Our first full look at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was shared at New York Comic-Con this weekend. While the first look teaser in July painted an uplifting story filled with hope and inspiration, this newest trailer shows off a much more brooding and darker story filled with mystery, adventure, and young adult drama.
Paul Giamatti immediately makes his presence felt as this season's main villain, Nus Braka, a part-Klingon, part-Tellarite, as we see him ruthlessly pull a child apart from his mother (played by Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany).
"You hold on to how much you hate me kid," Giamatti's Braka urges the boy. "It'll keep you warm at night."
The young boy grows into Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), who is recruited by Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) as a Starfleet Academy cadet under the promise of finding his mother.
While Nus Braka, Caleb Mir, and Nahla Ake appear to be the focal point of the main season's plot, the trailer teases plenty of intriguing side stories featuring a colorful cast of new recruits, such as Series Acclimation Mil a.k.a. SAM (Kerrice Brooks), the first hologram student to attend Starfleet Academy; Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), an aspiring captain facing the pressure to live up to the expectations of his wealthy family; Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), a Klington cadet with dreams of becoming a medical officer; and Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard), an admiral's daughter determined to make her own name in Starfleet.
These newcomers are joined by some familiar franchise faces, including Robert Picardo, reprising his role as The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, as well as Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) from Star Trek: Discovery.
This thrilling new chapter follows a fresh class of cadets as they train under the watchful, demanding eyes of Starfleet’s finest. Together, they’ll face the highs and lows of academy life: forging unbreakable friendships, clashing in explosive rivalries, experiencing first loves, and stepping into their destiny as the next generation of Starfleet officers. When a mysterious new enemy threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself, these cadets must rise to the challenge or risk losing everything they’ve just begun to fight for.
Starring Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, and Zoë Steiner, as well as Holly Hunter, who plays the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. Additional cast members include Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo, reprising their roles as Jett Reno and The Doctor, and guest stars Oded Fehr and Mary Wiseman, reprising their roles as Admiral Vance and Sylvia Tilly, as well as recurring guest stars Gina Yashere and Paul Giamatti.
It was also finally confirmed that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will premiere on Paramount+ on January 15th.