Here’s What to Know about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

If you’ve had a hankering for Star Trek content, Paramount+ has the cure for what ails you. Enter Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the latest entry in the franchise that’ll boldly go farther into the future than any series or film preceding it. Bolstered by all-star talent, futuristic technologies, and an exciting narrative, this series will undoubtedly warm up these cold winter months for us.

Below, I’ve compiled a comprehensive primer that breaks down what you need to know about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1.

The Plot

The premise for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is pretty straightforward: A young group of cadets navigates the recently established Starfleet Academy in the 32nd century. Here, they learn about the tenets of Starfleet and how to be the best representatives of the newly rebuilt organization, all while being, you know, young people. We can expect rivalries, burgeoning romances, and friendships galore. Seldom do we get to see folks at the beginning of their Starfleet career, especially outside serving on a vessel. It’ll be fun to see the day-to-day at the titular academy as well.

However, this is a Star Trek series, so brace yourself for insidious intergalactic threats beyond the academy. The synopsis describes this as a “new enemy that threatens both the academy and the Federation itself.” How mysteriously vague.

The Cast and Crew

The cast boasts a handful of recognizable faces, with two in particular packing on the acting star power: Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter and Academy Award-nominee Paul Giamatti. Hunter plays Captain Nahla Ake, the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, while Giamatti steps into the role of Nus Braka, the show’s antagonist.

Orphan Black and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany will appear in the series in a recurring capacity as Caleb Mir’s mother. Other notable names include Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance, Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno, Mary Wiseman as Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly, Gina Yashere as Commander Lura Thok, and Robert Picardo as The Doctor. Stephen Colbert will lend his voice as Starfleet Academy’s Digital Dean of Students.

Now, on to the cadets. Sandro Rosta and Kerrice Brooks star as Caleb Mir and SAM, respectively. Rounding out the younger cast are Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, and Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal.

Alex Kurtzman, a Star Trek staple on the creative front, serves as co-showrunner and executive producer with Noga Landau. Kurtzman is also at the helm for the series premiere, directing from a script by Gaia Violo.

The Characters

Let’s delve a bit deeper into some of the characters, starting with Captain Nahla Ake. She’s pulling double duty as chancellor of the school and captain of the USS Athena, which, plot twist, is Starfleet Academy. The vessel is docked in San Francisco, making it the academy’s flagship campus location. Anyway, Ake is a 422-year-old half-Lanthanite.

While Lanthanites are unusual, Ake’s not the first of her kind to serve in Starfleet: that honor belongs to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Commander Pelia, who is full Lanthanite. Fun fact: Ake sometimes wears glasses. You’d think vision problems would be eradicated in the 32nd century, but something about this character choice is incredibly endearing (and human).

Lura Thok is Ake’s Number One on Athena. Half-Klingon, half-Jem’Hadar (the latter of which was introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Thok is also the academy’s Cadet Master. Of course, we all know The Doctor, who made his franchise TV series debut in Star Trek: Voyager and most recently appeared in Star Trek: Prodigy. Here, he serves as the ship and school’s chief medical officer.

Nus Braka is a half-Klingon and half-Tellarite pirate with deep ties to Ake. In one of the show’s teasers, we learn that they’re old foes, with their last confrontation dating back 15 years ago. Braka kidnapped Caleb’s mother, which Ake tried and failed to prevent. That’s why she recruits Caleb to Starfleet Academy, with the promise that they’ll find his mom.

While Caleb is a human cadet, SAM (Series Acclimation Mil) is a sentient hologram hailing from Kasq, the first of her kind to attend the academy. Darem Reymi is a Khionian cadet who aspires to become a captain someday. Genesis Lythe is a Dar-Sha cadet whose father is an admiral. Second fun fact: Dar-Sha is an entirely new alien species for the franchise. Jay-Den Kraag is a Klingon cadet who dreams of becoming a medical officer. Lastly, Tarima Sadal is a Betazoid and the daughter of the president of Betazed.

The Star Trek: Discovery Connection and Its Crossover Characters

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy boasts a direct connection with its predecessor, Star Trek: Discovery. When Commander Michael Burnham (who goes on to become an admiral in season 5) lands in the 32nd century with the USS Discovery crew, she learns that the Federation and Starfleet are essentially nonexistent. She helps to rebuild both, even introducing new technologies from her time. Her best friend, Sylvia Tilly, eventually takes a post at the Starfleet Academy as an instructor. Admiral Vance recurs on Star Trek: Discovery, and he’s someone whom Michael often answers to.

Jett Reno serves on Discovery as its eclectic engineer. It’s unclear how she’ll make the jump to Starfleet Academy, but my guess is that she’ll teach engineering to the eager cadets or simply help keep Athena running. Why not both?

While The Doctor doesn’t appear on Star Trek: Discovery, it’s been confirmed that he’s the original Voyager Doctor, albeit an aged hologram. Even holograms aren’t immune to the effects of time (and modified programming).

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