Entertainment
Star Trek's Controversial New Spinoff Is More Popular Than Anyone Imagined
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Starfleet Academy is the latest Star Trek spinoff, and it has proven to be particularly controversial among older fans who are annoyed by how different this young adult show is compared to classic Trek, like The Original Series and The Next Generation. These fans have largely forecasted doom for the new show, with many believing this could be the nail in the coffin for the best sci-fi IP ever made. But the haters have been proven wrong: according to the latest numbers, Starfleet Academy has significantly more viewers than both Strange New Worlds and Picard!
This information comes to us courtesy of Ted Linheart, who keeps track of streaming numbers on his popular substack (Ted On TV). According to him, the first two episodes of Starfleet Academy earned 2.1 million views in the show’s first eight days on Paramount+. This is notably higher than the full season average of views for Strange New Worlds Season 3 and Picard Season 3, each of which averaged 1.3 million views.
A Surprise Star Trek Hit
Obviously, there are some mitigating factors here; for example, Starfleet Academy almost certainly got a bump in views from the first episode because everyone (from NuTrek haters to franchise loyalists) tuned in to see what the new Star Trek show is all about. Time will tell whether the new show can keep up the momentum or if it fizzles out (for example, poor viewership for episode 3 could easily drop this average). Speaking of fizzling out, the third seasons of Strange New Worlds and Picard both had fewer views than previous ones (SNW Season 3 rapidly dropped out of Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming list, for example, and never returned).
On the face of it, however, Starfleet Academy is a bigger hit out of the gate than more established shows like Strange New Worlds and Picard. This is particularly notable because those two shows were created partially as a response to the shortcomings of Discovery: Strange New Worlds is an episodic tribute to The Original Series, for example, while Picard is explicitly a revival of The Next Generation. NuTrek faced resistance from older fans almost right away because Discovery was so different from what they expected, so Picard and SNW were both created to echo the Golden Age of Star Trek.
The Last Thing Anyone Expected Audiences To Love
Judging from these streaming numbers, though, general audiences crave something new from Star Trek rather than something familiar. After all, Strange New Worlds has steadily introduced familiar characters like Kirk and Scotty in an effort to make the show even more like The Original Series, and Picard’s final season was a straight-up revival of The Next Generation. Nonetheless, these NuTrek shows averaged fewer viewers by season than the first two episodes of Starfleet Academy, a show that swapped out veteran officers for a bunch of quirky, foul-mouthed cadets.
This would tentatively prove that Paramount’s major gamble with this new Star Trek show is paying off. Many (myself included) wondered how effective it would be to target younger viewers, which is a demographic that NuTrek has historically had trouble really appealing to. Nonetheless, the network went for it with a show that centers on teenage characters who are obsessed with things like rebelling against authority, winning epic prank wars, and (what else?) getting laid.
Audience Verdict: The Kids Are Alright
The early success of Starfleet Academy seems to indicate that Paramount’s strategy is working and that the new show is generating more views than (on average) recent seasons of shows that have tried (more or less) to tell the kinds of Star Trek stories that older fans will relate to. This leads to a juicy paradox that I alluded to in my review of Starfleet Academy’s newest episode: the new spinoff has veered hard and fast away from standard franchise tropes, replacing them with modern dialogue, lowbrow humor, and youth-centric storylines. The result is completely different from anything Trek has done before, but these streaming numbers reveal that overhauling the franchise may be a good thing.
Paramount is desperate to get more viewers for their original shows, and that desperation has only become keener in the wake of the Skydance merger and the studio’s multiple failed attempts to buy out Warner Bros. Starfleet Academy is different from any Trek that has come before it, but that may not matter in the short-term if it gains enough views to keep the executives happy. In the long term, though, only time will tell if Paramount alienating its oldest fans in the name of attracting new ones will save Star Trek or set its phasers to kill while targeting the entire franchise.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
Mashable Light Speed
The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Social Good
Family & Parenting
Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
$299
Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
Mashable Deals
Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
$39.99
at Amazon
$79
Save $39.01
There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
It offers a portable blood oxygen saturation monitor, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and so much more. All of this data, including workout information, steps, and much more, can be synced across all your favorite fitness apps, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. There are 120 sports modes to choose from, GPS positioning, and even a 3D warm-up exercise guide to help get you on your feet each day.
Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
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