“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” the newest series in the nearly 60-year-old franchise, warped into San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday with an introduction of its full cast and the first trailer for the show, which will debut in early 2026.
The series takes place in the 32nd century after the events of “Star Trek: Discovery,” with Starfleet relaunching the titular educational institution outside of San Francisco after the Federation’s absence on Earth for more than 120 years.
“We look at the generation now that is inheriting all of this division and all these major issues,” executive producer Alex Kurtzman said on the Hall H stage. “We wanted to create a show that anchored us back to [Gene] Rodneyberry’s essential vision of hope. How do you find it, how do you rebuild it?”
Oscar-winner Holly Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the school’s chancellor and the captain of the USS Athena; she greets the new class of cadets in the teaser, as it cuts to the cast exploring various parts of the campus. The teaser ends with a shot of Paul Giamatti as the season’s main villain, Nus Braka, who is part-Klingon, part-Tellarite and is described in a Paramount release as “a man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.”
The main cadets on the show were revealed as:
• Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), “an orphan with a troubled past, and unlikely Starfleet cadet.”
• Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), “a Klingon cadet who dreams of becoming a medical officer.”
• Series Acclimation Mil (Kerrice Brooks), a.k.a. Sam, “the first of her kind to ever attend Starfleet Academy.”
• Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), “an aspiring captain from a wealthy home world.”
• Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard),” an admiral’s daughter determined to make her own name in Starfleet.”
Other new characters include Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner), “a Betazoid and daughter of the president of Betazed” and Commander Lura Thok (recurring guest star Gina Yashere), “a Klingon/Jem’Hadar hybrid who is the chancellor’s First Officer and Cadet Master.” Picardo is recurring his “Star Trek: Voyager” character the Doctor, and Tig Notaro and Oded Fehr are reprising their “Discovery” roles of Jett Reno and Admiral Vance, respectively.