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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Everything You Need To Know

It's time to get schooled …
Posted on Oct 20, 2025 | 02:00pm
Welcome to class, cadets. Today's subject: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

The new original, stand-alone series is coming soon to Paramount+. The highly anticipated show promises to take you inside the hallowed corridors where Star Trek lore tells us iconic characters such as James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, and Benjamin Sisko studied quantum mechanics, and learned their way around starships.

In other words, yes, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is about Starfleet Academy.

And not to worry if you're a Star Trek fan who loves to boldly go: Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set aboard the U.S.S. Athena, the starship that serves as Starfleet Academy's main campus.

Now that we've gotten orientation out of the way, let's work our way through the syllabus, and get you up to warp speed on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Read on for the release date, cast list, trailer – and more. As a Class of 2227 distinguished alum by the name of Christopher Pike would say, "Hit it."
 
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What is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy about?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is about a young group of Starfleet cadets navigating friendships and rivalries, as well as first loves and a new enemy that poses a threat not to just the Academy, but to the Federation. And, yup, in between all that drama, they strive to meet the standards of their exacting instructors.

The show was announced in March 2023. Production on Season 1 began in Summer 2024. And the show was preemptively renewed for Season 2 in October 2024.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau are co-showrunners and executive producers. Kurtzman is a Star Trek vet. He was an executive producer on the big-screen movies Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek: Into Darkness, and has been an executive producer on numerous Star Trek shows, including the Paramount+ original Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

What is the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy release date?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, exclusively on Paramount+. The show will premiere with two episodes.

How many episodes will Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 have?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 will have 10 episodes. After the premiere, the plan is for one new episode to drop weekly on Thursdays, exclusively on Paramount+.


 

Who is in the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 cast?

The Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 cast boasts familiar faces from across the Star Trek universe, as well as newcomers to the long-running franchise. As for those newcomers? We bet they'll look familiar as well. (See: Oscar® winner Holly Hunter and Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner Paul Giamatti, for just two examples.)

Below is a complete look at the regular cast, guest stars, and recurring guest stars. We're breaking the list down by their characters' roles on the Starfleet Academy campus. Time to take notes, cadets!

The Starfleet Academy faculty

  • ➡️ Holly Hunter as Capt. Nahla Ake Hunter's character is the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy – and the captain of the U.S.S. Athena.
  • ➡️ Tig Notaro as Jett Reno Notaro reprises her role as Jett, an engineering whiz, from Star Trek: Discovery.
  • ➡️ Robert Picardo as The Doctor Picardo reprises the role he originated on Star Trek: Voyager.
  • ➡️ Gina Yashere as Lura Thok Yashere is billed as a recurring guest star. She plays a Klingon/Jem’Hadar hybrid who serves as the Chancellor’s First Officer and Cadet Master.
  • ➡️ Stephen Colbert as the voice of Starfleet Academy’s Digital Dean of Students The Emmy® winner (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert) will be heard as the faculty member who makes daily announcements – and issues alerts.
 

The Starfleet Academy cadets

  • ➡️ Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir Rosta's character is an orphaned human who hasn't yet declared his major, or focus, at Starfleet Academy.
  • ➡️ Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag Diané plays a Klingon cadet whose focus is the sciences.
  • ➡️ Kerrice Brooks as SAM Brooks' character is a hologram – a Series Acclimation Mil, or SAM, for short. She's the first of her kind at Starfleet Academy. SAM's focus is operations.
  • ➡️ George Hawkins as Darem Reymi Hawkins plays a Khionian from a well-to-do background who aims to be in command – hence, the focus of his studies at Starfleet Academy.
  • ➡️ Bella Sheppard as Genesis Lythe Sheppard's character is a Dar-Sha, a species new to the Star Trek universe. She's the daughter of an admiral, and is also studying command.
 

More Star Trek: Starfleet Academy cast members

Regular cast
  • ➡️ Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal Steiner plays a Betazoid V.I.P. – her character is the daughter of the president of Betazed.

Guest stars
  • ➡️ Oded Fehr as Admiral Vance
  • ➡️ Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly Another Star Trek universe alum, Wiseman returns to the Starfleet role she's played (in varying ranks) on the likes of Star Trek: Discovery.

Recurring guest star
  • ➡️ Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka Nus Braka is part-Klingon, part-Tellarite – and, where Season 1 is concerned – all villain.
 
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Is there a Star Trek: Starfleet Academy trailer?

Yes, there is a Star Trek: Starfleet Academy official trailer. The clip was unveiled on Oct. 11, 2025, during the Star Trek universe panel at New York Comic Con. Check it out, and you'll probably agree: Regular school was never this cool.


 

Where can I watch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?

Upon its premiere, you can watch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy exclusively on Paramount+. See below for all the streaming info you need.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1
  • ➡️ Premiere date: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
  • ➡️ Release schedule: Two episodes on premiere day, then one episode weekly on Thursdays through the season finale, scheduled for Thursday, March 12, 2026.
  • ➡️ Streaming: Paramount+
 

When does Star Trek: Starfleet Academy take place in the Star Trek timeline?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set in the 32nd century, at the upper end of the Star Trek timeline. More specifically, it takes place 125 years after The Burn, a catastrophic event that ravaged the galaxy, and hobbled the Federation. The cadets we meet represent a fresh start for the Federation; they belong to the first Starfleet Academy class since The Burn.

(Want to know more about The Burn? Binge-watch Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 for an entertaining deep dive.)

What other shows are in the Star Trek universe?

The Star Trek universe boasts more than 10 shows, starting with Star Trek: The Original Series. Here's a list of all the Star Trek shows you can stream on Paramount+, in order of release date:
 
Right now, this list adds up to more than 900 episodes that you can stream right now on Paramount+, the home of Star Trek.

Where can I learn more about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?

You can learn more about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy at StarfleetAcademy.com. There, you can read all about campus life, including student clubs like the Association of Cardassian Cadets, and even enroll, as it were, for show updates.
 
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