Since its inception in 1966, "Star Trek" has been a beloved franchise, and the San Francisco campus that inspired this spin-off has long been a subject of fascination, despite intermittent discussions since the '90s. "Starfleet Academy" finally offers a chance to explore the prestigious institution that has produced iconic captains like James Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard. However, it's in a somewhat awkward position.
Set in the 32nd century, this show is part of the "Trek" renaissance initiated by "Star Trek: Discovery" and met with disapproval by long-time fans. Despite this, the story being told here is largely original and coherent. The two-part premiere does an adept job of laying out the framework, introducing us to the Academy's new Chancellor, Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter from "Succession"), and the protagonist, Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), a kid whose mother was sentenced to a long prison term 15 years ago, making Caleb a ward of the Federation. The twist? Ake was the officer who separated them, and her return to Starfleet after resigning is contingent on Caleb being a part of the new intake. He's looking for his mother (Tatiana Maslany from "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law"), and she's looking for redemption. What could possibly go wrong?
Caleb's mother was sentenced for conspiring with a rogue named Nus Braka, who Paul Giamatti ("The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness," "Gunpowder Milkshake," "Black Mirror") plays like a Shakespearean villain. He shows up again in the present day, suggesting he'll be a recurring antagonist in the Harry Mudd style. The chemistry between Giamatti and Hunter is almost impossible to resist, which is fortunate since "Starfleet Academy" leaves a little to be desired elsewhere.
One has to admit that there's an air of new-school modernity to this setup, and several of the supporting characters can occasionally feel forced. "Star Trek" — like all good science fiction — has always intended to hold up a mirror to contemporary culture and reflect very real socio-political issues. In that sense, it's very on-brand, but you can tell it's being done aesthetically rather than textually, with the writing often feeling lackluster and muddled. It's usually clear what we're supposed to think, who we're supposed to be sympathetic to, and who we're not, at a glance, which gets away from the core of "Trek" as a nuanced exploration of competing approaches and ideals.
It's also deeply focused on Caleb, especially in the early stages, reducing some of his contemporaries to mere props. Most students and officers are initially defined solely by their unique quirks or their connection to Caleb. We have his nemesis and roommate, Darem Raymi (George Hawkins), the pacifist healer Klingon pal Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diane, One of Us Is Lying), and the love interest Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard, Wolf Pack). There's a character whose entire personality seems to revolve around the fact that she's a hologram – Kerrice Brooks's SAM – and even Ake seems to exist solely to guide Caleb specifically. That seems like a shame, especially since she's genuinely quirky in several subtle ways, like how she curls up in the captain's chair aboard the USS Athena, a strikingly beautiful vessel that hosts several "teachable moments."
Teachers, on that subject, don't fare much better, but it's nonetheless a pleasure to see Robert Picardo return as the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, and Tig Notaro (Your Place or Mine, We Have a Ghost Review, The Morning Show) reprising her role from Star Trek: Discovery. A lot of Starfleet Academy is like that – it's fun almost in spite of itself, darting between broad Trek modes – interstellar action, terrestrial diplomacy, etc. – and merging them with U.S. high school campus clichés to create something that is legitimately new within the franchise, if not necessarily all that new-feeling in its totality.
Perhaps against my better judgment, I rather like it. I can acknowledge it's flawed and will divide opinion for reasons both justified and not. But for what it is, it works, and based on the pre-release fervor, that's more than anyone seems to have expected.
