Starfleet Academy Series Premiere Review Addendum: The Title Sequence

Starfleet Academy

Series Premiere Review

Addendum: The Title Sequence

Although not seen in the pilot episode "Kids These Days", the Star Trek Starfleet Academy title sequence (first seen in episode 2 "Beta Test") deserves a close look and reaction.  These are my opinions.

The Sequence

Heavy on the theme of growing: the seed sprouting, growing into the plant, and eventually the tree, the buildings being built.  And of course the area around the buildings is the shape of the Star Trek delta-yawn.  The tree sprouting flowers, the flower petals flying through the Academy campus/USS Athena corridors and the atrium/courtyard.  And then the show's title over a skylight window conveniently shaped like the delta.  Ending over a wide shot of the Athena landed on Earth at San Francisco.  Fade to black.

The Visuals

As I mentioned above, heavy of the themes of growing and building.  But that doesn't really fully tell the series story.  It doesn't really say what the series is about.  Lovely visuals-I guess but little substance.  The credits are in a quite small text size, almost making them hard to read.  Additionally, and this is an issue that I've seen with all of the new trek live-action series (Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds): too many credits in the title sequence.  All the producton credits and the umpteen Executive Producer credits don't need to be in the title.  The production credits should be a the end of the episode.  The executive producer credits: 1-there need to be less of them (with so many "Executive Producers" what does the title mean any more?) and 2-they need to be on screen AFTER the title sequence (see TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT).The show does not 12 executive producers.  3 maybe 4 makes sense (again, see TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT).  The title sequence credits should be the main cast, showrunner, and creator.  Nothing else.  Rant over.

The Music

To put it bluntly: this is the most boring, milqtoast, uninspiring, non Trek music ever in a Star Trek title sequence.  Picard season 1 and 2's themes were bland, but at least they had a decent melody and evoked some feeling.  Discovery's theme was, while not really fitting the optimistic spirit of Trek, at least have Trek vibes.  This: nothing. 

Overall

Picard's season 1 title sequence was bland and uninteresting, season 2 wasn't much better.  Discovery was mehh, for a Star Trek Series set on a ship to have a title sequence with zero space scenes was...strange to say the least.  It tried to make up for it with all the artistic depiction of the ships, the badges, the tech.  At least those evoke Star Trek in some way.  This...does not.  In any way.  It's just boring.