Where You've Seen Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Cast Before
Summary Star Trek: Starfleet Academy boasts a stellar cast including Academy Award-caliber actors like Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti.
Set in the 32nd century era of Star Trek: Discovery, the show follows young cadets pursuing their dreams amidst a struggling Federation.
The show will explore themes of friendship, rivalry, and first loves, appealing to a young adult audience with a diverse and talented cast.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is shaping up to have a stellar cast. Set in the 32nd century era of Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy will follow a group of Starfleet cadets as they pursue their dreams and navigate life as young adults. At the end of Discovery season 2, the USS Discovery traveled to the 32nd century, where they found a crumbling United Federation of Planets devastated by the Burn. As Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew helped rebuild Starfleet and the Federation, Starfleet Academy opened its doors for the first time in over 100 years.
Star Trek: Discovery ended abruptly with season 5, but the possibility remains that cast members from Discovery could pop up in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. When the 32nd century Academy reopened, Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) became an instructor and eventually proposed a mentorship program that will hopefully play a role in the upcoming show. Although it remains to be seen whether Tilly or other Star Trek: Discovery cast members will appear in Starfleet Academy, the show has confirmed several Star Trek newcomers as well as Academy Award-caliber actors have joined the cast.
Tawny Newsome, who voices Lt. Beckett Mariner on Star Trek: Lower Decks, is a writer on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, bringing her Trek knowledge and comedy chops to the new show.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be the first Trek show to focus on life at the Academy and the first geared toward a young adult audience. But with Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti in Starfleet Academy's cast, the show will likely have something for everyone. Check out the show's official logline below:
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Related 7 Star Trek Discovery Characters Who Could Be Mentors On Starfleet Academy Star Trek: Discovery's Lt. Sylvia Tilly plans to start a mentorship program at Starfleet Academy, but who should she choose to serve as mentors?
7 Holly Hunter
Portraying the as-yet-unnamed Chancellor of Starfleet Academy
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Academy Award winner Holly Hunter has shined in films and television shows since the 1980s. After starring in Joel and Ethan Coen's Raising Arizona alongside Nicolas Cage in 1987, Hunter became a true Hollywood star. That same year, Hunter also starred as Jane Craig in Broadcast News, which earned her an Oscar win for Best Actress.
Hunter went on to maintain a steady career in film, appearing in movies such as The Firm; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; Thirteen; Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and The Big Sick. She also voiced Helen Parr (aka Elastagirl) in Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Incredibles 2. In television, Hunter starred as Grace Hanadarko in TNT's Saving Grace, and had recurring roles on Succession and Mr. Mayor.
6 Paul Giamatti
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed villain
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Since 1990, Paul Giamatti has portrayed a wide array of characters, appearing consistently in popular films and television shows. Giamatti had supporting roles in classic films such as The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, Planet of the Apes (2001), and Big Fat Liar. Giamatti then went on to star in Sideways, Cinderella Man (for which he earned an Academy Award nomination), The Illusionist, and Lady in the Water.
Related 7 Star Trek Aliens Paul Giamatti Is Perfect To Play Starfleet Academy's Paul Giamatti is a versatile character actor, meaning that he's uniquely capable of playing some of Star Trek's best-loved aliens.
Paul Giamatti won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of John Adams in the 2008 HBO mini-series of the same name. He also starred in Fred Claus and Barney's Version, and appeared in 12 Years a Slave, Saving Mr. Banks, and Straight Outta Compton. More recently, Giamatti starred in the Showtime series Billions and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in 2023's The Holdovers.
5 Kerrice Brooks
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed Starfleet cadet.
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When it comes to the Starfleet cadets who will be at the center of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, the show's creators have chosen to cast up-and-coming stars who are at the beginnings of their careers. Kerrice Brooks' appeared in Netflix's The Prom and one episode of On My Block.
Brooks appears as Ro in the upcoming film My Old Ass, which stars Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, and as Melissa in the upcoming comedy Feeling Randy. She is also an accomplished dancer and has been in music videos for Kelly Rowland and Billie Eilish. Brooks also appeared in Rhianna's Savage X Fenty Show for Amazon Prime Video.
4 Bella Shepard
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed Starfleet cadet.
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Bella Shepard appeared as an unnamed young girl in an episode of Netflix's Grace and Frankie, and as a young Aleida Diaz in an episode of Orange is the New Black. She starred in the television series On the Ropes, A Girl Named Jo, and Two Sides. Shepard has appeared in episodes of Amazon's The Wilds and Paramount+'s iCarly.
In Paramount+'s Wolf Pack, Shepard portrayed Blake Navarro, one of the main characters, alongside Sarah Michelle Geller's Kristin Ramsey. Shepard will also appear in the upcoming Netflix Christmas comedy, The Merry Gentlemen, starring Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray.
Related 7 Discovery Questions Star Trek’s Next Show Must Answer Star Trek: Discovery's ending left several unanswered questions that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will need to address.
3 George Hawkins
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed Starfleet cadet.
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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be George Hawkins' first major American television role. He has previously appeared in the 2021 film Boiling Point and 2023's Gassed Up, as well as multiple short films.
Hawkins portrayed Dylan in season 2 of the British teen drama Tell Me Everything, which explores mental health through the lens of British teens in today's society of technology and social media. Tell Me Everything has received mostly positive reviews, and has been compared to the British teen drama Skins, which aired from 2007 to 2013.
2 Karim Diané
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed Starfleet cadet.
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A talented singer who appeared as a contestant on The X Factor, Karim Diané's first television role was on StartUp, starring Adam Brody. Diané also appeared in the television series Solve and has had roles in several short films.
Most recently, Diané portrayed Kris Greene in Peacock's One Of Us Is Lying, based on the popular young adult book of the same name by Karen M. McManus. Diané is also set to star as Posh in the upcoming Hulu comedy series 1266, starring Gabourey Sidibe.
1 Zoë Steiner
Portraying an as-yet-unnamed Starfleet cadet.
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In her first television role, Zoë Steiner portrayed Hanna in the British drama series Significant Others. She has also appeared in multiple short films and music videos. Although much about Star Trek's upcoming series remains unknown, the show is building an impressive cast and crew.
With co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is in great hands. (Kurtzman has been spearheading every major Trek project since the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, and Noga Landau worked on The Magicians and developed the very fun Nancy Drew TV series for the CW.) Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti, of course, have already proven they can play incredibly compelling leads, and Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, Karim Diané, and Zoë Steiner all appear to be rising stars on the brink of major careers.
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