Starfleet Academy Dares to Redefine the Final Frontier
Starfleet Academy boldly reimagines the Star Trek universe as a coming-of-age drama, blending youthful energy with familiar lore. Early stumbles give way to standout episodes and striking visuals, hinting at a promising future.
Star Trek finds itself at a curious crossroads these days. Since Discovery’s arrival in 2017, the venerable sci-fi saga has been stretched in all manner of directions, with a flurry of new series expanding the boundaries of what the franchise can encompass. Some of these ventures have been warmly received—Picard’s third outing, the ever-charming Lower Decks, and much of Strange New Worlds spring to mind—though not every experiment has landed. Strange New Worlds is set to bow out soon, its fifth run trimmed down; Section 31, once a much-anticipated series, has been whittled to a single, rather forgettable film; and there’s a sense that Paramount’s gaze is drifting towards the big screen, perhaps at the expense of the small.
It’s against this backdrop that Starfleet Academy makes its entrance, and it’s not exactly a safe bet. The series, set in the 32nd century—a stretch of the timeline that’s largely uncharted—follows a bustling ensemble of students and staff as they navigate the peculiarities of life at the Federation’s most storied institution. This is Star Trek, but not as the old guard might recognise it: the show leans into the conventions of young adult drama, complete with tempestuous romances, adolescent rivalries, and the odd life lesson or two.
New Faces, Old Echoes
For those who’ve grown up with Star Trek’s more diplomatic leanings—earnest discussions in starship boardrooms, the weighty business of interstellar politics—this shift may come as a bit of a jolt. Starfleet Academy certainly tips its hat to those traditions, but it’s far more invested in the misadventures of its youthful cast, who seem to spend as much time clashing with their tutors as they do learning from them. There’s a clear effort here to draw in a younger crowd, yet the show is also steeped in nostalgia, peppered with nods for long-time fans: familiar faces pop up, from Robert Picardo’s holographic Doctor to Tig Notaro’s Jett Reno, and the lore is expanded in ways that feel both playful and considered. It’s not quite your dad’s Star Trek, but it’s not a total departure either.
The opening episode, ‘Kids These Days’, introduces the main players. Holly Hunter’s Captain Nahla Ake, an alien with a long memory and a few regrets, takes up the post of Chancellor, determined to right an old wrong by recruiting the rebellious Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta). Mir, a reluctant addition, soon finds himself drawn to the reserved Klingon Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) and butting heads with the brash Darem Reymi (George Hawkins). The supporting cast includes the naive hologram Sam (Kerrice Brooks) and Genesis (Bella Shepard), an admiral’s daughter eager to forge her own path. Hunter is a standout from the off, bringing a mix of irreverence and weary wisdom to Ake, who’s as likely to curl up in the captain’s chair as she is to face off against her nemesis, Nus Braka—played with relish by Paul Giamatti, a self-confessed Deep Space 9 enthusiast.
Finding Its Feet
After a promising start, the series takes a little time to find its rhythm, particularly where Mir is concerned. Rosta’s performance is solid, and by the sixth episode he’s won over even the most sceptical viewers, but early on he comes across as more self-absorbed than roguish, overshadowed by the more engaging characters around him.
This is most apparent in the second and third episodes, which double down on the ‘space school’ motif and introduce a rival, more militaristic academy. The tone here is lighter, the stakes lower, and while the humour is a welcome change of pace, the jokes don’t always land, and the sprawling subplots can feel a bit much. These instalments are lengthy affairs, and the ensemble hasn’t quite gelled yet.
Settling In and Standing Out
Fortunately, these teething troubles don’t last. By the fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes, the show hits its stride. Episode five, in particular, is a standout—one character’s connection to the wider mythology is revealed in a way that’s bound to leave fans gobsmacked. The balance between classroom antics and interstellar adventure is much improved, and the characters begin to feel like people worth rooting for.
Ake offers something different to predecessors like Kirk, Picard, and Janeway. She's cheerful and irreverent, but there's a world-weariness bubbling beneath the surface.
Visually, the production is a cut above. The academy set is the most ambitious ever constructed for the franchise, and it pays off: every scene is alive with a mix of humans and aliens, lending the place a sense of authenticity that previous depictions of the Federation’s future sometimes lacked. It’s a touch ironic that, compared to the lavishly funded Stranger Things 5—with its sometimes patchy CGI—Starfleet Academy emerges as the more convincing spectacle.
Looking Ahead
Despite a few early wobbles and the uncertainty hanging over the franchise’s future, these initial episodes suggest that the coming year could be a memorable one for Star Trek. By the halfway mark of Starfleet Academy’s first series—a second is already in the works—any lingering doubts have been swept aside. The show may take a different tack, but at heart, it remains true to the spirit of exploration and possibility that’s defined the saga for decades.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is available to stream on Paramount Plus from 15 January.