STARFLEET ACADEMY's New Poster Gives Off All The CW Teen Show Vibes
A fresh poster has arrived for the upcoming Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy, and while I’ve been excited for the series, this poster leans hard into a style that feels straight out of the early 2000s CW playbook.
Think Dawson’s Creek or One Tree Hill-era marketing. Soft lighting, moody teen-ensemble posing while laying on the ground, that glossy coming-of-age vibe. It is a surprising choice for a franchise known for starships, exploration, and big sci-fi ideas, and it definitely shifts expectations.
It’s a very different tone for the franchise, and its thrown me off. I don’t like it.
That said, the world of Star Trek is expanding again in a major way. The series brings viewers into a new era for Starfleet as a brand new class of cadets steps into the Academy for the first time in over a century.
The school now resides on the U.S.S. Athena as the Federation continues to rebuild following the catastrophic events known as The Burn from Star Trek :Discovery Season 3. The latest trailer, unveiled during the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con, teases mystery, danger, and plenty of emotional stakes, which is exactly the kind of energy fans hoped this show would carry.
Several familiar faces are returning. Robert Picardo is back as the Emergency Medical Hologram, joined by Discovery’s Tig Notaro as Jett Reno and Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly.
At the heart of the story is cadet Caleb Mir, portrayed by Sandro Rosta, whose past ties directly into the series’ antagonist. Paul Giamatti plays Nus Braka, a half Klingon, half Tellarite figure with a violent history.
We know that Braka once kidnapped Caleb’s mother, portrayed by Tatiana Maslany, an event that shaped Caleb long before he ever stepped aboard the Athena.
Captain Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter, personally seeks Caleb out and brings him into the Academy. Her connection to Braka complicates everything, setting up a collision that could fuel the show’s strongest storyline.
The crew of the Athena rounds out with Gina Yashere as Lura Thok, a half Klingon, half Jem’Hadar First Officer who also serves as Cadet Master. The Academy’s new recruits include Karim Diané as Jay Den Kraag, a Klingon sciences prodigy, Kerrice Brooks as Sam, a Kasqian operations cadet, George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, a Khionian command track recruit, Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, another command track student, and Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal, daughter of the President of Betazed. Oded Fehr also returns as Admiral Vance in a guest appearance.
The poster may look like it wandered in from television’s early 2000s teen drama era, but the series itself appears to be aiming for something richer and more adventurous. Whether the marketing finds its footing or not, the world these cadets are stepping into has plenty of potential.
The ten episode first season of Starfleet Academy arrives January 15 on Paramount+.
