes the franchise further into the future than its previous installments. This is significant because Star Trek has often revisited familiar eras, such as the time of Kirk or Picard. Sadly, though, its TV future has been cut short. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Showed Plenty Of Promise In Season 1 MovieStillsDB The Star Trek universe is vast and old, but it still has a hold on people, which is why every new entry in the franchise faces heavy scrutiny. Starfleet Academy isn’t the best sci-fi show out there. In fact, it's not even the most memorable Star Trek TV series, but its first season showed real promise. Unfortunately, the show has faced harsh criticism since it debuted earlier this year. While it managed to garner an honorable 84% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, fans were (predictably) divided by it, which is made clear by the series’ 52% audience score. Starfleet Academy isn’t perfect, but it's still a refreshing entry in the franchise that shows that the Star Trek universe has a lot more to offer. By introducing new characters, expanding the future of the Federation, and exploring what it means to become a Starfleet officer in a changing galaxy, each episode of Starfleet Academy is a joy to watch, particularly because it ensures that its protagonists actually grow. With Holly Hunter as Chancellor Nahla Ake, Starfleet Academy connects the younger characters' storylines with the larger stakes of the Star Trek universe. Starfleet Academy season 1 is an exciting entry in the franchise because of what it promises for the future, opening a door into a part of the Star Trek universe timeline that fans have imagined for decades. Starfleet Academy's Premise Could Have Lasted Much Longer Than 2 Seasons Paramount+ renewed Starfleet Academy for a second season before its first season aired; clearly, the streamer had big hopes for the show. However, it failed to impress long-time fans or draw in its target audience, with the franchise hoping to attract newer, younger fans to Star Trek's world. After debuting to low ratings and divisive reviews, Paramount+ decided to make the show’s already-filmed second season its final one, just days after the season 1 finale (via Variety). Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final FrontierTrivia Challenge 🚀ShipsEnterprise! ⭐CrewMake it so ☠EnemiesResistance is… ⚡TechWarp speed! 📖LoreLive long… ENGAGE → 01 The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series? ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656 ✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager. ✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager. NEXT → 02 Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character? AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek ✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise. NEXT → 03 Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called? AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive ✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols. NEXT → 04 “Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called? AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472 ✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.” ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.” NEXT → 05 Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him? AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula ✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. NEXT → 06 Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called? ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive ✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive. NEXT → 07 At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called? AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru ✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. NEXT → 08 In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain? AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat ✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record / 8 Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty? ↻ RE-ENGAGE The premise of Starfleet Academy was not built around a single mission or a temporary crisis. Because of that, the series had the potential to continue for many seasons. In fact, Starfleet Academy was originally developed as a four-year, four-season show, following its inaugural group of students from their first day as cadets to graduation. A two-season run only scratches the surface of what the Academy setting could offer. The show could have continued beyond four seasons, following new classes of cadets in Starfleet’s next generation. A school dedicated to training the galaxy’s future explorers, scientists, diplomats, and commanders naturally creates endless possibilities. Every year would have brought new students, new conflicts, and discoveries. The same reasons Harry Potter remained compelling throughout multiple years at Hogwarts apply to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The environment provides a constant source of storytelling opportunities as audiences watch Caleb (Sandro Rosta), Sam (Kerrice Brooks), Genesis (Bella Shepard), Jay-Den (Karim Diané), and their fellow students grow into who they are supposed to be. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 2 is expected to premiere on Paramount+ in 2027. Season 1 is streaming now. Release Date 2026 - 2027-00-00 Network Paramount+ Showrunner Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau After being closed for over a hundred years, Starfleet Academy is reopening its doors to those who wish to pursue a career as Starfleet Officers. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows a new group of cadets as they come of age and build friendships, rivalries, and romantic relationships while being threatened by a new adversary that could destroy the Academy and the Federation itself.