When Star Trek: Discovery came to an end with season 5, it was a conclusion that felt premature. Franchise legend Jonathan Frakes would later confirm the finale was shot without knowing it would serve as the show’s overall ending, and Captain Burnham’s crew certainly bowed out having more to offer in terms of character development and story potential.

The absence of Star Trek: Discovery season 6 is disappointing, but as the franchise has repeatedly proven, the crew’s return should never be ruled out completely. Don’t be surprised to see Star Trek: Burnham or Trouble in Paradise: The Saru Story in 30 years time. Until then, Discovery has a spiritual successor, and while it doesn’t quite satisfy the hunger for season 6, it’s certainly a worthy recipient of the torch.

Starfleet Academy Feels Like The Spiritual Successor To Star Trek: Discovery

Before the first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy hit Paramount+ on January 15, it was already known that the series would feature several familiar faces from the Discovery, and would be set in the same 32nd century era. Only after watching those first two episodes, however, does it become clear that Starfleet Academy is effectively serving as Star Trek: Discovery‘s continuation.

As well as the cameo from Tig Notaro’s Reno and an upcoming appearance for Mary Wiseman’s Tilly, Admiral Vance gets a surprisingly prominent supporting role in Starfleet Academy‘s opening one-two punch. Initially, it seems like his job is simply to recruit Nahla Ake in episode 1 to be the show’s primary command figure, but episode 2 puts Vance right in the middle of its narrative as a Federation negotiator.

Still, it’s not so much the cast that cements Starfleet Academy as Discovery‘s younger cousin, it’s the storylines and themes. Starfleet Academy swings Star Trek right back around to the Burn – the cataclysmic event that was pivotal back in Discovery‘s third season. The mission to bring Betazed back into the Federation has direct parallels to Ni’Var from Star Trek: Discovery season 4, with all the same political wrangling and tricky ethical questions.

Starfleet Academy isn’t just Star Trek with acne and raging hormones. Caleb’s tragic backstory brings penal colonies and Starfleet’s post-Burn brutality into the conversation. Paul Giamatti’s pirate villain has echoes of Star Trek: Discovery‘s Osyraa, while the mystery of Caleb’s missing mother bears similarities to Burnham’s Red Angel arc in terms of being an overarching mystery connected to the main protagonist’s family.

It may have an academic setting and a more youthful cast, but there is a considerable chunk of Star Trek: Discovery‘s DNA at the heart of Starfleet Academy, and as the plot thickens over the next eight episodes, that connection will only become more obvious.

Starfleet Academy Sets Up An Even Bigger Link To Discovery

As the U.S.S. Athena, Starfleet’s new academy is a ship in its own right – one that quickly encounters trouble in the series premiere. After calling for backup, the show explains that the Discovery (which, remember, has its handy spore drive) is unable to respond due to undergoing a retrofit.

That excuses the Discovery from making itself present in Starfleet Academy episode 1, but the same explanation won’t fly indefinitely. The next time Athena gets into trouble during a space flight (or the time after that), aid will be requested, and the Discovery will be first on the scene.

Starfleet Academy‘s ability to venture beyond San Francisco, combined with the Discovery’s status as an active vessel at this point in Star Trek‘s timeline, create the very real possibility that Burnham’s ship will play a major role in Starfleet Academy moving forward. Perhaps not in season 1, as the series seeks to establish its own identity, but in the years to come.

That opens the door for more cameos beyond Reno, Tilly, and Vance, more updates on the Discovery’s whereabouts, and more stories involving the Disco characters we know and love. Sure, Starfleet Academy may not be Star Trek: Discovery season 6, but it certainly goes a long way toward scratching that itch.