Television: 2025 Was a Good Year for Sci-fi Space Shows

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Some of the characters from Alien: Earth. (FXNetworks)

Before the year is over, I want to highlight five sci-fi space television series that kept me entertained. I cannot do the same with sci-fi space movies because 2025 lacked exciting, well-made films.

Here are my top five sci-fi space television shows in order of preference.

  1. Andor on Disney+
  2. Alien: Earth on FX/HULU
  3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+
  4. Foundation on Apple TV
  5. Murderbot on Apple TV

While Andor saw its second and last season this year, the remaining four will be returning for another season. When combined with the other new shows to premiere in 2026, such as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, then we are looking at another good year for sci-fi space television series (assuming we do not need to wait years for the returning seasons).

I wanted to rank Murderbot a little higher, but it still lacks the energy of the books and each episode is too short to leave you satisfied. That said, it has a lot of potential and it is still a solid series.

Overall, great television made up for so-so movies in 2025.

Let’s hope some great sci-fi space movies in 2026.

Happy New Year!

Note: Apple TV’s Pluribus was not considered for this list. While it involves a “virus” from a distant exoplanet, we never learn anything about the distant civilization. Moreover, it is basically an Earth-based drama not involving any travel away from our planet.

Television: Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy is Almost Here

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Some of the new characters in the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. (Paramount+)

You only have to wait until January 15th for the latest Star Trek series on Paramount+, but you may want to see this most recent trailer because it sets up some of the background on the characters.

Paramount+ has already shared quite a few details about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on its site, so here are some important items:

  • Plot: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is about a young group of Starfleet cadets navigating friendships and rivalries, as well as first loves and a new enemy that poses a threat not to just the Academy, but to the Federation.

  • The Names of the Cadets:
    • Caleb Mir is an orphaned human who hasn’t yet declared his major, or focus, at Starfleet Academy.
    • Jay-Den Kraag is a Klingon cadet whose focus is the sciences.
    • SAM is a hologram – a Series Acclimation Mil, or SAM, for short. She’s the first of her kind at Starfleet Academy. SAM’s focus is operations.
    • Darem Reymi is a Khionian from a well-to-do background who aims to be in command – hence, the focus of his studies at Starfleet Academy.
    • Genesis Lythe is a Dar-Sha, a species new to the Star Trek universe. She’s the daughter of an admiral, and is also studying command.

  • Time Period: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century, at the upper end of the Star Trek timeline. More specifically, it takes place 125 years after The Burn, a catastrophic event that ravaged the galaxy, and hobbled the Federation. The cadets we meet represent a fresh start for the Federation; they belong to the first Starfleet Academy class since The Burn. You will need to watch Star Trek: Discovery season three to understand The Burn.

  • Key Actors in Season 1:
    • Holly Hunter as Capt. Nahla Ake Hunter’s character is the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy – and the captain of the U.S.S. Athena.
    • Tig Notaro as Jett Reno Notaro reprises her role as Jett, an engineering whiz, from Star Trek: Discovery.
    • Robert Picardo as The Doctor Picardo reprises the role he originated on Star Trek: Voyager.
    • Gina Yashere as Lura Thok Yashere is billed as a recurring guest star. She plays a Klingon/Jem’Hadar hybrid who serves as the Chancellor’s First Officer and Cadet Master.
    • Stephen Colbert as the voice of Starfleet Academy’s Digital Dean of Students The Emmy® winner (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) will be heard as the faculty member who makes daily announcements – and issues alerts.

  • Number of Episodes: Season 1 will have 10 episodes.

  • Number of Seasons: A second season has already been green-lighted.

  • Your Mission: Simply enjoy this new Star Trek series.

Really?: Star Trek Author Tied to Jeffrey Epstein Emails

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Basic Books

This is really getting ridiculous. With the reopening of the federal government, the public has moved onto a new topic, and once again it is sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his emails. However, this time it touches upon an popular cosmologist who wrote a book about Star Trek.

According to recent news stories, cosmologist Lawrence Krauss, author of The Physics of Star Trek, wrote to Mr. Epstein back in 2018 asking for ways to handle sexual harassment complaints against him. Mr. Epstein was a financial supporter of a program run by Dr. Krauss at Arizona State University (ASU). That same year, Dr. Krauss announced his retirement as professor at ASU while dealing with such charges. Dr. Krauss was also a contributor to Scientific American magazine and sat on Scientific American’s board of advisers, but was removed from the board in 2018 for reasons related to allegations of sexual misconduct.

As has been reported endlessly, Mr. Epstein engaged with a very large group of individuals, so Dr. Krauss is not alone. Still, it is not something you want on your resume.

You can still find Dr. Krauss sharing ideas on his podcast, The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss, as well as his substack, Critical Mass. Whether this Epstein topic comes up on either the podcast or substack is anyone’s guess.

Dr. Krauss once stated:

For, after all, in science one achieves the greatest impact (and often the greatest headlines) not by going along with the herd, but by bucking against it.

I don’t believe he was talking about these latest headlines.

Television: A Look at the New Series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A scene from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. (Startrek.com)

Now that the Comic Con 2025 events are over, all we can do now is await the showing of the new Star Trek series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, slated to premiere early next year. We can also rewatch the first look teaser trailer a few times.

So what can be shared about the new series? Startrek.com provided a helpful summary of the new crew members of the U.S.S. Athena, which will be the location of much of the action. You might also remember a few actors rejoining the series, including Robert Picardo as The Doctor and Tig Notaro as Jett Reno. Finally, Holly Hunter will be playing captain of the U.S.S. Athena while a new half-Klingon villian will be played by Paul Giamatti.

Another familiar face behind the series is Rod Roddenberry, son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who is the executive producer on other familiar Star Trek series, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

And what is the setting for this new series? While earlier discussions about a Starfleet Academy series looked to an earlier era, this version is set in the 32nd century after some rough times for the Federation (see the Star Trek: Discovery series to understand that mess). Co-creator of the series Alex Kurtzman explained it in this way to the Los Angeles Times:

As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he’s inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it’s going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that’s a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

So this is really a show for the Gen Z viewers out there who need to put this world back on track. I can understand the desire to be relevant to a new generation, as Star Trek was when it came out in the confusing and troubling 1960s. Though whether or not one is part of Gen Z, I believe we can all take something away from the new series, as we have with all of those that preceded it.

Credit: Startrek.com.