When Star Trek: Starfleet Academy debuts on Paramount+ it will introduce a whole new generation of wannabe Starfleet officers to the franchise. How many of them will make the cut and who will flame out? More importantly, which ones will join the ranks of our favorite Star Trek characters? It might end up being “all of them” after watching a new behind-the-scenes video. CBS Studios shared a moving montage of showrunners welcoming their young actors to the show during a Hall H panel at this years San Diego Comic-Con. But that wasn’t the only insight we got into the show. Starfleet Academy also announced four Star Trek alums will return to help teach those cadets.
Star Trek: Discovery might have ended, but some its stars are sticking around for more space fun. Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr, and Mary Wiseman are all headed to Starfleet Academy. As is the universe’s most beloved hologram. Star Trek: Voyager‘s Robert Picardo is also back.
Fittingly, generations of Star Trek characters will come together once again. Notaro (Jett Reno) and Picardo (The Doctor) are both joining Starfleet Academy as series regulars. Fehr (Admiral Vance) and Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly) will also reprise their previous franchise roles as guest stars. They’ll star opposite previously announced series regular Holly Hunter and recurring guest stars Gina Yashere and Paul Giamatti.
Seeing Discovery stars show up isn’t a surprise (especially not Wiseman’s Tilly who is a Starfleet instructor). The timelines of the two show’s matchup. But Picardo was serving on Voyager 900 years prior to the start of Starfleet Academy. Holograms obviously age very well!
The casting news came during a Star Trek Hall H panel featuring executive producers and co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. That’s where they also shared a video of them telling the show’s young stars and Star Trek newcomers the interview process was over. It was over because Karim Diané, Zoë Steiner, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, and George Hawkins were officially Starfleet cadets.
For a series that will introduce “a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism,” this short casting montage is the perfect promo for the series. It is all of that and more.
After seeing their emotional reactions, we really hope all of them graduate from cadet to officer and then to being among our favorite Star Trek characters ever. That won’t be easy, but we know they’ll have some great, experienced teachers help them on their travels.