Paramount+ is known for two things: Taylor Sheridan shows and “Star Trek.” The two might be polar opposites politically and thematically, but they have found a comfortable home on the streaming network that keeps churning out content to keep the respective fanbases happy.
Following the conclusions of “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” up next on the Trek docket is “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.” Details have been scant in the months since the series was first announced, but a massive Hall H panel at this year’s San Diego Comic Con brought out the cast and crew of the upcoming series to debut the show’s first trailer, teasing a series that promises to give fans a fresh look at the future of the Star Trek universe.
Whether you’ve been a Trekkie for decades or you’re looking for a new show to dip your toes into the world of the Federation, “Starfleet Academy” has a lot to offer. So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming series.
Starfleet Academy introduces the next generation of the Federation
“Star Trek: Discovery” was Paramount+’s first attempt at a proper Star Trek continuation, and it spawned a universe of new fleet of TV shows, from the animated comedy “Lower Decks” to the retro throwback “Strange New Worlds.” But while these series looked back at the original series and its long-standing place in TV history, “Starfleet Academy” is the first series to look ahead at what follows after the climactic events of “Discovery.”
For those who need a refresher, season 3 of “Discovery” found Michael Burnham traveling into the 32nd century to discover that the United Federation of Planets was devastated by a mysterious event called “The Burn,” in which the galaxy’s dilithium, which starships use to travel at warp speed, suddenly exploded, destroying virtually all of Starfleet’s armada. Without the ability to travel at warp speed, planets are isolated from each other, and the Federation struggles to maintain order.
This is the moment that “Starfleet Academy” picks up the ball from “Discovery,” which co-showrunner Noga Landau calls “a time of rebuilding” that the show’s cadets will have to navigate together:
“It’s a time when, for the generation of Starfleet cadets, the world has to be fixed. And a lot of the responsibilities of that lies on their shoulders. It was very intentional choice, because a lot of the generation who’s alive right now, who would be going to Starfleet Academy if there was a Starfleet Academy, that’s a similar thing to what they would be going through.”
The cadets in Starfleet Academy carry the future of the Federation on their shoulders
Co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman used the Comic Con panel to explain how the cast of “Starfleet Academy” finds themselves in a unique predicament that parallels both our real history and what the original “Star Trek” series stands for:
“We look at a generation now that is inheriting all of these divisions and all of these major issues. What we felt was that we wanted to create a show that anchored us back to [Gene] Roddenberry’s essential vision of hope. How do you find it? How do you rebuild it? So this is the first Academy class back after 120 years of a closed Starfleet. They have a tremendous amount on their shoulders, and their mission is to reinstate the original vision of Star Trek.”
Among these new recruits is Caleb (Sandro Rosta), who is a “troubled orphan” who Rosta describes as being “disillusioned by Starfleet:”
“He’s grown up without an institution or institutional help for 13 years, so he’s been surviving on his own. He’s been on the run for his entire life; [he’s an] outsider [who is] introduced to Starfleet’s values of connection, community, working together for a higher purpose to better yourself as a group, not just as an individual—that was what was special about Caleb. […] You’re going to be entering Starfleet through the eyes of this outsider, and it was an honor to play that role.”
As the rare human cadet in the cast, Rosta has a lot of peculiar colleagues to familiarize himself with. Among them is Sam “aka Series Acclimation Mil” (Kerrice Brooks), a Kasqian hologram who is the first of her kind to join Starfleet. Rounding out the cast are a Klingon Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), Khionian Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), and Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner).
Navigating Starfleet Academy is no easy task for these young cadets, because the school they are attending doubles as a starship, and is deployed out into the field like “a teaching hospital” so that the cadets can apply what they learn within the Academy onto the field in real-world situations as they attempt to shape the future of the Federation.
Accomplishing that goal has never felt further away for the Federation than it does in “Starfleet Academy,” but these young cadets have a bevy of familiar faces to help (or hinder) in that goal.
A constellation of Hollywood stars are at the center of Starfleet Academy
Taking place in such a pivotal moment of Star Trek history means “Starfleet Academy” has big shoes to fill, and luckily for the cadets, they are in the capable hands of none other than Oscar-winning actor Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake, a half-Lanthanite captain of the USS Athena and the chancellor of Starfleet Academy. Hunter was on hand at the Comic Con panel to detail how playing the dual role of captain and educator drew her to the part:
“It was just an interesting dichotomy and challenge because the captain is there to command, to analyze in emergency situations, and then to delegate. And the chancellor is there to guide, to collaborate, and have tremendous empathy. So it was just a wonderful combination of things that it brought out in me, in all of us. I mean, each relationship that I have with each of you [actors playing the students] is so particular and so private. That’s the cool thing about the show — [its] massive scale combined with this incredible intimacy that we all have with each other and an intimacy that we all had as a group. So yeah, it was a privilege.”
The relationship between Ake and Caleb is reportedly going to be the primary thrust of the series, but standing in their way is Nus Braka, played by none other than Paul Giamatti. Little is known about his character, a half-Klingon, half-Tellerite who Kurtzman describes as a representation of those who represent a “tide” of division and hostility that has “swept across the world in a very profound and upsetting way.”
Three returning Star Trek characters will also play a part in leading this next generation of cadets: Robert Picardo’s holographic Doctor is back as a teacher aboard the USS Athena. Tig Notaro’s USS Discovery engineer Jett Reno will also return, as does Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet Charles Vance (Oded Fehr).
Lastly, “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany will also make an appearance in an undisclosed recurring guest role.
We only have a teaser to tide us over until Starfleet Academy takes off in early 2026
While Kurtzman, Landau, and the rest of the cast were happy to dish out details on what fans can expect from “Starfleet Academy,” the one piece of news fans most wanted to hear is still up in the air: when does “Starfleet Academy” take off on Paramount+?
The trailer indicates that we can expect the series to drop in “Early 2026,” which means we’re at least months away from seeing what these cadets are capable of. At the very least, Star Trek fans have plenty of other material to keep themselves busy on Paramount+. From the finale of “Lower Decks” to the Michelle Yeoh movie “Section 31” and a brand new season of “Strange New Worlds” on its way, there is plenty of material to keep you entertained until Captain Ake and the cadets of Starfleet Academy debut in the very near future.
