Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premiere Review — A Sharp, Bold Start for a New Era
Star Trek has tried plenty of entry points over the decades, but Star Trek: Starfleet Academy nails the hardest one for feeling instantly watchable for newcomers while still carrying that unmistakable franchise heartbeat. Here’s why it already feels like a confident return to classic Star Trek fundamentals.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | Photo Credit: Paramount +
A core crew that clicks fast
The show’s biggest early win is how quickly the cadet ensemble feels like a real unit in progress: mismatched, competitive, occasionally messy, and already worth following. Sandro Rosta’s Caleb Mir is the emotional anchor from the jump, a brilliant kid on the run with enough guardedness to power a warp core, and the premiere frames him as someone learning how to exist in a world that’s asking for trust instead of survival instinct.
George Hawkins brings a welcome jolt as Darem Reymi, who reads as privileged on paper but plays far more layered onscreen, the kind of “rival roommate” presence who can pivot from confrontational to unexpectedly human in a single beat.
What really helps is balance. The show keeps its archetypes loose early on, letting each cadet surprise you instead of pinning anyone to one function. Even in the big, splashy moments, the series keeps cutting back to group dynamics (ex. who’s posturing, who’s listening, who’s quietly clocking details). You can feel how qualified the cast is, largely because the show trusts them enough to let the personalities do the work.
Star Trek ideals, with real friction behind them
Episode 2 makes the show’s intent clear fast. “Beta Test” leans into politics and culture the way Star Trek should, putting differing ideals in the same room and giving each side space to make its case.
That through-line also makes the whole premise feel universal. This is a galaxy trying to rebuild what it used to be, and the cadets are training inside the argument about what the Federation should represent now. That’s classic Trek: big ideas, personal stakes, and a worldview being tested in real time.
The premiere also does a strong job as a jumping-on point. It’s set in the far-future continuity introduced in Discovery, but the storytelling doesn’t demand homework. It gives you what you need, then keeps moving.
Holly Hunter’s authority, Gina Yashere’s bite, and the benefit of veterans
Holly Hunter is also a huge part of why the tone works. As Nahla Ake, she brings a lived-in authority that’s not stiff or ceremonial, more grounded and idiosyncratic, like someone who’s carried decades of consequences and decided she’s done performing for anyone.
Gina Yashere is the other standout from the seasoned side of the roster, adding sharpness and comedic timing that never undercuts the stakes. She helps keep the show funny without making it weightless, which matters because the series is bolder than a lot of modern Trek in its “college life collides with mission life” energy.
Established faces function as connective tissue, but the cadets are given enough room to own the spotlight, which gives the new era texture without taking oxygen from either side of the crew.
A setting that feels true to Trek, without feeling recycled
Visually, Starfleet Academy feels like it belongs to the franchise while still offering a fresh playground. The USS Athena / campus concept is a clever two-for-one idea that gives the show both “school” and “ship” energy without forcing constant location resets, and the series uses that flexibility well in the first two episodes.
The sets have scale and personality. There’s greenery, airy space, and a brighter sense of futurism that plays well against how emotionally bruised the era is. The show carves its own production language, avoiding the trap of re-skinning familiar corridors and calling it new. Even when the premiere goes bigger with its threat elements, it keeps the focus on what this place is supposed to represent: a restart.
Score: 9/10
As a two-episode launch, this is a really strong start. It’s smart, funny, occasionally chaotic in a way that suits a younger crew, and heartfelt where it counts. With a core group that also feels ready to grow into something larger, Starfleet Academy looks like a genuinely impressive addition to Paramount+’s already stacked franchise roster.
