Why Starfleet Academy's Paul Giamatti Is Excited For His Unique Star Trek Villain - Sunburst Viral- Latest News on Celebrities, gossip, TV, music and movies

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The next journey into the Star Trek universe begins on January 15, when Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres on Paramount+. Executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau (who also serve as showrunners), the newest series joining the ranks offers a unique angle: it follows cadets in training, going on field trips aboard the USS Athena while also studying in San Francisco.

Set in the year 3191, Starfleet Academy maintains a connection to previous shows through the appearance of characters from Star Trek: Discovery, as well as by the presence of Robert Picardo’s Doctor from Voyager. There will also be several new characters, many of whom stopped by ScreenRant‘s New York Comic-Con suite to introduce themselves to host Liam Crowley and establish their roles within the greater Star Trek Universe.

Emmy Award-winning actors Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti are two of the most exciting additions, with the former playing Captain and the Chancellor of the School of Starfleet Academy, Nahla Ake, while the latter plays the villainous Nus Braka (whom he describes as simply “a very complicated man“). Check out their interview with the rest of the cast below, where they try to sum up their characters without spoilers, contemplate what makes Giamatti such a great onscreen villain, and praise Hunter’s generosity on set.

Meet The Students Of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The Starfleet Academy stars kicked the interview off by explaining who each of their characters are, beginning with Karim Diané, who plays Jay-Den Kraag. “He is a young Klingon who comes to Starfleet Academy, and he’s very different from all the other Klingons,” Diané explained. “He does not want to fight or go to battle. He’s at school to be a doctor.”

Sandro Rosta, who plays Caleb Mir, offered a shorter but intriguing introduction: “He’s a human, and he’s the intro character to the school.” This is particularly significant, since Starfleet Academy represents the first class of cadets matriculating on Earth since The Burn 120 years ago. On the other hand, there are also distinctly non-humanoid students in the mix, such as Kerrice Brooks’ Sam (which stands for Series Acclimation Mil). “She’s a photonic and she’s a hologram, which is what photonic means,” the actor effused. “She’s a vibe; that’s what I describe her as. She be vibing.“

The series is also full of first-time appearances for some species, and rare ones for others. George Hawkins is Darem Reymi, “a Khionian, the first of his species in the Star Trek universe. And he’s obsessed with competition and beating everyone.” Another new alien species is the Dar-Sha, represented by Bella Shepard’s Genesis Lythe. “She’s the daughter of a captain, and she’s at Starfleet Academy to achieve great things.” Last but not least, Zoë Steiner plays a Betazoid named Tarima Sadal. “For those who aren’t familiar with Star Trek, the Betazoids are the empaths, so she really wears her heart on her sleeve.”

How Starfleet Academy Distinguishes Itself From Previous Star Trek Series

The Doctor with Starfleet Academy cadets close up

ScreenRant: Alex, talk to me about where the idea first sparked, and getting it now to the goal line.

Alex Kurtzman: People have been trying to develop Starfleet Academy for many decades, actually, well before any of us were involved in it. And it’s a tricky one, because you usually think of Star Trek as a show with a crew on a ship that goes out into space and does missions. The question becomes: how do you do that with students who are not yet qualified for that?

Our solution to that was to figure out a way to make the ship a teaching hospital, so the cadets actually go out into space and learn on the job. They are put in real life danger, but obviously supervised by a lot of incredible instructors. That cracked it open, because then it became a Star Trek show where you could do a mission of the week, but they also come back to Earth and are on campus. So, we get to have the best of both worlds, like at the end of season 3 of Next Generation.

ScreenRant: Holly, how does it feel to be a captain?

Holly Hunter: Really incredibly fun. The combination of being the Chancellor and the Captain is exactly what Alex was just talking about. What the school rides on is people who are not quite ready for the job training to be in the job, and sometimes being in real jeopardy. It’s a great landscape for incredible humor and humility. Just to be Captain and Chancellor at the same time is straddling the best of two amazing worlds.

ScreenRant: Noga, this show feels classic Star Trek in the best way possible. Something I loved about Section 31 was that it had such a unique story within the Star Trek world while still honoring that Star Trek legacy. Could you speak to how Starfleet Academy honors what has come before it, but still has its own voice in the grand franchise?

Noga Landau: Totally! I grew up a Star Trek fan, so this is a dream come true. I always wanted to go to Starfleet Academy, and now I get to. I think it we’ve honored everything that’s come before us – the 60 years of legacy that came before us – in so many different ways.

One is with the people we’ve brought to join these amazing folks. We have Robert Picardo, who’s playing the Doctor, the same doctor from Voyager. We have multiple cast members joining us from Discovery. When you look at the wall of heroes in our atrium, our giant set, you’ll see us honoring so many of the people who came before us and showed us what heroism is, and who showed us what the values of Starfleet are.

There are also mysteries. Watch out for Benjamin Sisko! We get to do some really cool stuff that hasn’t been done in a long time, that I think really honors the fans who’ve been waiting to see what happens. We definitely know who we are, and we know whose shoulders we are standing on today.

Paul Giamatti Fulfills A Lifelong Dream Of Star Trek Villainy & Holly Hunter Gets Her Flowers For Teaching

Paul Giamatti confronts Holly Hunter in Star Trek Starfleet Academy

ScreenRant: Paul, I know you’ve wanted to be in Star Trek forever. Congratulations on joining the franchise. Some of my favorite Paul Giamatti roles are villains. How does it feel to be a Star Trek baddie?

Paul Giamatti: Really good! I’m a baddie. They came to me with a bad guy, and I was like, “Well, that’s the best: to be a Star Trek villain.” Couldn’t be better. I’m half Klingon, half Tellarite.

I was very excited to be half Tellarite because, as a kid, I liked them. They’re this kind of argumentative, obnoxious pig people. And I was like, “That’s me, man. I want to do that”. It was great. I get to be an alien, I get to be a bad guy, and I get to come in and disrupt this world. He’s everything that Starfleet is not. He’s the opposite of all of it, and he wants to rip it apart. It’s great. It was a fun character to play.

ScreenRant: We have a huge young cast here, with two Hollywood legends on our couch. What did you learn from these guys? How did you evolve as thespians by getting to work alongside Hollywood royalty?

Karim Diané: Holly is the sweetest, most down-to-earth human being. She’s an amazing listener. We’ve learned from Holly that when that camera is on, she not playing.

We be playing sometimes, to be honest, and we have a lot of fun on set – but I think we’ve all learned balance from Holly. We have fun, but when we’re in a moment, we really lock in and really bring everything that we can. Holly is interested in everything, even down the most minute detail.

Rosta also shared a hilarious story about his first time meeting his hero, Paul Giamatti:

Sandro Rosta: I can speak for my experiences with both Holly and Paul, because I had the pleasure of working with both of them. Holly just has a quality of generosity.

This actually goes for both of you, but you have to have your own cup full to pour into another cup, and I really felt that when I was on set. There were times where I wasn’t sure how an interaction was going to go, or how a day was going to go, or anything like that. They just both made my energy smooth out, and they relaxed me. They made me feel like I belonged there and that I had a place amongst them.

The first time I met Paul was the best time ever. I was sitting on the toilet! He knocked on my trailer door, and I had to say that. He’s like, “Ah, he’s on the can!” So, I had to finish up. Then I came outside, and he gave me this big hug. It was just really great to have that energy from you, straight up, without working with you at all at that point.

Giamatti demurred, giving his costar props of his own. “He and I had to have a crazy fight in this thing,” the veteran actor explained. “I was like, ‘I’m an old man, and I have to have a fight?’ But it was the best thing in the world to do it with this guy. Because I was like, ‘Man, I’m gonna die doing this.’ He was there for me in such a great way.” Rosta gave the praise right back, pointing out that Giamatti did the stunts himself.

George Hawkins: I don’t have a lot of experiences with Paul, but he’s an absolute rock star. I came out of drama school very recently, and I’m very new to this industry, so there were fears about it. But the second time I met Holly, we sat down in the production office for a good two and a half hours, and I laid out all my anxieties. She was so generous and so honest about what this industry has to offer. I’m just so thankful for that honesty.

Shepard had her own funny story, this time about Hunter.

Bella Shepard: I didn’t have a lot of time to work with Paul either. I’ve taken so much from them, though, outside of being at work and seeing them be real human beings who are kind. That alone is already such a gift. But I’ve had so much time to be able to get to know Holly as a person and a human being.

Holly and I showed up to a rehearsal once wearing the same outfit, and our hair was the same, and we are the same size. So, we literally walked in looking like Thing One and Thing Two. I was able to connect with her as woman in this industry, feeling like I’ve got this really strong, confident woman here on set who’s also vulnerable and soft and kind. That alone, I will carry with me forever.

Brooks, meanwhile, was focused on the craft that each well-respected actor passed on to the cast.

Kerrice Brooks: The first thing I want to hit on is stamina because the show is really pedal to the metal a lot of the time. You’re in space with these high stakes, and someone’s always crashing, so I think that you can get burnt out. Artistically and sometimes even attitude-wise, you’re like, “I’m just tired today. I don’t feel like it.” But then when you see them come and do it, it’s like, “Oh my God. Let me fasten my belt, let me. Let me tie my shoes. Let me make sure my wig’s on properly. Let me get it together.”

But I will also say bravery, because they just go for it. Both of them really just go for it. Even if there is hesitation, because I think that’s very natural, you see both of them just go for it. From their voice to their body – to their toenails! They be clocked in. They be clocked in for real! Their stamina and bravery are the biggest things for me, and it’s amazing to witness. It’s an honor to witness in person.

The circle of praise came to a close with Steiner’s comments on their kindness and generosity, which made their time on the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy set all the more enjoyable.

Zoë Steiner: It’s been such a privilege. This is my first big job – certainly my first job away from Australia – and for it to be with Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter? I almost fell over when I heard that I got to be a part of this.

Apart from what I could learn by observing Holly, in terms of the craft, it’s more about how both of them are just as people on set. I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but from what I hear, it’s not necessarily always going to be the case that such big stars are genuine, honest, generous people. That’s been so beautiful.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres January 15, 2026 on Paramount+.

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