Steven Prusakowski
The academy doors are open as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has boldly gone where Star Trek has never gone before… college. Well, not college exactly, but the Star Trek equivalent: the halls of Starfleet Academy where young cadets go to launch their careers as part of Starfleet. We are halfway through the series’ freshman year, five episodes in and five to go, and here’s my midterm progress report.
For those not familiar, the series, which premiered in January, follows a group of young cadets at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco (partly aboard the docked USS Athena). It is set in the 32nd century, post-Discovery Season 5, as the Federation rebuilds after The Burn, marking the Academy’s reopening after over a century of closure. The series is filled with beautiful sets and exquisite production design that makes the San Franc Academy setting, complete with views of a futuristic Golden Gate Bridge, a glimpse of a future I want to be part of, feeling vastly larger and more immersive than previous Trek settings. One nice touch I particularly enjoyed was filling the Academy’s atrium with beautiful flowering pink cherry blossom trees breaking up the ultra-modern interior design with the organic, instantly separating it from other Trek series.
Before I dive into my review, let me make clear that I am a Star Trek fan, but not a Trekkie. If you are looking for deep dive Trek analysis, AFTER reading this, I recommend our friends over at Trekmovie.com – they are actually my resource for insider insight into all things Trek including episode by episode analysis of Starfleet Academy. (Then please return for more TV, Emmys, film and awards coverage here.) With that said, understand that I am a longtime fan whose take on all Star Trek sits right down the middle of hardcore Trekkie and redshirt. It is one reason I love the franchise, I do not know everything and even after all these years continue to be curious and explore.
One of my favorite parts of Star Trek is that, even after 60 years, it has so much more to explore, expanding like the universe itself. Which is exactly why I was excited for Starfleet Academy. After decades of extensions of the OG that stayed loyal to the spirit of the original, these last few years have delivered new approaches to looking at the Trekiverse that pushed the franchise to new limits; an adult-focused animation in Lower Decks, a kids-aimed series with Prodigy, a reunion of fan faves with Picard, and exploration of different points in the OG timeline with Strange New Worlds.
For me, you watch what you want and allow them to expand a universe you love, or ignore them, take it or leave it, but I’m always happy that something that has sentimental and decadeslong entertainment value has not been put on a shelf to collect dust.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy ensures not a speck of dust settles on the franchise. As the focus shifts younger, so do the storylines, as you would expect, setting its course on more than the exploration of space, but an exploration of being a young adult and all that brings to the table. The cadets learn about themselves and learn about each other all while navigating Starfleet training, delivering a series of coming-of-age stories into hyperdrive, blending their education with loads of youthful drama, friendships, rivalries, and romance.
It feels a bit more like high school rather than “college” at times, as some of the challenges that arise are interpersonal and emotional, but even so it delivers a fun-to-watch, youthful and optimistic take on the franchise’s ideals.
It is a refreshing, character-driven perspective of the Trek universe that tackles the question of what it actually means to prepare for life in Starfleet: an angle the series has never truly explored before. While it does so, it weaves in plenty of classic Trek detail and lore, including a Wall of Honor filled with a who’s who of Trek past (Captain James T. Kirk, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, Captain Nyota Uhura, Commander Beckett Mariner, and more), yet it stands apart by prioritizing youthful perspectives, personal growth, and relationships over the usual day-to-day ship operations or galaxy-spanning crises. For viewers open to something different, it’s a welcome addition and a nice change of pace, making the series more accessible overall.
“It was really important that we made a new Star Trek show where anyone could watch. You don’t have to have watched other Star Trek shows before… You’re going to get a lot out of it if you’re already a Star Trek fan, but you also don’t have to have watched a single episode of Star Trek before coming to Starfleet Academy. It will make sense. You will feel welcomed in,” explained co-creator and co-producer Alex Kurtzman during our interview with him and creative partner Noga Landau (watch below.)
The series tells the story of a diverse group of cadets, ensuring everyone will have their favorite. Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) is a hardened human on a secret quest to find his missing mother, who reluctantly joins Starfleet Academy in hopes of gaining the tools to track her down. Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) is a Klingon cadet raised as a warrior who rejects violence and aspires to become a medical officer. SAM (Kerrice Brooks) is the first holographic cadet to ever attend the Academy, a newborn-like sentient in a seventeen-year-old’s body who is learning the basics of life as she learns what it means to become part of Starfleet. Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard) is a confident cadet from the new Dar-Sha species and an admiral’s daughter determined to forge her own legacy. Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) is Caleb’s day-one rival and a competitive, shapeshifting Khionian cadet with a cocky rich-kid edge. Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner) is an empathetic Betazoid cadet, daughter of Betazed’s president, who struggles with uncontrolled psychic abilities.
The chemistry among the cadets is undeniable and instant, with each performer bringing a clearly defined personality, perhaps a shade too deliberately at times, but the result is a rich quilt of voices and experiences that beautifully captures what it means to be young and learning about life. If you are older and are remembering those days or living through them now, the show should remind you of some of the highs and lows of the often awkward and exploratory age. One of the most enjoyable parts of the series is watching this diverse group, covering an array of species, attitudes, sexualities, and backgrounds as they move through rigorous classroom sessions, interpersonal dynamics, and genuine moments of self-discovery. We quickly find out it is not all schooltime fun, as they also deal with real threats to the Federation itself.
During my interview with the cast, they touched upon their first days meeting up and beyond, sharing and laughing about the shared memories they’ve already built. Handholding, teasing, secret stories, and a shared love visible in the interviews all help explain their chemistry on screen.
This collection of snippets captures some of their mutual appreciation: “It really did feel like the first day of school… We had to put on our uniforms… It was exciting. It was a thrill… These are all my best friends. Like, I swear, I could hang out with anybody on the cast one-on-one, and it’ll be great… We are all friends with each other, truly.” (Watch interviews with all the cadets below).
The cadets are under the guidance of seasoned instructors, led by Chancellor Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter), an unorthodox captain and free spirit whose shoeless style and legs curled up in the Captain’s chair may ruffle a few feathers. She is a breath of fresh air that sets herself apart from all predecessors.
As explored in the pilot episode, she has a difficult, complex history with one of the cadets, the orphaned Caleb, something he blames on Ake and she harbors deep regret over. It is a tricky triangle relationship built on betrayal and regret, shared with Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), an instant fan-favorite as the volatile half-Klingon/half-Tellarite pirate who despises Starfleet.
Nus Braka and Chancellor Ake’s scenes are some of the series’ biggest highlights, a crude-oil-spill-and-water relationship full of jabs and in-your-face moments as intergalactic sparring partners. Giamatti chews up the scenery in the very best of ways, while Hunter’s calm and chill demeanor counters in the most amusing of ways, possessing the aura of a dysfunctional sibling rivalry.
They both carry their own set of personal scars, but contrast in virtually every other way. Braka is off-putting, a snorting, spitting creature covered in leather and metal rings and finger plates, radiating crude, brash, lowlife swagger and aggressiveness, while Ake’s petite, more composed do-gooder exterior conceals a quiet, cunning sharpness. Together they are like flint and steel, igniting great sparks.
During my interview, Hunter and Giamatti discussed how they, like me, could not get enough of the duo’s combative chemistry: “For me it wasn’t enough. I mean, I yearned for more… because it was so much fun to kind of be there in that engagement… It’s like getting, you know… playing in the sandbox was really,” shared Hunter.
Giamatti added, “It was all too brief. They both take pleasure in the combat, in a funny way. We enjoyed it and the characters enjoy it in some weird way too. They like going at it.” (Watch them discuss their relationship and Giamatti’s joining the Star Trek universe in the interview below.)
While their showdowns set the bar high, it also makes the series feel front-heavy. The premiere episode has it all, a cinematic feel, engaging backstory, and very high stakes. The following episodes struggle with a shift in tone and focus as we settle into more classroom dynamics, smaller threats, young adult drama. It almost felt like a bait and switch, an excellent way to pull you into the series but at the same time it may have been better to build up to it making it feel less uneven.
With that said, all the episodes have their charms. If the premiere is the heart pounding first hill of the roller coaster, the following are the smaller hills and turns that follow. They all bring something worthwhile to the series even if they never match the thrill of the first, because it is obvious that was never the intention.
As Kurtzman stated during our conversation, “I think one of the great things about Trek is how it can toggle so effortlessly back and forth between tones, right? Like one scene can be very funny, and then the next scene is very emotional, and then the next scene is very scary. And it’s because it’s built into the DNA of what Star Trek is that you can do all of those things. And over the course of the season, you will definitely see a real mix of tones.”
That’s for certain, from episode to episode and scene to scene, Starfleet Academy definitely has a Trek feel all its own which is fitting for a series about young adults. It is not always about life and death, even though for kids the age of the cadets, it may feel like it.
What makes it all resonate is the time invested into developing each of the cadet characters. The series does not just put pawns in position to fight battles big and small, it spends the time to add the depth needed to make them relatable and engaging. Each comes with their own baggage from daddy issues, to missing mommy issues, to figuring out who they are, the more we learn about them, the higher the stakes become.
After managing my expectations, hoping every episode would be a faceoff between Giamatti and Hunter, I quickly embraced how unpredictable each episode could be and its commitment to building characters who are much more than archtypes. Jay-Den’s arc in “Vox in Excelso” takes on much more personal themes, using his fear of public speaking as a way to tackle Klingon tradition, expectations of his father and his own fears, as he begins to chart his own path. Karim Diané’s work as Jay-Den is some of the best in the series (even more impressive when you see him sans make-up and using his natural voice) leading some of the most emotional and rewarding episodes to date. As the franchises first openly-gay Klingon (a detail that is sure to ruffle some easily ruffled feathers) Jay-Den’s story resonates on several levels, telling a very relatable, human story about parental expectations and tradition that adds multiple layers to the character as well as Klingon world building unlike never before. The result is a moving story that establishes Jay-Den as much more than just another KIingon.
One of the series biggest strengths is its ability to take advantage of the Academy setting to explore Starfleet from a different perspective while telling unique stories fitting of this age of self-discovery. The good thing, if one episode is not for you, Starfleet Academy’s episodic versatility means the episode that connects better with your tastes may be right around the corner. For instance, “Beta Test” explores Caleb’s doubts about belonging at the Academy as he reluctantly guides a visitor, Tarima Sadal (Steiner), during tense diplomatic talks, sparking unexpected chemistry, helping uncover what true connection and Starfleet fit really mean. “Vitus Reflux” ramps up the fun with competitive team tryouts and escalating pranks between rival schools, blending lighthearted campus rivalry with rising tensions that test the group’s unity. Episode 5, “Series Acclimation Mil” is another standout, where SAM pursues an ancient Starfleet mystery tied to her own origins. The episodic variety keeps things fresh, and with episode six on the horizon, fans of those high-stakes premiere confrontations might not have to wait much longer for more from Nus Braka and his combustible dynamic with Chancellor Ake.
In each of the episodes, die-hard Trekkies will find multiple Easter eggs and cameos to sink their teeth into beyond the aforementioned Wall of Honor. To be completely transparent, some of them I caught, but several were over my head and only came to light when speaking with bigger fans. For example, the fifth episode had Trekkies abuzz. While I enjoyed the episode, the nostalgic aspect landed flat with me. Then again both my daughter and I were delighted to see a Prodigy-related cameo pounding down the hallways of USS Athena. I am sure there are plenty more moments on deck waiting to please longtime fans.
Always on deck is a healthy dose of humor from the cadets, Giamatti and Hunter, but in bigger doses from a trio of actors with the comedic chops needed to deliver laughs even in the most tense of moments.
Robert Picardo is back, reprising his Deep Space Nine role of The Doctor as well as comedians Tig Notaro also reprising her Trek role of Jett Reno from Discovery and Gina Yashere who plays half-Klingon/half-Jem’Hadar Commander Lura Thok. The volume of humor is much higher than expected and injects fun into a variety of scenes, even when least expected. Unlike the more subtle wit of classic Trek or the all-out absurdity of the animated Lower Decks, this lands as lighter, character-driven levity that fits the youthful Academy vibe. It separates Starfleet Academy from much of the more adult-targeting Trek and should play well with new fans.
As described by Yashere, the balance between humor and drama does not happen by chance. “I wanted to play Laura as she is serious, disciplinary and taking no nonsense. But I wanted to inject the humor in a way that she doesn’t know she’s funny, but people watching find that funny… I just wanted to play her as is and just use timing and inflections and voice to add the humor. But the character herself is super serious. (Listen to Picardo and Yashere discuss the humor they bring to their characters and a tease of big threats to come in the video below).
Starfleet Academy is a solid, heart-driven addition to the Star Trek universe, filling in a long-piqued corner of the lore, the Academy itself. A lot of what works revolves around family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we gather along the way. Whether it’s Caleb’s desperate search for his missing mother, the dysfunctional sibling-like tension between Ake and Braka, or Jay-Den’s quiet defiance of Klingon warrior expectations, these relationships push the characters to confront their pasts, build trust, and start defining who they truly are.
I have avoided spoilers to the utmost degree to allow new viewers to enjoy stepping onto a new campus and returning students of Trek will find some welcome Easter eggs and franchise faces that make the vast Star Trek universe a little bit smaller. I look forward to where this season goes, episode six marks a welcome return and promises bigger things to come.
Mid-season grade: B+ (★★★★ out of five stars)
But note this freshman series shows plenty of potential and still has room for extra credit that can nudge this grade even higher. Like the first days of high school, the show can feel a little bit all over the place at times, shifting tones and focus quickly and leaving the audience responsible to keep up as it finds its groove. The young adult perspective and stories are a welcome addition to Trek, bringing fresh energy to the franchise while keeping true to its long-standing spirit. My advice: grab a seat, get out your #2 pencils, and enjoy the ride.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy continues its 10-episode first season with new episodes every Thursday.
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