Paul Giamatti joins New ‘Starfleet Academy’ Series

Paul Giamatti arrives on the red carpet of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Kyusung Gong / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Preview:

Paul Giamatti will be the villain for ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s first season.
The new series will follow the travails of students at the academic institution.
Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau are running the show.

While the likes of current ‘Star Trek’ series ‘Discovery’ and ‘Strange New Worlds’ have certainly had solid casts, the new show, ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ really seems to have stepped it up in terms of star power.

With Holly Hunter already aboard, the show is now adding Paul Giamatti in a key role. Which is quite the get, given that he was Oscar nominated this past season for ‘The Holdovers’. Having finished a successful run on ‘Billions’, he recently also boarded a TV series based on the ‘Hostel’ horror movies.

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A young group of cadets come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover… Read the Plot

Who will Paul Giamatti play in ‘Starfleet Academy’?

Oscar® nominee Paul Giamatti arrives on the red carpet at the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Giamatti has snagged a recurring role in the show as the first season’s main villain, who has a sinister connection to the past of one of the cadets.

This is what co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau had to say about the casting coup:

“Sometimes you’re lucky enough to discover that one of the greatest actors alive is also a huge ‘Star Trek’ fan, and meeting Paul was one of those miraculous moments for us. The sheer delight with which he dove in on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is only surpassed by the gratitude we feel about him joining our incredible cast.”

What’s the story of ‘Starfleet Academy’?

Sonequa Martin-Green and Commander Burnham of the CBS All Access series 'Star Trek: Discovery'.

While most of the other character and story details are being kept behind a forcefield, we do know something of the show’s tone thanks to a previous comment by Landau:

“These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before. They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

So, yes, lots of coming-of-age with high tech equipment appears likely with this one.

The sets being built for the new series apparently include featuring the largest contiguous one ever constructed for a ‘Star Trek’ series, a central academic atrium that will span two stories and include an amphitheater, classrooms, a mess hall, and an idyllic walkway lined with trees.

Who is Holly Hunter playing in ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’?

Holly Hunter attends the Academy’s 2017 Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 11, 2017. Credit/Provider: Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S.
Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Holly Hunter will star as the Captain and Chancellor of the Academy set in the titular educational facility that trains crew and officers for the fleet.

Hunter’s Chancellor will be presiding over the faculty and the latest class of students to arrive at the academy.

Here’s Kurtzman and Landau on Hunter:

“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius. To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on ‘Starfleet Academy’ is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of ‘Star Trek.’”

When will ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ be on screens?

While shooting is due to kick off later this summer in ‘Star Trek’s current TV production home of Toronto, Paramount+ has yet to confirm when it might appear on the streaming service.

Jess Bush as Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Shura, Ethan Peck as Spock, Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga, Christina Chong as La’an and Melissa Navia as Ortegas of 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,' streaming on Paramount+, 2023.

(L to R) Jess Bush as Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Shura, Ethan Peck as Spock, Anson Mount as Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Una, Babs Olusanmokun as M’Benga, Christina Chong as La’an and Melissa Navia as Ortegas of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo: Pari Dukovic/Paramount+.