The first teaser for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has officially dropped, giving fans their first real look at Paramount+’s next big sci-fi chapter, and it comes with the unmistakable presence of Paul Giamatti in full alien form.
Debuting during the Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the teaser introduces Holly Hunter’s Chancellor Nahla Ake, welcoming cadets to Starfleet Academy in San Francisco after a 120-year shutdown.
Her speech is hopeful, built around the idea of starting over. But the trailer cuts sharply to something far darker: a glimpse of Giamatti’s Nus Braka, whistling the Star Trek theme while walking through a corridor that looks anything but peaceful. He’s playing a hybrid alien with a violent past and a personal link to one of the cadets.
The teaser for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy also features returning faces like Jett Reno and The Doctor, as well as new cadets from diverse species, all set in the 32nd century. With Giamatti now confirmed as the villain, the stakes are clearer. This isn’t just another training school story. It’s a fight between ideals and something much more challenging to define. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will premiere with a 10-episode first season on Paramount+ in early 2026.
Paul Giamatti’s Nus Braka revealed as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s central threat
The teaser doesn’t just tease Paul Giamatti’s arrival; it locks him in as Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s central threat. He plays Nus Braka, a Klingon-Tellarite hybrid with a violent past and an unclear motive, but the teaser confirms one thing: this character is dangerous.
According to co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman, Giamatti was offered five roles but instantly chose the villain. He also loved the makeup process and fully embraced the alien design, which was revealed in stills published by Entertainment Weekly. Kurtzman also hinted that Nus Braka might have a connection to one of the cadets, though no names have been confirmed yet.
The Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's teaser’s brighter half introduces the Academy’s core cast. Holly Hunter plays Chancellor Nahla Ake, a half-Lanthanite officer and captain of the USS Athena. She delivers a speech to the new cadets, marking their return to the San Francisco campus after a 120-year closure. We see brief flashes of Sandro Rosta’s Caleb Mir, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, and Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal.
Each represents a different species or background, and according to Kurtzman, the diversity of the cadets was a deliberate move to reflect what the Federation has always stood for: unity through difference. Brooks plays a sentient hologram, while Diané’s character is Klingon and a medical student. Genesis Lythe is the daughter of a high-ranking admiral, and Darem Reymi is a Khionian, a newly introduced alien species featured in the show.
The supporting cast includes familiar faces. Robert Picardo returns as The Doctor, now with 900 years of memories and still teaching cadets. His last appearance was in Star Trek: Prodigy, which set up this version of him as an educator. Tig Notaro returns as engineer Jett Reno, and Oded Fehr reprises Admiral Charles Vance.
Mary Wiseman’s Sylvia Tilly also makes an appearance, continuing her transition from Discovery’s bridge to the classroom. Tatiana Maslany will recur in a still-unnamed role, while Becky Lynch joins as part of a bridge crew.

The show takes place in the 32nd century, the same setting as the final seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, after a galactic disaster known as The Burn. The Federation is attempting to rebuild, and this new Academy class is intended to mark a new beginning. What’s unique is the way the Academy functions.
The USS Athena is docked on campus, serving as both a training facility and a deployable ship. Cadets split their time between lectures in San Francisco and field assignments in space. According to Kurtzman, the ship’s multi-level interior is part of the most extensive set ever built for a Star Trek series.
Season one will have 10 episodes and has already been renewed for a second season. Filming wrapped in February 2025. Paramount+ is expected to release the series in early 2026.
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