MINOR SPOILERS for "Kids These Days" and "Beta Test," the first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
As a spinoff of later seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, this new show's premise unfolds from the near-destruction of the United Federation of Planets, the long-standing setting for all the Star Trek series and movies, and the reconstruction necessary after its near-fall. The first episode of the series introduces us to some of the people impacted by the Federation's near-collapse and how they come together at the renewed Starfleet Academy, now reconstituted in San Francisco for the first time in over a century.
The cast is led by Holly Hunter, who's really superb here as Academy Chancellor and former Starfleet captain Nahla Ake. Hunter owns every scene she's in with a sincere, empathetic performance edged with both tragedy and playfulness. Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo are back and as lovable as ever as their original characters Jett Reno, crabby time-tossed engineer from the 23rd century, and the Emergency Medical Hologram, whose program is still functioning almost 1,000 years since it was first initiated.
Paul Giamatti appears only in the first episode, but he's wonderfully over the top as Nus Braka, interstellar thief and murderer, half Klingon and half Tellarite for extra boorishness. Some genius on the makeup or hair styling team gave Giamatti's character a haircut that features a completed game of Xs and Os on the side of his skull, a ludicrous detail that tickles me to no end. It's not explained, which is perfect. I hope no characters ever take note of it.
Of course, the students are the main focus of this series, and their actors all shine in different ways. As I approach my 60s I'll admit to finding some of their antics a little annoying, but then I remember they're young--when I was surely even more exasperating. Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir has to do most of the heavy lifting among the student characters; he's the "bad boy" of the show, a child torn from his mother by Holly Hunter's Nahla Ake (naturally). Rosta has to believably balance his understandable resentment for Ake while still being sympathetic and showing the ability to grow past his pain and impetuousness. Rosta, I think, pulls it off, and the scenes between Rosta and Hunter are a joy to watch.
Even the bridge officers on the USS Athena--more on that later--already feel more real and interesting to me than the poor, overlooked bridge crew of the Discovery, even though the Athena crew appear only in the pilot and Discovery's secondary characters had over 50 episodes to grow--but didn't.
The show's storytelling across its first two episodes is economical and tight; the plots are focused and logical, and the dialogue generally decent--though there are times when 21st century slang takes us out of the show, though the flaw is much less egregious here than it was in Star Trek: Section 31. The stakes are grounded but still engaging: Caleb wants to find his mother, Ake wants to help him, the Federation wants to rebuild. There's a good balance between high--but not ludicrous--political stakes and very real, very human issues. We see a little of this in most of the other student characters too, stories that I imagine will be fleshed out over the course of the series' run.
Star Trek's production design continues to get better with each succeeding series, but the crew really did a spectacular job here. They've managed to change the Federation's technology and style just enough that it still looks familiar to fans of the older shows while also reflecting its far-future 32nd century setting.
The show's hero ship this time around is the USS Athena, a starship that also doubles as Starfleet Academy's main building. While docked at the Academy, the Athena functions like any other academic centre, full of classrooms and laboratories. But when field trips are called for, the Athena heads up to Earth orbit and docks with the warp engines stored there. It's a brilliant concept, well executed.
Even the music is more experimental and interesting than we usually find in Star Trek television (the films are another matter; most of them have superb scores). There's a fight scene in the first episode that's really effectively scored, and a lovely rearrangement of a 1960s pop hit that creates a beautifully tender and nostalgic moment near the end of that episode.
All these elements combine to create a show that, to my great surprise and delight, captures Star Trek's legendary feeling of hope and optimism and faith in humanity's ability to find the best in ourselves and push through adversity. In these dark times, that's a precious gift.
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