Welcome back, Fangirlish Trek fam, to our coverage of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. This is a series that, like just about anything on the internet, has generated a lot of chatter, both positive and negative. There’s been talk of Starfleet Academy films as far back as the 90s, but this is the first true Starfleet Academy story to make it to screen in full series format.
There’s action, excitement, and we’re back in the 32nd century. It’s a lot to take in, and there are lots of new faces, along with some familiar ones. We’ve got a lot to discuss, so let’s suit up for a new season of Star Trek. Class is now in session for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 episode 1 “Kids These Days.”
A Heartbreaker of Relevance
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 1 “Kids These Days” opens the series with an absolutely heartbreaking scenario. Our lead, a young Caleb Mir, and his mother, Alisha, played by Tatiana Maslany, are in a Federation jail, awaiting sentencing. The punishment is harsh and severe, and Holly Hunter’s character, Nahla Ake, gives the sentence. 15 years for Alisha for her role in helping Nus Braka in theft and the death of a Starfleet captain. But the boy, Caleb, is to become a ward of the Federation, separated from his mother. This sentence is given despite the fact that Alisha and Caleb were only working with Nus Braka because they were starving and desperate.
The horror of separating a parent from their child is all too familiar in this day and age. It robs innocence and creates unnecessary trauma. I felt myself wince with Alisha’s agony. “Don’t trust them!” And then the further horror of seeing an organization that I trust having committed a great atrocity like this? It’s like I’m watching the 32nd century relive the 2020s.
Star Trek, like all good science fiction, has always held up a mirror to our current age, highlighting societal problems and even atrocities. This is no different. What I appreciate most about this horrible scenario is that Ake resigns from Starfleet after giving this sentence. More on this later.
A Fun Villain
Aside from breaking our hearts in the first 10 minutes, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 1 “Kids These Days” gives us a good introduction to our villain, Nus Braka, played by the brilliant Paul Giamatti. Nus Braka is volatile, sneering, and has a bit of Rainn Wilson’s Harry Mudd energy. There’s a bit of comedy in his performance because he’s so over-the-top, but that doesn’t make him any less deadly or dangerous.
Watching Nus and Ake go toe-to-toe with each other in this episode is a great deal of fun. You’ve got two wonderful performers in Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, and they are just chewing up the scenery. Their confrontation, even if Nus is present via hologram, is riveting. Ake is not at all intimidated by his bravado. Their equally matched tenacity really makes this particular scene, and makes me eager to see them go up against each other later in the series.
Friendly(?) Rivalry
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 1 “Kids These Days” gives us a reminder that this isn’t just any old Star Trek show. It’s a Trek show focused on young Academy cadets. While yes, we’ve had Star Trek: Prodigy, that series was centered on younger cadets and its target audience ages 13 and younger (though that didn’t stop me from falling absolutely in love with it). Starfleet Academy looks to be appealing to the young adult audience, the teens and 20-somethings.
All that being said, one of the hallmarks of such a series is the rivalry between two of our leads. Caleb has met his match with Darem Reymi. Credit where it is due, both George Hawkins and Sandro Rosta are doing a phenomenal job in their respective roles, especially considering they are both relative newcomers to Hollywood. They both bring great energy and portray a certain kind of cockiness that can only be achieved by young men who want to prove they are the very best. I look forward to watching their rivalry this season, but I hope more that they learn to be friends.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 1 “Kids These Days” is a solid opener for the series. It gives us a good flavor for each of the new characters and highlights their strengths and weaknesses. Before I wrap up my thoughts on this episode, there are a few things that caught my attention. To start, Ake is first, an educator, and also, part-Lanthanite. She is the second Lanthanite we’ve seen onscreen, the first being Carol Kane’s Pelia in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I love that when she quits Starfleet, her immediate response is to go teach, which is where Admiral Vance finds her on Bajor. Her deep regret in the sentencing of the Mirs is palpable, and when she’s allowed to make some kind of reparations, she takes that chance. That shows strength of character to me.
Second, I’d love to solicit the opinions of our readers here—are Ake’s quirks, like the way she sits in the Captain’s chair, her laser-focused obsession with physical books, the way we see her process information on the bridge of the Athena, and more, meant to be just fun personality quirks like what we see in Pelia, or are they meant to be read as neurodivergent? As we only have one Lanthanite to work with here, it’s hard to say. Perhaps my own ADHD is playing into this as well, but I am reading her as neurodivergent. Hopefully, later episodes will make this more apparent.
Third, I love that we have so many different kinds of aliens and new lifeforms on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The makeup and costuming teams for Star Trek have always been on point, and they are firing on all cylinders for this series. I look forward to the different flavors that they will bring to this series.
Finally, I must give massive props to the needle drop of “If You’re Going to San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers)” cover, performed by Rufus Wainwright. It’s both beautiful and haunting, and notably, the second The Mamas & the Papas cover used in modern Trek. (The first was “California Dreamin’” as performed by German DJ/remixer Freischwimmer in Star Trek: Picard season 2 episode 3 “Assimilation”). It’s absolutely gorgeous and gave me chills as we panned over San Francisco as the Athena docks with the Academy. Overall, this is a great start to the series, and I’m eager to see where we go next.
What do you think of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 1 “Kids These Days”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will air on January 22, 2026, on Paramount+. “Kids These Days” is also available for free on the Paramount+ YouTube Channel.
