Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will premiere with two episodes on Thursday, January 15 on Paramount+. Following the premiere, new episodes of the 10-episode-long season will drop weekly on Thursdays, with the season finale on Thursday, March 12.
Synopsis
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Review
This year Star Trek turns 60 years old, celebrating the landmark anniversary in what is likely to be a year of change. With new management at Paramount the future of the franchise on both the big and small screen is in flux. Kicking off the celebrations is Starfleet Academy, a brand new series which aims to attract a younger audience with its message of hope and diversity against the odds.
Part of the genius of launching the series in 2026 is baked into its DNA. Following The Burn – explored in Star Trek: Discovery and comic book series The Last Starship – the academy is opening its doors for the first time in over 100 years. That naturally makes our cast of cadets the future of the franchise. But how does one learn how to move forwards in life? By learning history and the mistakes of the past. That premise alone gives Starfleet Academy a license to explore the past whilst always keeping one eye on the future.
Premiere episode “Kids These Days” is a 75 minute overture which dutifully shows off high stakes action whilst introducing a new ensemble cast. Gaia Violo‘s script is ferociously ambitious, throwing plenty at the screen to capture the audience’s attention. The balance of action against character is refreshing and shows real growth from earlier streaming-era Trek. It sets up character arcs strongly and shifts the tone of Trek’s 32nd century storytelling. It also shows off an impressive budget for both practical and visual-effects filmmaking establishing the series has not come to play it safe.
The momentum coming out of the premiere is impressive. But it’s also something Starfleet Academy cannot – and should not – maintain for an entire season. The second and third episodes, “Beta Test” and “Vitus Reflex”, veer towards traditional teenage storytelling fare. Hitting on all the right notes to warrant comparisons to Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill and even aspects of Harry Potter. Co-showrunners Noga Landau and Alex Kurtzman have clearly done their homework, working hard to cherry pick what works well within a Trek setting.
“Beta Test” centres on a teen romance between Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) and Betazoid envoy Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner). It flirts with a Romeo & Juliet style story that brings all of the unrequited love and angst which goes along with it. “Vitus Reflex” sees the academy students going up against the War College bullies in a game of Calica, the Trek equivalent of football. Fourth episode “Vox in Excelso” tackles inter-species diplomacy admirably, whilst sixth episode “Come, Let’s Fly Away” comes full circle with an episode which reminded me of class Trek episodes like “Booby Trap”.
It’s fifth episode, “Series Acclimation Mil” where Starfleet Academy truly comes in to its own. Co-written by long-time Trek writer Kirsten Beyer and Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome. Firstly, Kerrice Brooks as S.A.M. is MVP of the young cast. Breathing surprisingly believable life into the franchise’s first photonic student. Secondly, the episode is a love letter to Trek’s past which shows astonishing reverence and delicacy in tackling its subject. Of any of the six episodes I’ve seen “Series Acclimation Mil” is by far its strongest.
Though the series marketing focuses heavily on the young cast, the episodes themselves balance cadet stories with equally compelling arcs for the adult officers. Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter is the adult lead and its North Star as Captain Nahla Ake. Ake is a half-Lanthanite and her heritage opens up the character to break the mould of a Starfleet Captain. Ake has a strong bond with Caleb which is explored in the series opening flashback. A sequence which features Academy’s third award-winner, Tatiana Maslany.
Voyager fans will flock to Academy for the live-action return of Robert Picardo as the Holographic Doctor. Though he recently appeared in animated form in Star Trek: Prodigy, the roughly 700-year time jump allows for intriguing character development. His scenes alongside Discovery’s Tig Notaro (Jet Reno) and franchise newcomer Gina Yashere as Lura Thok – Reno’s half-Klingon, half-Jem’Hadar partner – are genuine highlights. The pairing of two accomplished comedians brings hilarious energy whenever they share the screen.
Remaining cadets Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) all have small moments to shine. Darem and Genesis spend the first half of the season supporting the larger personalities in the group. But both have glimmers of future development through intriguing backstories. Meanwhile Kraag really takes centre stage in episode four, shouldering 700 years of Klingon history on his shoulders. His friendship with Darem will no doubt prove a talking point amongst the audience but should be commended for a showing a nuance and subtlety which modern Trek has often been accused of forgetting.
Verdict
Starfleet Academy successfully bridges Trek’s storied past with a bold vision for its future, even if the teenage drama elements won’t convince everyone. The stellar adult cast anchors the show while the cadets grow into their roles, with standout episode “Series Acclimation Mil” proving the series understands what makes Trek special. It’s an ambitious, hopeful addition to the franchise that earns its place at the table.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
