'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Review
- Joe Kucharski
- Jan 8
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 31
Season One. [Episodes 1 - 4]
Aired On: Paramount+.
Release Date: 01/15/26.
Genre: Action. Adventure. SciFi.
The Verdict: A Maybe
Now entering its celebrated 60th year, Star Trek is boldly going… back to school. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy aims to reboot the franchise with a new ship, a new captain, and a mostly new cast of faces still figuring out which end of a phaser goes pew-pew. The premise works. Holly Hunter (yes, that Holly Hunter) plays Captain Nahla Ake, a half-Lanthanite who wanders barefoot through Starfleet corridors while delivering bubbly dialogue with veteran ease. The performance adds personality, but Starfleet Academy also hitches the USS Athena firmly to Discovery’s wagon, bringing along that slightly irreverent Nu-Trek tone for better or worse. As sci-fi entertainment goes, Starfleet Academy is… adequately fun.
Co-created by franchise architect Alex Kurtzman and creator Gaia Violo, Starfleet Academy pushes further into the Trek timeline than any previous series. Following the aftermath of an event called “The Burn” from Discovery (raise your hand if you bothered to pay attention to Discovery. Better yet, don’t), Starfleet is once again rebuilding, refocusing, and reopening its Academy to shape the next generation. The result lands somewhere between a 1990s WB teen drama and a convention-floor cosplay mashup, complete with Babylon 5-adjacent uniforms. The true nostalgia hook arrives with Robert Picardo’s return as everyone’s favorite holographic doctor, whose presence instantly steadies the show’s tonal wobble and reminds viewers what playful Trek charm looks like.
The series leans hard into growing pains as its cadets wrestle with whether they want to become Starfleet officers or remain cranky post-teens. The ensemble includes the headstrong Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) and his biceps, brainy Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), Klingon cadet Kraag (Karim Diane), holographic SAM (Kerrice Brooks), and Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), who feels like he wandered in from a Ted Lasso background shot. The group checks most of the expected boxes and still needs time to solidify into a truly memorable crew, though the first four episodes at least lay down a workable foundation. Oversight comes courtesy of Cadet Master Lura Thok (Gina Yashere), a Klingon/Jem’Hadar hybrid who also serves as First Officer, laser tag coach, PE instructor, and, for all Trelane knows, the librarian. Jem’Hadar in Starfleet raises more than a few eyebrows, and Thok’s character could use development beyond “intimidating authority figure with a whistle.” One good transporter mishap might do wonders.
Beyond Hunter’s Captain Ake and a returning Tig Notaro’s reliably sharp Jett Reno, the premiere’s standout arrives in the form of Academy Award winner Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka, a half-Klingon, half-Tellarite villain with designs on dilithium and Caleb himself. Giamatti chews the scenery with obvious delight, clearly positioning Braka as Starfleet Academy’s answer to Harry Mudd. Any future appearance from him would be more than welcome, provided no one offers him Melot.
The larger question remains whether Starfleet Academy can hold up as good, or even passable, Star Trek. The show builds squarely on Discovery’s mythology, which has successfully alienated most OG and Gen X Trekkies for its blatant canon ignorance (a trend SNW has unfortunately fallen prey to). Yet, Nu Trek does have its fan base. For those viewers, Academy offers a full Halloween sack of slick sci-fi candy: impressive effects, imaginative future tech, and a genuinely beautiful new ship in the USS Athena. Open-minded Trekkies could easily enjoy the series on face value alone.
And yet, familiar issues persist. This still doesn’t quite feel like Star Trek. The uniforms clash with tradition, the redesigned combadges are baffling, and the Gen Z humor feels far removed from Roddenberry’s philosophical compass. The Academy honor wall notably omits two legendary captains associated with a certain NCC-1701, a choice that feels less accidental than provocative. One does receive a named pavilion, but to quote Khan, don’t insult my intelligence.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy ultimately sets the stage for family-friendly, Trek-adjacent sci-fi with energy to spare. For longtime fans, the show still has much to prove before it can truly live long and prosper.
Where to Watch:
