******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

As an old Trekkie from waaay back (as old as the franchise itself), I’ve read about pitches for a Starfleet Academy movie as far back as the late 1980s, when the late Star Trek movie producer Harve Bennett had a movie about Kirk and Spock’s academy days together. That pitch was rejected, though later (ahem) ‘repurposed’ for JJ Abrams‘ “Star Trek” (2009), which was cowritten by current Star Trek executive producer, Alex Kurtzman (for better or worse). The rejection of his Academy proposal prompted Bennett to exit Star Trek.

Despite his long tenure, Kurtzman isn’t exactly the most inspired choice to run the Star Trek franchise. Kurtzman’s reign includes the deeply-troubled Star Trek: Discovery (DSC), as well as the similarly-troubled Star Trek: Picard, and the nearly unwatchable third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a series which started off strong, only to gasp for air in its creatively bankrupt third season. Kurtzman, together with co-showrunner Noga Landau, have now given us their take on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (STSA). Set in the 32nd century, the series focuses on the reopening of the institute, 120 years after ‘the Burn’ all but ended warp travel throughout the galaxy, dividing the United Federation of Planets. Now, the Federation is rebuilding itself, and Starfleet Academy is reopening for a new class of cadets.

In some ways, STSA is also a reworking of the underrated animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, which was coproduced by Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, before being unceremoniously cancelled (Prodigy’s second season streamed on Netflix). Prodigy featured a group of young refugees/fugitives who take command of an abandoned Federation starship. Along the way, they learn about the Federation and Starfleet, to function as a de facto crew. These unorthodox officers learned under the tutelage of a holographic mentor patterned after Captain Kathryn Janeway (voiced by Kate Mulgrew). Both shows even feature the return of Star Trek: Voyager’s EMH Doctor (Robert Picardo). Perhaps STSA is Kurtzman’s way of giving Prodigy’s concept another try (?). At any rate, the similarities are there.

For this overview, I’ve used the shortened synopses from Trekcore.com (in quotes), with my own captions, notes, and summaries. “Kids These Days,” was written by Gaia Viola, and “Beta Test,” was written by Noga Landau & Jane Maggs. Both episodes were directed by Alex Kurtzman.

Season 1, episode 1: “Kids These Days”

After being on the run since age 6, 21-year-old Caleb, a brilliant street kid, is offered the chance of a lifetime: to join the first new Starfleet Academy class in San Francisco in over a century. There’s just one problem – the person offering him the spot is newly-minted Chancellor Nahla Ake, the Starfleet captain who sentenced his mother to Federation prison 15 years ago…

Note: Jacob’s separation from his mother to attend space school had a vibe of Anakin Skywalker to it. Also a bit surprised to see Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black,” “She-Hulk”) in a relatively small role as Caleb’s mother Anisha, which automatically suggests her reappearance at some point, giving this seemingly episodic new series at least one ongoing arc. Personally, I prefer my Star Trek episodic, but sure, recurring threads can work, too (see: Deep Space Nine).

Note: Some timely social commentary about the cruelty of child-parent separation under the US Dept. of Homeland Security’s ICE is woven into the story, with Holly Hunter’s Ake feeling personal responsibility for adhering to the letter of the law instead of making an exception. At least Ake had the good conscience to resign in protest, unlike too many in the US government.

Note: The scene of Ake living on Bajor and being recruited to rejoin Starfleet is very similar to recruitment scenes in the pilot episodes of Voyager and Enterprise, where characters are scouted outdoors to join (or rejoin) Starfleet; a nod to Rick Berman-era Trek. Also can’t blame Caleb for being reluctant to say yes to the same woman who put his mother behind bars just for associating with pirates to score food for her son.

Note: Photonic cadet SAM (Kerrice Brooks) was created to appear as a 17-year old, but one assumes that she, like the EMH Doctor, will be capable of growing and evolving beyond her base programming. Actress Kerrice Brooks uses social awkwardness and inability to read social cues in her characterization, which might be interpreted as neurodivergent representation (as were Spock and Data in hindsight), or simply the character’s age and lack of experience. Cadet Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), whose species is identified as Dar-Sha (whatever that is) didn’t have much to do in the first two episodes, but I assume she’ll get a focus story down the road.

Note: Hard to believe that Sandro Rosta, the actor playing adult Caleb, is so green (his IMDb credits are practically nonexistent) because he owns the screen whenever he’s present. Playing the bullying campus douchebag Darem is George Hawkins, a shapeshifting Khionian (“bitch!”) who wears a human guise around his predominantly humanoid peers–this choice of his begs for future exploration. With several ‘aliens’ in the show (including Ake) appearing human, this series is saving money on exotic makeups wherever it can.

Note: Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) is majoring in the sciences, and loves to birdwatch, which implies the 32nd century Klingon Empire is a bit more relaxed in its longstanding warrior ethos, though we see him still willing to fight when needed. Jay-Den also has the contact lenses and brow-ridge piercings of the “Blingons” seen in “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013).

Note: Returning for his third Star Trek series (after Voyager & Prodigy), actor Robert Picardo appears as the original Emergency Medical Hologram Mark 1, aka the Doctor. The actor’s appearance is explained away as an ‘aging program’ the Doctor uses to relax his mortal comrades. The Doctor also inspires some unabashed fangirling from fellow photonic SAM, though he’s dismissive of her adulation. We’ll see where this goes.

Note: Ake’s no-nonsense Number One is the half-Jem’Hadar/half-Klingon Lura Thok, played by British comic Gina Yashere, who can bark orders with the best of ’em. As seen on Deep Space Nine, the Jem’Hadar were genetically engineered, all-male combat fodder for the Dominion. I assume Starfleet has relaxed its rules about accepting genetically engineered applicants into its ranks (?). Thok is also half-Klingon, just like the series’ recurring villain, Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti).

Note: I take issue with the USS Athena being a detachable hub of Starfleet Academy and blasting off into space at will, since sending raw cadets into space is insanely dangerous (see: “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”). It’s like putting one’s eggs in a basket and then tossing that basket into shark-infested waters, given the post-Burn galaxy’s instability. Even in The Next Generation (TNG), we see Picard questioning Starfleet’s policy of having families aboard Federation starships, saying that “the Earth isn’t likely to be ordered into the Neutral Zone.” Here’s hoping the Athena stays grounded as often as possible, and I hope we never hear that “we’re the only ship in the quadrant” nonsense. Granted, this episode sees the Athena encountering the Venari Ral while en route to Earth, but I still don’t like it.

Note: I’m a fan of Oscar-nominee Paul Giamatti, but he’s utterly wasted here as another two-dimensional, Kurtzman-era Star Trek villain who’s part-Harry Mudd, part Khan Noonian Singh, with a few crumbs of Quark thrown in. As Nus Braka, he chews the scenery so hard, I was afraid he might chip a tooth. Such a waste…

Note: Naturally, the cadets save the day. Wesley Crusher would be proud, I’m sure. This is a plot device seen too often in Star Trek, and it would’ve been nice to see a little more input from the senior staff, especially those nondescript bridge officers. Glad to see douchebag Darem show his ‘true colors’ before his EVA scene; it gave him depth, and makes us wonder why he’s so embarrassed of his native form (even if looks like the kid brother of The X-Men’s “Mystique”).

Note: I’m still very impressed with 26-year old actor Sandro Rosta, who only has one other screen credit to his name, yet ably holds his own against the deceptively diminutive Oscar-winner Holly Hunter (“The Piano”), who is still a full head of steam, even at age 67.

Season 1, episode 2:“Beta Test.”

With the start of the new academic year, Caleb’s unease about his future at Starfleet Academy persists. But when a delegation from a former Federation ally arrives and Caleb is tasked with showing their leader’s daughter around campus, he must put his uncertainty aside to discover what life at the Academy is really about.

Note: Another victory for diversity and representation in these increasingly reactionary times, as hearing-impaired actor Anthony Natale is cast as Betazed president Sadal, who converses in American Sign Language, which is converted into a voice by his universal translator (voiced by Piotr Michael). We see Sadal’s entourage and children use ASL as well. That said, I disagree with Paramount’s publicity that this is the “first time” we see a hearing impaired actor in Star Trek. Hearing-impaired actor Howie Seago played diplomat Rival in TNG’s “Loud as a Whisper.”

Note: Some of the usual incompatible roomie hijinks ensue between Caleb and Darem. I suppose this is to be expected in a show about competitive young cadets, but all the clichés are certainly present and accounted for. After Darem leaves, Caleb once again presses Chancellor Ake about finding his mother, which is beginning to look like The Fugitive seeking the one-armed mom–er, man.

Note: Nice to see TNG’s “exo-comps” finally getting a seat at the table, after proving their sentience in the TNG episode, “The Quality of Life,” though judging by how thoughtlessly the bipedal biologics (and one talkative photonic) encroach on the machine-being’s personal space, they may not be quite so equal just yet…

Note: Also good to see actor/comedian Tig Notaro‘s return as Discovery’s engineer, Jett Reno, the reigning champion of snark herself, who is now an Academy instructor. After some long overdue queer representation finally appeared on Star Trek in 2017, that representation has felt increasingly endangered over the past year. Hoping Notaro won’t be another casualty of CBS/Paramount’s new ‘anti-woke’ overlord, David Ellison.

Note: This “Romeo and Juliet,” “Lady and the Tramp”-style meet-cute romance between street-smart Caleb and Betazed First Daughter Tamira is predictable as a sunrise in the east. At least actors Rosta and Zoë Steiner fully commit to the material.

Note: Kudos to Robert Picardo, who gets to (once again) flex his opera muscles with real-life opera singer Jamie Groote (in a ‘snail head’ makeup last seen in 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond”) as the two of them perform a delightful rendition of the “Pa Pa Pa Pa…” duet number from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”). This was a true highlight of the episode for me. In fact, my wife and I just saw famed opera singer Renée Fleming in concert a few months ago.

Note: Looks like the descendants of George & Gracie turned out okay in the 32nd century, despite a limited gene pool from which to start (one pregnant whale wouldn’t do the trick). I’m glad writers Noga Landau & Jane Maggs resisted the impulse to stick a universal translator (or subtitles) over the humpback whale song. Leave it a mystery, just as Harve Bennett and Leonard Nimoy did for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” which turns 40 years old this November.

Note: Countless names of historic Starfleet captains and officers from all Star Treks are engraved on the Academy’s walls, dedication plaques and even the names of pavilions, such as the Nyota Uhura and James T. Kirk pavilions.

Note: There is something emotionally satisfying about making one’s bed in a place–it makes it feel like you’re truly at home. This was a lesson I learned when I got my first solo apartment (sans roommates). It made the apartment feel like my personal space, instead of a place to crash. Decades later, I still make the bed for my wife and I out of habit.

Summing It Up

I have to admit, I was a bit amazed to hear that Oscar-winner Holly Hunter, whom I loved in 1987’s “Broadcast News,” was leading a Star Trek series–and she anchors this series well. Hunter’s Chancellor Ake gives the guidance of past Starfleet captains, but with a funkier, earthier vibe that reminds me of what Strange New Worlds attempted with Carol Kane’s ‘Pelia,’ but missed by a few light-years (I won’t lie–I can’t stand Pelia). Both Ake and Pelia are Lanthanites; long-lived humanoid aliens who don’t require the actors playing them to spend hours in makeup chairs (not even pointy ears). Ake’s 422-years means she remembers the pre-Burn Federation in its heyday, unlike her young students, who grew up in a decaying galaxy torn apart by the Burn’s imposed isolationism and distrust. This better reflects the distrust of the status quo as seen in understandably bitter Millennials and Gen Zs today.

Beyond the show’s potential for current social commentary, I still think it’s incredibly unwise to make the Academy itself a detachable starship. What happens if the Athena’s warp core breaches while she’s on Earth (goodbye, San Francisco…), or if an enemy vessel destroys the ship in flight? All those cadets and the chancellor herself would be lost at once—which almost happens in the first episode. Another issue I have is with the recurring Klingarite pirate named Nus Braka, played by Paul Giamatti, an Oscar-nominated character actor I enjoyed in 1997’s “Private Parts” (1997) and 2004’s “Sideways.” Here, Giamatti chews scenery like a hunger striker at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Before 2017, most Star Trek ‘villains’ were typically misunderstood aliens (the Gorn, the Horta, etc), or wronged characters with legitimate grievances. However, in the Kurtzman-era, Trek’s villains are either obsessive Ahabs, or evil for story’s sake. Sad to say, Nus Braka is yet another in a long line of two-dimensional modern Trek villains. Here’s hoping his escape pod found its way into a black hole.

STSA was released under the conservative watch of CBS/Paramount’s new owner, David Ellison, a billionaire Trump supporter and owner of Skydance Media, who dislikes anything too “woke” (i.e, everything Star Trek has championed since 1966). To be honest, I was worried this new show might be scrubbed of Star Trek’s core ideals; its diversity, its social progressivism, and its ongoing notion of cooperating with the cosmos, not conquering it. The jury is still out on this series’ future, but judging by STSA’s cast? I’d say at least the diversity element is intact, thank goodness. The young actors do a fine job, even if some of their characters still need much development at this early stage. However, I’m not loving the too-contemporary language (this is supposed to be 1,100 years from now), or the cute-meet clichés, but I’m willing to see how it plays out before giving the show a pass or fail.

While “Kids These Days” and “Beta Test” aren’t exactly cutting-edge sci-fi TV, they offer cinematic production value, a game young cast, a few legacy characters, and a strong series anchor with Holly Hunter. The least I can say is that Starfleet Academy isn’t the disaster I feared it would be, and at best, it has the potential to go where the criminally underrated Star Trek: Prodigy was never allowed. While there are certainly superior sci-fi shows out there right now (Apple TV’s “Pluribus,” for starters), Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is handsomely produced and colorful, if not extraordinarily clever or insightful… at least not yet.

Here’s hoping that, unlike the would-be Starfleet officers of Star Trek: Prodigy, these fresh-faced cadets of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy make it to graduation.

Where to Watch

“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” is streaming exclusively on Paramount+.