Star Trek: Starfleet Academy to stay true to Roddenberry’s ideals, says co-showrunner 

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the latest addition to the Star Trek universe, premiering on Paramount+ in early 2026. This 32nd‑century drama explores life inside the training halls of Starfleet Academy, reopened after the devastating event known as The Burn, nearly 120 years ago.

At San Diego Comic‑Con, co‑showrunner Noga Landau offered new insights into how the series carries forward the optimistic spirit of its founder, Gene Roddenberry. The show features Academy Award winner Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake, who also serves as the Chancellor of the Academy.

Paul Giamatti plays Nus Braka, the main villain of the season. He is a half-alien, half-human character connected to one of the cadets. The show features a mix of returning and new alien characters — like Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag and a new alien called Sam, who’s a Kasqian.

Producer Landau said the team behind Star Trek: Starfleet Academy wanted to stay true to the franchise's original values of diversity and inclusion. The new group of cadets represents Starfleet’s mission of unity, exploration, and hope.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces a diverse cadet class that reflects Roddenberry’s vision

In discussing the creative vision behind the cadet ensemble, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy co-showrunner, Noga Landau, made it clear that honoring Roddenberry’s ethos was important. She said in an interview with ScreenRant:

"...You'll get to see what our Starfleet Academy looks like now after being rebuilt after the events of The Burn, but it's really cool."

Landau continued:

"As far as the cadets themselves, it was really important to us to honor the vision of Gene Roddenberry, which was always diversity of background, of opinion, of look, of ambition, and we made sure that we have lots of alien cadets."

The show’s main idea was to create a diverse mix of characters, both human and alien, each with their own background and personal struggles. For instance, Genesis Lythe (played by Bella Shepard) is the daughter of a high-ranking admiral and feels pressure to live up to expectations.

Sam (played by Kerrice Brooks) is the first-ever cadet from a new alien species called the Kasqians, so she is figuring things out on her own. Starfleet Academy aims to mix well-known characters with new alien species and stories on purpose.

This would help bring new life to Star Trek’s core idea: Roddenberry’s IDIC philosophy, which means "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations." Gene Roddenberry once said:

"Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms."

And now, Noga Landau and her team aim to use Star Trek’s message of diversity and inclusion to shape the new group of cadets in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

Also Read: Why did Star Trek: The Next Generation end after Season 7? Details explored

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy rebuilds the Federation’s ideals after The Burn

The story in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place more than 100 years after a huge disaster called The Burn, which nearly destroyed everything. Now, the Federation is finally starting to recover, and reopening Starfleet Academy is a big sign of the fact.

The new cadets are led by Captain Nahla Ake, but it’s not just about space training. They are also learning how to be part of a bigger mission. Each cadet has their own personal issues and beliefs, which lead to conflicts but also strong teamwork, just like what Starfleet is all about.

Paul Giamatti plays the villain, Nus Braka, but he is not just there to cause trouble. He will also reflect the deeper problems still affecting the world as it tries to rebuild. The Academy becomes more than just a school — a place where old wounds start to heal, and the new generation learns to deal with both the past and the future.

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Also Read: I totally loved Star Trek: Enterprise, but Archer’s crew needed a fix (& Season 5 would have done that)

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