A Solid First Season Hits A Few Bumps Along The Way — “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” Season 1 Review

In its first season, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” delivers a solid set of episodes that bode well for the franchise’s future, despite dragging a bit in the middle of the season.

“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” centers on a new group of Starfleet cadets, the first to attend the Academy since its reopening after a devastating galactic tragedy known as the Burn. Set just after the events of “Star Trek: Discovery’s” final season, “Starfleet Academy” has been marketed as a different kind of Star Trek show, and it lives up to that. It’s the first Trek show to focus on “Starfleet Academy” itself, for one thing.

The idea of the Academy has been around since the 1960s on “Star Trek: The Original Series,” and various Trek shows have visited the Academy or checked in with certain cadets. But the “Starfleet Academy” gives a compelling new group of cadets the spotlight for once, depicting their struggles and successes as they navigate young adulthood. Despite its differences, “Starfleet Academy” undeniably still feels like Star Trek in all the best ways.

“Starfleet Academy” Introduces Some Fascinating New Faces (and Brings Back Some Familiar Ones)

One of “Starfleet Academy’s” greatest strengths is its characters. The show features an ensemble cast, and most of the cadets get their chance to shine. Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) makes for a fascinating central character, and his storyline provides a solid through-line for the season. His search for his mother gets lost a bit in the middle of the season, but his story comes together at the end for a satisfying finale.

Holly Hunter is great as the half-Lanthanite Captain Nahla Ake and Chancellor of the new Starfleet Academy. She may be small, but she fills up the screen, commanding attention whenever she enters a room. Paul Giamatti is also great as the show’s villain, Nus Braka, but he’s woefully underutilized. The same can be said of Tatiana Maslany as Caleb’s mother, Anisha Mir. As someone who watched “Orphan Black,” I definitely hope Maslany gets more to do in the show’s second season.

Robert Picardo returns as the holographic Doctor (most well-known from “Star Trek: Voyager”), and he’s a great fit for “Starfleet Academy,” especially when he interacts with the young holographic cadet, Sam (Kerrice Brooks). Tig Notaro’s Commander Jett Reno was a fan-favorite on “Star Trek: Discovery,” and she makes a perfect teacher for the Academy cadets. Mary Wiseman, unfortunately, only pops in for one episode as Sylvia Tilly, but she’s as endearing as ever.

“Starfleet Academy” Could’ve Used Less Melodrama and More Classic Trek Dilemmas

As a show marketed toward young adults, it makes sense that “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” would have its fair share of teen melodrama. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it did sometimes slow the series down. Caleb’s relationship drama with Zoë Steiner’s Tarima Sadal didn’t always work, and took up a bit too much screen time for my liking.

Still, the cadets of “Starfleet Academy” felt like a core group by the end of the series, while still maintaining their own personalities and sense of self. While some of them could use more development, it’s a solid group going into a second season.

“Starfleet Academy” could have used some more classic Trek morality dilemmas, but the show featured some poignant shout-outs to past Star Trek. Most notably, episode 5, “Series Acclimation Mil,” serves as an homage to Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and his time on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” With an appearance from Sisko’s son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), the episode is a standout, particularly for fans of “DS9.”

Why Both Trek Fans and Non-Fans Should Give “Starfleet Academy” A Chance

Sometimes, the pacing for “Starfleet Academy’s” first season felt a bit odd, and it wasn’t always clear how much time was passing in between episodes. This left the season feeling somewhat disjointed, but overall, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” season 1 serves as a solid addition to the Trek franchise.

Despite its connections to previous Star Trek series and films, “Starfleet Academy” also works as a decent entry point for new fans, providing a solid storyline on its own. With its compelling cast of characters and classic Star Trek shout-outs, “Starfleet Academy’s” first season nicely sets up a show that could run for many seasons, and I, for one, hope that it does.