Watching over this new generation are Captain Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter. As Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, Ake brings centuries of experience to the role, literally. She’s a 420-year-old half-Lanthanite whose perspective on leadership is shaped by a very long life.
Keeping the cadets in line is Commander Lura Thok, played by Gina Yashere. The half-Klingon, half-Jem’Hadar serves as Cadet Master and doesn’t waste time asserting authority. She also happens to be Captain Ake’s First Officer aboard the USS Athena, pulling double duty as mentor and enforcer.
Then there’s The Doctor, played once again by Robert Picardo. The same Emergency Medical Hologram from Star Trek: Voyager, he’s now more than 800 years old and splits his time between teaching at the Academy and serving as Chief Medical Officer aboard the USS Athena.
Additional connections to Star Trek: Discovery include Commander Jett Reno, portrayed by Tig Notaro, and Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly, played by Mary Wiseman, both of whom are instructors. Overseeing the entire operation is Admiral Charles Vance, portrayed by Oded Fehr, keeping an eye on the Academy’s progress.
The series also introduces us to the USS Athena, which dubbles as the Academy’s mobile campus when docked in San Francisco. Its bridge crew even includes a Starfleet officer played by Rebecca Quin, better known to many fans as WWE Superstar Becky Lynch.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will debut on Paramount+ in early 2026, and the series is already renewed for a second season.
