This week’s Starfleet Academy puts us squarely in the midst of several traditional Star Trek shenanigans. There’s a ceremonial kidnapping! Someone is betrothed and doesn’t really want to get married. How about getting into some good, old-fashioned shenanigans? Would you like a side of unrealistic parental expectations?
Good news! All of these are in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine”! Put on your festive shirt or ceremonial wedding attire. We’ve shenan’ed once. Now we’re going to shenanigan in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine.”
Wedding Bell Blues?
Ko’Zeine” plays into this Star Trek trope of a marriage or betrothal born out of duty. Darem’s surprise wedding and Jay-Den’s surprise best man-ship falls in a similar line of other Star Trek wedding or marriage-related episodes like “Amok Time” from Star Trek: The Original Series, “Something Borrowed, Something Green” and “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” from Star Trek: Lower Decks, and even has shades of “Wedding Bell Blues” from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The thing that makes these sorts of episodes fun is that we often get to see new cultures and get outside of the normal episode structure. The cold, wet wedding attire, in particular, is a nice touch for a humanoid fish species with gills.
As for the actual wedding part of the episode, I’d have expected a little more fanfare for a royal wedding. Darem’s persona at the Academy has always been a bit…insufferable. But here? He’s perceived as warm and kind. But that’s not who he wants to be. It’s not unlike the college student who goes off to college, then returns home for the first time, only to find that home doesn’t quite feel like home anymore.
His decision to abdicate isn’t surprising, but it also makes the entire wedding unnecessary. Why couldn’t he have made this decision before going through the whole thing? It just seems like a weak point of the story, and I think Darem’s smarter than that. But I suppose without the wedding, we don’t get to hear Jay-Den’s excellent toast. Jay-Den says earlier in the episode, speaking of Kyle, but here I think it goes for Darem too, “It is my honor to be there for the people I care about.” I feel that line deeply.
Except for “Something Borrowed, Something Green,” these wedding episodes aren’t my favorite, but Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine,” does have some good dialogue. That’s the only thing that is really working for me in this episode. If this one does work for you, sound off in the comments!
Check out our reviews of Starfleet Academy episode 1and episode 2!
Enterprise Athena Bingo?
One of the highlights for me in Ko’Zeine” is watching Caleb and Genesis get up to shenanigans while everyone else is away. “Toxic or Non-Toxic?” seems like a bad idea, and they’re lucky it wasn’t worse than Caleb temporarily getting big ears.
The chase with the warp slug is a lot of fun, and I wish it had gone on longer. The shenanigans feel a bit like this series version of Enterprise Bingo. It’s this type of stuff that I really want out of a young adult Star Trek show. Let’s cut loose and have some fun with our Star Trek. There are way too many people out there taking themselves too seriously, and frankly, we could all use the levity.
We’ve got thoughts on Starfleet Academy episode 3!
What’s up with Genesis?
Perhaps the most surprising thing to learn in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine” is that Genesis altered her Starfleet Academy letters of recommendation. Knowing that she is seen as “driven by fear” and “doesn’t see that she belongs” scares her. Admittedly, those are terrifying things to read about yourself. But it also shows that she didn’t take that feedback to heart.
Understanding that we are all, as Chancellor Ake says, “…wildly flawed. And we have to learn to carry that,” is as important to leadership as being wildly competent. In a franchise renowned for its portrayal of literally everyone as hyper-competent, it is refreshing to hear those words from your captain. Will Genesis make Captain someday? Gosh, I hope so. But for now, academic probation and 200 hours of menial service for you.
Read our review of Starfleet Academy episode 4!
Say Something
Caleb’s working on a letter for Tarima in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine” and then…does a Sisko. Computer, delete that log. And he can live with it. Unhappily, mind you, but he can live with it. My knee-jerk reaction is to be aggravated with Caleb. You haven’t talked to Tarima in a month. The last thing she said to you was, “I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore after this,” before going full Jean Grey on some Furies, going into shock, and then falling unconscious. This girl nearly sacrificed herself to save him. The very least he can do is talk to her!
But, at the same time, we have a young man who has never been in a serious relationship before. He’s never had anyone lay it all on the line for him. Caleb has never had anyone he could really trust before. All of this is brand new, and he knows what needs to happen. And yet, he is struggling because he’s never seen or been modeled healthy communication or relationships. I’m glad he finally reached out at the end of the episode. Keep taking those good steps in the right direction, Caleb.
See what we had to say about Starfleet Academy episode 5!
Final Thoughts
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine” introduces many new cultural things to Star Trek. We get All Worlds Day, which, to the best of my research, has not been previously mentioned in Star Trek. While we aren’t given any greater detail about what it celebrates, I have to imagine that in the 32nd century, we are less Earth-focused in the Federation, so days like First Contact Day might have evolved into All Worlds Day.
The great point of levity in the episode for me comes with the phone call with Lura Thok and Jett Reno’s broken toe. I’m bummed to not see Lura in person, but hearing her meltdown over Jett’s broken toe is both hilarious and charming. It’s sweet to see how much she cares. I also had to laugh out loud when Darem comments on Kyle’s sunburn, “You know what the sun is and yet you choose to throw hands with a literal ball of fire.” I, too, am pale and blonde, and no matter how much sunscreen I apply, I still end up throwing hands with a literal ball of fire. Extremely relatable content, Kyle.
We end Ko’Zeine” with a meteor shower while “We Watch the Stars (Berlin Session)” by Fink plays on. Modern Trek has taken to using current music in its storytelling. I’m not totally sure how I feel about that, but I think, at least for this series, it works. It takes me back to watching WB (now CW) shows in high school, where the music was there to help with the emotions of the show, and you got the promo at the end. “Today’s episode of Starfleet Academy featured music by…” and then you scrambled out to your local music store to buy the CD. Here, we just ask Shazam.
What do you think of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 Ko’Zeine”? Leave me a comment and let’s talk Trek.
The next episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will air on February 26, 2026, on Paramount+.
