Convention - SDCC 2025 : Star Trek Starfleet Academy launches its cadets into the galaxy’s future with hope, heart, and high stakes

By Mulder, San Diego, Convention Center, Hall H, 26 july 2025

The energy inside Hall H on July 26, 2025, was the kind only a Star Trek panel can generate — equal parts nostalgia, curiosity, and unabashed Trekkie enthusiasm. This year, the spotlight turned to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the twelfth series in the franchise, and its first public unveiling was nothing short of cinematic. With Robert Picardo moderating and joining the cast on stage, the panel brought together co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, series lead Holly Hunter, and the fresh-faced cadet ensemble: Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, and Bella Shepard. The moment was a coming-out party for a series long in gestation, now fully realized in the 32nd century setting of Star Trek: Discovery’s aftermath — a galaxy scarred by The Burn and ready for a new generation to rebuild it.

The trailer’s debut earned loud cheers and curious murmurs, revealing a San Francisco campus rebuilt after 120 years, and the striking USS Athena — not just a starship, but an integral part of the Academy itself. As Alex Kurtzman explained, the Athena is akin to a teaching hospital: cadets learn in classrooms one day and deploy into real missions the next, meeting new species, negotiating tense diplomacy, and making the kinds of mistakes only those still finding their place in Starfleet can afford. Holly Hunter’s Captain and Chancellor Nahla Ake, a half-Lanthanite leader, embodies this duality — commanding with precision yet guiding with empathy. Her own words in the trailer, welcoming “the best and the brightest from across the galaxy,” set the tone for a series as much about mentorship as exploration.

The cadets themselves promise a dynamic blend of personalities and backgrounds. Sandro Rosta’s Caleb Mir is a human orphan with a troubled past and a personal quest to find his mother, giving his Academy journey a deeply personal edge. Karim Diané plays Jay-Den Kraag, a Klingon cadet aiming to break stereotypes by becoming a medical officer, bolstered by advice from Star Trek icons Michael Dorn and Doug Jones. Kerrice Brooks’s Sam — or Series Acclimation Mil — is a photonic being, only weeks old at enrollment, whose presence teases fascinating exchanges with Robert Picardo’s returning Doctor. George Hawkins’s Darem Reymi brings privilege and pressure, determined to dominate through status and skill, while Bella Shepard’s Genesis Lythe, an admiral’s daughter, seeks to forge her own identity away from her family’s shadow. The trailer even teases Zoë Steiner’s Tarima Sadal, the daughter of Betazed’s president, adding political intrigue to the cadet roster.

For the teaching staff, Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau made it clear they aimed for characters as compelling as the cadets themselves. The “Hogwarts in space” analogy landed well with the audience, and the panel’s banter made it obvious these roles will be more than background dressing. Alongside Holly Hunter, returning fan favorites include Tig Notaro as Jett Reno, Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly, Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance, and Robert Picardo as the Doctor, with Gina Yashere as the formidable Commander Lura Thok — a Klingon/Jem’Hadar hybrid serving as First Officer and Cadet Master. And then there’s Paul Giamatti, the season’s villain Nus Braka, a half-Klingon, half-Tellarite with a shadowy connection to one of the cadets. Kurtzman revealed that Paul Giamatti had his pick of several roles but specifically chose this antagonist, a testament to the actor’s relish for complex parts.

Beyond the fanfare, the creative vision drew parallels to the challenges facing today’s young generation. Noga Landau framed the post-Burn galaxy as a mirror to our own fractured world, where rebuilding requires resilience, empathy, and a commitment to unity — the very ideals Gene Roddenberry envisioned for Starfleet. Alex Kurtzman emphasized that these cadets aren’t just training for service; they’re inheriting a galaxy in crisis, tasked with restoring the Federation’s purpose. This generational resonance, paired with the freedom of the 32nd-century timeline, offers fertile ground for stories that blend optimism with realism, exploring everything from first loves and rivalries to alien diplomacy and moral dilemmas.

The anecdotes from set reinforced the blend of scale and intimacy at the series’ core. Kerrice Brooks admitted to getting teary-eyed seeing the trailer for the first time. Sandro Rosta recalled being plucked from drama school only two weeks before filming began, a casting story that mirrors his character’s unexpected leap into Starfleet. And Holly Hunter spoke warmly about balancing the analytical instincts of a captain with the nurturing guidance of a chancellor, a dual role that lets her form distinct, personal connections with each cadet. These behind-the-scenes insights hinted at a cast already deeply invested in its characters, ready to bring sincerity and humor to a franchise known for both.

With its ten-episode first season premiering in early 2026 as part of Star Trek’s 60th anniversary celebrations, Starfleet Academy enters the canon with a unique premise — one that promises the thrill of exploration without losing sight of the human (and non-human) stories that make Star Trek endure. Whether it’s the grandeur of the Athena gliding into San Francisco Bay, the tension of cadet rivalries, or the mentorship from a staff of scene-stealing instructors, the series is poised to appeal to lifelong Trekkies and newcomers alike. As the Hall H crowd filtered out, the sense was clear: in the hands of Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau, and a cast blending veteran gravitas with fresh energy, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy could become a defining chapter in the franchise’s next frontier.

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Synopsis : 
At Starfleet Academy, nothing will be spared them. Under the watchful eye of their instructors, young cadets train to become leaders. But between fragile alliances, growing tensions, and a threat lurking in the shadows, their greatest test may not come in the classroom.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Created by Gaia Violo
Based on Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Showrunners : Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau
Starring  Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr
Composer : Jeff Russo
Executive producers : Alex Kurtzman,, Noga Landau, Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, John Weber
Production companies : Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment, CBS Studios
Network : Paramount+

Photos and video : Boris Colletier / Mulderville