Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a bold, brilliant and barefoot new era for the Federation

Written by Denise Breen

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has finally landed, and if the first two episodes (“Kids These Days” and “Beta Test”) are any indication, the franchise has found its most vibrant and interesting voice in years. This isn’t just 90210 in space; it is a high-stakes, emotional, and surprisingly funny look at the 32nd Century that manages to honour the legacy of the Federation while charting a completely new course.

The headline here is, of course, the casting. Paul Giamatti is every bit the scene-stealer we hoped he would be. As the villainous Nus Braka—a half-Klingon, half-Tellarite menace—he chews the scenery with a delightful mix of Shakespearean gravitas and menacing glee. He brings a texture to the antagonist role that feels dangerous yet oddly charismatic.

And then there is the Captain, the incomparable Holly Hunter, who takes the chair as Captain Nahla Ake, and she is a revelation. She gives us a Captain unlike any we have seen before: earthy, eccentric, and utterly commanding. Hunter plays Ake not as a stiff military figure, but as a "space hippy" intellectual with a steel spine. The choice to make Captain Ake a Lanthanite (or at least half-Lanthanite) is a masterstroke of world-building. We learned about this long-lived species in Strange New Worlds, but Ake brings a fresh perspective to it. Being over 400 years old gives her a weariness and wisdom that Hunter conveys beautifully—often while walking around the bridge and the Academy barefoot.

She is irreverent in the best way possible. She dismisses protocol when it gets in the way of teaching, she lounges on her command chair, and she speaks to the cadets not as soldiers, but as brilliant, fragile young minds. Her connection to the past—having lived through "The Burn"—adds a layer of tragedy to her "cool teacher" persona that grounds the show emotionally.

The new format strikes a difficult balance perfectly. The show feels younger and faster-paced, but it doesn't sacrifice intelligence. The writers have successfully integrated the high-school/college drama tropes (romance, rivalry, identity crises) with genuine sci-fi stakes.

The new cadets are instantly lovable. Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir serves as our eyes and ears, and his chemistry with Hunter is electric; their dynamic feels less like subordinate/commander and more like a mentorship between two broken people healing each other. The ensemble is rounded out by standouts like Jay-Den, the Klingon cadet who defies stereotypes, and Sam, a hologram character who brings a unique flavor of humour and pathos. Plus it's wonderful to see Tig Notaro returning together with a more mature Doctor, reprised by Robert Picardo.

With a stunning visual palette, a script that crackles with wit, and performances from Hunter and Giamatti that elevate the material to prestige TV levels, Starfleet Academy is a triumph. It’s optimistic, it’s fresh, and it’s exactly the lesson in hope we needed.

I'm giving it an A+

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streams new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+