There are a lot of opinions out there about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and amidst all the praise and criticism, one typically outspoken voice had remained silent. That changed recently when William Shatner shared some thoughts about the series, though not in the way some might have hoped. Shatner isn't afraid to talk Trek, despite never really keeping up with the franchise. He made waves years back with a comment that creator Gene Roddenberry would be turning in his grave after watching the modern shows. So, obviously, those who are opposed to Starfleet Academy would like to get his thoughts on the new series. This has led to fans frequently mentioning the show in his comments, and finally, he took the bait. Someone mentioned the budget for an episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in his comments, as he was doing some promotion for X. William Shatner then shared his thoughts, but it didn't have anything to do with the actual series:
I saw a few of the actors from that show last at the Saturn Awards. They were adorable!
It sounds like Shatner had a chance to see some of the young cast of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and had nothing but pleasant things to say. While some are satisfied with that, there's a community of fans who, not long ago, were petitioning for the actor to take control of the franchise and would likely prefer he say something scathing about the show. Others interpreted the remark as a backhanded statement about the cast and tried to paint the actor's comment as a dig. One user specifically replied to the comment, trying to make a comparison between the new series streaming new episodes with a Paramount+ subscription, and the original:
No one would ever refer to the TOS actors as adorable.
This person wasn't the only one in the comments to make that kind of statement, but they did end up being the one that William Shatner replied to. The actor wasn't entertaining any replies about his comment being misconstrued, and wanted to add that he is cute as well:
I think you should reread that to see who I was referring to. I will say, however, that every time I pass a mirror, I do see something adorbs.
Either William Shatner didn't understand what the comment was getting at, or he didn't want to have to walk back another disparaging statement about Star Trek. It's also worth noting that he's in the midst of promoting X Money on the platform and probably didn't want his comments to devolve into a Trek discussion, as they likely would. The exchange comes just days ahead of the Season 1 finale of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and not long after the series wrapped filming on Season 2. While there's no word yet about whether it'll return for Season 3, the showrunner and EP hinted they're feeling bullish it'll come based on the tease of how next season ends.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Season 1 finale streams on Paramount+ on March 12th. Tune in to see how this year rounds out for the cadets, and what's ahead for next season.
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