Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

*Star Trek: Starfleet Academy* is set in the 32nd century, the far-future era introduced in *Star Trek: Discovery*. Its story follows a new class of cadets as Starfleet Academy reopens after more than a century. That premise places the series in a Federation still rebuilding its institutions following the catastrophic event known as the Burn. Rather than assigning its young characters to an established starship crew, the show centers their training, friendships and rivalries at the Academy.

Holly Hunter stars as Nahla Ake, the Academy’s chancellor and the captain responsible for its cadets. Sandro Rosta plays Caleb Mir, whose arrival at the school is tied to a difficult family history. Other cadets include Jay-Den Kraag, played by Karim Diané; Sam, played by Kerrice Brooks; Darem Reymi, played by George Hawkins; Genesis Lythe, played by Bella Shepard; and Tarima Sadal, played by Zoë Steiner. Together, they give the series its central group of students rather than a conventional *Star Trek* bridge crew.

The cast also connects the new setting to earlier series. Tig Notaro reprises her *Discovery* role as engineer Jett Reno. Oded Fehr returns as Admiral Charles Vance, another figure from *Discovery*’s 32nd-century Federation. Robert Picardo plays the Doctor, the holographic medical officer first introduced on *Star Trek: Voyager*. His presence links the Academy’s distant future to a character whose unusual lifespan does not depend on ordinary human aging. Paul Giamatti appears as Nus Braka, an antagonist connected to Caleb’s past.

Paramount+ announced *Star Trek: Starfleet Academy* in March 2023. Gaia Violo wrote the series’ first episode, while Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners. The project takes a long-standing part of *Star Trek*’s fictional world—the institution that trains Starfleet officers—and makes it the primary setting. Starfleet Academy had appeared or been discussed throughout the franchise before this series, including in stories about the education of characters who later served aboard starships.

That choice gives the show a distinct point in the Federation timeline and a distinct cast perspective. Its cadets are entering Starfleet after a period in which the organization and the wider Federation faced severe disruption. Their instructors and senior officers include people with direct connections to events depicted in *Discovery*, while the Doctor brings a connection to *Voyager*. The series therefore combines new recruits with returning characters without shifting its central focus away from the Academy itself.