Star Trek: Starfleet Academyco-showrunner Noga Landau gushes about Oscar winner Holly Hunter and the unconventional Starfleet captain she’ll be portraying in the upcoming Paramount+ series atSan Diego Comic-Con. As a spin-off ofStar Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academytakes place in the far future of the 32nd century and follows a diverse group of new Starfleet cadets.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academydropped its first teaser trailerat San Diego Comic-Con, revealing the first real footage from the highly anticipated series.Holly Hunter will portray Captain Nahla Ake, a long-lived half-Lanthanitewho serves as the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy and Captain of the USS Athena.
At San Diego Comic-Con,ScreenRant’sJoe Deckelmeier sat down with Noga Landau, as well as some of the show’s stars, including Robert Picardo, George Hawkins, and Kerrice Brooks. When asked about the experience of working with Holly Hunter,Landau revealed that the creative team always had her in mind for the role.Read Landau and Robert Picardo’s quotes below:
ScreenRant: I want to talk about Holly Hunter for a second, because she’s amazing. She’s incredible. Tell me about her character, and then for you guys, tell me about what it’s like working with her.
Noga Landau: Holly Hunter, oh my God. So, when this role was written for The Captain and the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, the one person we had in our heads, the one voice we had in our heads, was Holly Hunter. But we were like, “Oh, we’ll never get Holly Hunter to play a captain on Star Trek.” And then, she said yes, I still can’t believe she said yes, but she did. She came to do it, and the first time I saw her sitting in the captain’s chair, I was like, “This is a whole new age that we’re about to witness with this particular captain.” I will let her tell you about it, but she’s a captain unlike any you’ve seen before.
Robert Picardo: I echo what Noga said. She’s unlike any other Starfleet captain you have ever seen before, and has a unique way, I think, of relating to the younger characters, and me, as well. She has a terrific way of communicating with the younger characters that is unique.
What This Means For Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy Has Already Been Renewed For A Second Season
TheStar Trek: Starfleet Academyteaser trailerreleased at San Diego Comic-Con features a voiceover from Holly Hunter’s Captain Nahla Ake, as she addresses a group of new Starfleet cadets. Even in the brief teaser,Hunter’s character radiates a certain warmth,confirming Picardo’s words that she"has a terrific way of communicating with the younger characters."
InStarfleet Academy,Robert Picardo will reprise his role of the holographic Doctor, who appeared in all seven seasons ofStar Trek: Voyager.
With Hunter’s distinct voice and striking presence,Captain Ake already feels like her own character.Ake will be unique in that she not only commands a Starship but also acts as Chancellor of Starfleet Academy. It’s a combination never seen before in aStar Trekseries, and it will be interesting to see whereStarfleet Academytakes the character.
Hunter has enjoyed a prolific career filled with major Hollywood films and beloved television series, andshe earned an Oscar for her performance in 1993’sThe Piano.As Landau expressed, the team behindStar Trek: Starfleet Academydoubted that they would be able to get Hunter to join the show’s cast, but it sounds like she more than lived up to their expectations.
Our Take On Landau & Picardo’s Comments About Holly Hunter’s Starfleet Academy Captain
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Has A Stellar Cast
As the firstStar Trekseries to focus on Starfleet cadets,Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis set up to be a different kind ofStar Trek.Still, the show already seems to beembracing Gene Roddenberry’s original viewfor the franchise that emphasized"infinite diversity in infinite combinations."
In the teaser trailer, Captain Ake refers to"A tapestry that is Starfleet,“which feels like a perfect way to describe the organization, andsets Ake up to be a great captain for modernTrek.Noga Landau and Robert Picardo both emphasize Holly Hunter’s"unique"character, classifying her as a different kind of captain.
The idea of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy featuring “a captain unlike any [we’ve] seen before” is an exciting one.
From Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) to Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green),Star Trekhas seen many different kinds of captains come and go, so the idea ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academyfeaturing"a captain unlike any [we’ve] seen before"is an exciting one.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Cast
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows a group of cadets as they embark on their journey to become Starfleet officers. Facing the challenges of friendship, rivalry, and romance, they confront a new enemy endangering the Academy and the Federation under the guidance of their rigorous instructors.
