Warning: Minor Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7, “Ko’Zeine.”Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has come under fire from portions of the fan base, but it has also received credit where it’s due when certain things are done right. While an obvious example of the latter is the praise received for its recent Deep Space Nine tribute episode, Starfleet Academy isn’t always so obvious in the cool things it offers the Star Trek universe. Sometimes, it’s the smaller, almost unnoticeable details that prove why the show is better than many Trekkies claim.
Starfleet Academy is just the second Star Trek show to be set in the 32nd century. Traditionally, the space opera focuses far more on stories set in and around the 24th century. The era in which Starfleet Academy takes place was introduced in Discovery, when Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham and company jumped almost a millennium into the future from the 2200s. So, what started as a tale that took place at one of the earliest points in Star Trek canon became a distant sequel to absolutely everything. Starfleet Academy has now inherited the sole responsibility of fleshing out this era, but the show isn’t ignoring the franchise’s core periods. In fact, there is a very specific thing the show has finally addressed.
‘Starfleet Academy’ Just Finally Gave ‘Star Trek’ a Replacement for Christmas
Despite running for 60 years, Star Trek has never had a Christmas episode or ever really acknowledged the holiday in any meaningful way. Any kind of Christmas reference has always felt, at best, circumstantial. The franchise has never really explained this omission, but given that Star Trek takes place so far into the future, it’s pretty safe to assume that humanity has left things like its religious festivals behind. The aliens still have similar occasions that celebrate their various faiths, but these moments are used as an immersive way to explore their cultures and beliefs. And yet, in Star Trek, humanity started to favor exploring the stars and scientific advancements above almost everything else.
In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7, “Ko’Zeine,” although there was very little worldbuilding beyond certain character dynamics, the installment did finally provide a replacement for Christmas. Referred to as “Worlds Day,” the new Star Trek holiday appears to be completely secular, with no direct religious connotations. The name implies it’s a celebration that takes place on multiple planets at once. Every planet in the Federation probably gets involved. While there aren’t many details canonically confirmed about Worlds Day, we know that it calls for the closure of the Academy. This way, the cadets can spend time with family and eat a whole bunch. That sounds an awful lot like Christmas, doesn’t it?
I don’t expect Worlds Day to be referenced all that much going forward. It largely felt like a narrative excuse to split up all the characters and allow them to experience stories in smaller clusters rather than all being forced to exist in such proximity to each other. That said, with Starfleet Academy Season 2 already confirmed, it’s possible that Worlds Day could become a recurring tradition as the show continues. After all, there were characters whose Worlds Day celebrations were largely unaccounted for, so it could be cool to see what they get up to next season.
Why Worlds Day Has Never Been Mentioned Before in ‘Star Trek’ Canon
It’s possible, but unlikely, that Worlds Day has always been happening off-screen since the 24th century, and maybe even before that. I don’t think that’s the case, though. If this were true, then we surely would have heard it mentioned at least once before Starfleet Academy. Of course, in the real world, it’s very easy to explain away by simply accepting that the Starfleet Academy writers have only just invented the holiday. It could technically be retroactively installed as a much older part of the lore, but that’s not necessary. There’s a far more streamlined and interesting way to integrate Worlds Day into the official continuity.
Worlds Day’s origin is probably tightly entwined with the Burn. By that, I don’t mean that people started randomly celebrating in the wake of the Burn. Instead, Worlds Day could be a way of helping the planets of the Federation feel closer together again after a century of being kept apart due to the dilithium shortage that took so many lives and stymied warp travel. So, because the Burn only occurred in the 31st century, it wouldn’t have made sense for Worlds Day to be mentioned in any of the classic-era shows like Voyager or Deep Space Nine.
A connection to the Burn wouldn’t just make Worlds Day a celebration of interplanetary togetherness. It would also be a time to remember those who were lost and couldn’t be present to celebrate with them. This makes Worlds Day seem even more like Christmas, as the holiday can also often be used as a time to think about lost friends and loved ones from years and decades gone by. Even if Worlds Day is just a way of championing the Federation as it grows again in the wake of the Burn, the 31st-century Star Trek disaster would still be tangentially related to the franchise’s new Christmas replacement.
- Release Date
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January 15, 2026
- Network
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Paramount+
- Directors
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Douglas Aarniokoski
- Writers
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Alex Taub, Tawny Newsome, Kirsten Beyer, Jane Maggs, Kiley Rossetter
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