Star Trek: 3 Best Things About Starfleet Academy Season 1 (& The 5 Worst)

Now that the most recent Star Trek series has finished airing and initial reactions have settled, it’s a good time to look back at what happened. While it wasn’t a complete success – in fact, no Star Trek show really is – it had some truly excellent moments. The series featured great nods to past Star Trek stories, along with some fresh ideas and interesting new characters. However, it wasn’t for everyone, and some longtime fans found it different from what they expected. Unfortunately, it also quickly became a target for negative and deliberately provocative online discussion.

The new show, Starfleet Academy, is a mixed bag, but generally enjoyable. It’s refreshingly bold and willing to take risks, while still respecting the established Star Trek universe. When it’s good, it’s comparable to the best early seasons of Star Trek, but its weaker moments raise questions about whether the current direction of the franchise should continue. Here’s a breakdown of the season’s best and worst parts. Please be aware that this article contains spoilers for Season 1.

8. Best: The Doctor’s Storyline

Bringing Robert Picardo back as The Doctor in Starfleet Academy was a smart move, and a key part of the show’s promotion. He’s a beloved character from Voyager, and his funny, often frustrated interactions with the crew were always memorable. Fans were especially excited to see how 800 years of experience might have changed him. While some criticized the show for relying on nostalgia, revisiting The Doctor’s holographic family from the classic Voyager episode “Real Life” was a brilliant idea. Throughout the series, The Doctor longed for connection, and discovering he’d secretly held back from relationships due to fear of loss gave him a powerful reason to embrace his role as a father.

7. Worst: The Humor is… Uneven At Best

Humor has always been a bit of a weak spot for Star Trek, and Starfleet Academy often felt like it was trying too hard to be funny. The very first episode introduced a character with a bizarre problem – she’d accidentally swallowed her communicator badge – which drew a lot of unnecessary negativity. Sometimes the show relied too much on obvious physical comedy. While Gina Yashere’s character, Lura Thok, was amusing, she might have been even better if the writing had been a little more subtle. Worf’s humor worked because his serious personality clashed with silly situations, but Thok was used too much for comedic effect.

6. Best: Nus Braka (Eventually)

I wasn’t immediately impressed with Paul Giamatti’s performance as Nus Braka in the first episode, which was otherwise strong. He felt a bit over-the-top, almost like a cartoon character – it reminded me of his somewhat awkward role as the Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. At first, his eccentricities were annoying, and his grandstanding felt excessive. However, he became much more compelling as the series went on. His inflated ego really worked when it was balanced by genuine danger and villainy (around Episode 6), and by the finale, I was completely invested in his character – I didn’t want him to leave. It’s disappointing to hear he won’t be back for Season 2 of Starfleet Academy, but we can still appreciate his contribution to the show.

5. Worst: The Ship Designs

The Athena is a neat ship, though it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Compared to other Star Trek flagships, it feels a little incomplete. Its design aims for a regal look, but comes across as overly calculated, and while the transformation into the San Francisco Academy was a fun idea, it didn’t really make a strong impression.

While the Athena feels a bit too elaborate in its design, the other ships we briefly see are remarkably similar, almost to a fault. We catch glimpses of new vessels throughout, including a new Intrepid-class ship (the Sargasso), but it doesn’t quite measure up to Voyager in terms of appearance. Then, when the fleet arrives to help…

4. Worst: There’s a Bit of an Identity Crisis (& It Shows in the Pacing)

Sometimes, it’s clear that different writers worked on Starfleet Academy, and it feels like they didn’t collaborate much. This is especially noticeable because the show’s speed changes drastically from episode to episode. A common complaint is that the show focuses too much on the characters’ personal lives and struggles – but that’s pretty normal for a show set at a school. Looking at the pacing supports this: we get big, action-packed episodes at the beginning, middle, and end, but everything in between feels slow and uneventful.

Look, I’m all for character-driven stories, and I really like what this show is doing by presenting the Athena as a ship where cadets learn by actually being out there on missions. Honestly, that’s way more compelling to me than just classroom scenes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, but give me action and real-world experience any day. So, after that exciting setup – especially after the intensity of the Nus Braka episode – it felt a little disappointing when subsequent episodes slowed down and became overly focused on philosophical debates. It just didn’t quite feel right, tonally.

3. Best: The Nods To The Past (Jake Sisko in Particular)

Look, let’s be honest, Starfleet Academy is definitely leaning hard into nostalgia. Some viewers are calling it ‘memberberries’ – basically, throwing in lots of references to please longtime fans. We saw it with the wall honoring characters like Wesley Crusher and Harry Kim, the lovely garden dedicated to Mr. Boothby from The Next Generation, and even an episode that felt like a direct nod to Voyager‘s ‘Real Life’. And then there was the episode focused on Sisko. While some might have wanted a definitive answer to the mystery surrounding him (which, by the way, was already there – he chose to stay!), and were disappointed Avery Brooks didn’t appear, I thought it was a really touching tribute to his character and everything he stood for. It felt earned and genuinely heartfelt.

Seeing Cirroc Lofton return as Jake Sisko was the best moment of the season for me. It was powerful to see how his father’s departure at the end of Deep Space Nine affected him, and it provided a satisfying sense of closure. Jake’s cameo felt particularly meaningful – it showed a commitment to honoring the show’s entire history, not just the most popular or glamorous aspects.

2. Worst: Some of the Gen Z Targeting

I might be showing my age, but some of the attempts to appeal to younger viewers in Starfleet Academy felt deliberately irritating, rather than just not being for me – and I understand shows aren’t made for everyone. I found the character of SAM particularly annoying, especially her random dancing. The swearing also seemed unnecessary; it’s always a debated topic in Star Trek, but here it felt like they were trying too hard to be shocking. Maybe I’m just being an old curmudgeon, but it didn’t feel authentically written by or for younger audiences – the effort to connect with them didn’t ring true.

1. Worst: How Most of The Adult Crew Were Treated

I also didn’t enjoy most of the adult characters on the Athena, and it seems the show didn’t either, considering almost all of them were gone after just one episode. The casting of WWE star Becky Lynch was hyped up, but her role, like the rest of the crew, was ultimately very small and quickly disappeared. This even included the student liaison officer, whose important job of arranging learning experiences was strangely dropped as soon as it was mentioned.

The adult characters felt like they were only there to move the plot forward, with Ake being the exception. They kept disappearing – Lora Thok was missing for several episodes despite being Ake’s second-in-command, Tilly showed up briefly for a single lesson, and the student liaison just vanished. It was obvious this was done to give the younger characters more screen time, but it felt clumsy. While some fans of Starfleet Academy might disagree, I wasn’t a fan of Holly Hunter’s portrayal of Ake either. I didn’t mind the barefoot, free-spirited look, and the relaxed posture worked sometimes, but the constant, overly deliberate movements became irritating. This was especially frustrating because Hunter is a strong actress, and those serious moments were really good. Hopefully, Season 2 will show more of that, and less of the aimless, spaced-out behavior.

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2026-03-19 01:24