It is fair to say that the marketing for Paramount’s latest Star Trek series – Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – hasn’t been going well.
So far we’ve been treated to a lacklustre trailer, a godawful Friends-style poster and a cringe 4-minute clip that saw two obese women and Holly Hunter as Captain Botox helming the bridge of the USS Lizzo. Paul Giamatti hammed it up like a pantomime villain.
Anyway, apart from the thumbnail image, the latest trailer looks like an attempt to course correct.
Just bask in the reverence and nostalgia! They’ve got stirring music and the names of all the characters we love on the wall. I see Scotty’s name! We get cameos from Kirk, Spock, Picard, Pike, Sisko, Janeway, Worf and Dr Sam Beckett. They even brought back the whales from Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. Glad to see they’re doing well.
But seriously, the whole thing just makes me sad. It highlights how modern Trek shows are standing on the shoulders of giants and shitting all over their lapels. I must admit I got a kick out of hearing Kirk’s voiceover (‘risk is our business’) but I will not be fooled.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy lands on Paramount+ on 15 January.
