Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Gina Yashere On Lura Thok And Jett Reno’s Relationship

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Be warned, this article contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 3 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, titled “Vitus Reflux.” Gina Yashere discusses the unexpected new romantic pairing revealed in the episode. Directed by Doug Aarniokoski and written by Alex Taub and Kiley Rossetter, the episode centers on the competitive relationship between cadets at Starfleet Academy and students attending the War College.

I’m a huge fan of Gina Yashere, and she’s absolutely brilliant as Commander Lura Thok in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy! Lura is such a fascinating character – she’s the First Officer of the USS Athena and really puts the cadets in their place as the Cadet Master at the Academy. What’s so cool is that she’s a unique mix – half-Klingon from her mom and half-Jem’Hadar from her dad. While she can be pretty intimidating, I loved seeing a more vulnerable side of her revealed in episode 3. It really adds depth to the character!

Liam Crowley from ScreenRant interviewed Gina Yashere at the press event for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Yashere, who plays Lura Thok alongside Robert Picardo, talked about the romantic connection between her character and Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), and explained the many sides to Lura’s personality. Here’s what Gina had to say:

Liam Crowley asked if there’s a romantic connection developing between Jett and Lura. He wanted to know more about their relationship and how the actors built that on-screen chemistry.

In episode three, the relationship between Lura and Jett becomes clear, particularly during a dinner scene. You’ll see different sides of Lura’s personality – she can be very strict and demanding, like a drill sergeant, but she also shows a softer, more playful side with Jett. She becomes flirty and coquettish around him, revealing unexpected layers to her character.

Viewers were just as surprised as Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) when he found out Lura Thok and Jett Reno were dating and enjoying romantic dinners together. Jett explained to Darem that she gave up a prestigious position on a starship at the very edge of known space to be with Lura, confirming that Lura was the reason Jett had left her job on the USS Discovery.

Throughout the second episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Lura and Jett seemed like just friendly coworkers who enjoyed teasing each other. Now that it’s been confirmed they’re a couple, it seems Thok and Reno must have gotten together sometime during the four years between Starfleet Academy and Star Trek: Discovery.

Commander Lura Thok has upset some Star Trek fans because her character suggests the Jem’Hadar can have children, something many fans believed impossible. These fans seem to have forgotten that a lot can change in 800 years since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended. However, actress Gina Yashere isn’t bothered by the criticism.

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, it’s amazing to see how the franchise has evolved. The new show, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, builds directly off the progress made in Star Trek: Discovery, which really opened things up with LGBTQ+ representation. I remember when a single lesbian kiss on Deep Space Nine back in the 90s caused a stir, but now we have characters like Lura Thok and Jett Reno – a wonderfully visible, openly queer, and interspecies couple! It just shows you how much Star Trek has grown and how far we’ve come.

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2026-01-22 13:28