**This review contains some SPOILERS***
With the newest show in the franchise, Star Trek attempts to reinvent itself a bit in an effort to appease a younger audience, and despite likable characters and a solid concept the result is a fairy uneven first season of “Starfleet Academy.”
As far as story structure, the series is somewhere between the season-long story arcs of shows like “Discovery” and the episode of the week that’s more associated with classic Trek. Outside of a storyline about Caleb’s search for his mother that is mostly pushed completely into the background for most of the season, only the insinuation that the villain Nus Braka is waiting in the wings is able to give the show any other “big picture” narrative. (And even much of that is due to the fact that his character was announced as a recurring big bad for the season, as the show only brings him in for a handful of episodes.) Instead, the season in primarily driven by the arcs of the main characters.
The strongest character arc belongs to Caleb. A lot of that is partially because he’s one of the first characters we meet. While his basic journey isn’t too original, Sandro Rosta does a fantastic job of showing both his cocky exterior and his deep vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is only left with mini-arcs and are typically each given one episode to be given any depth. Genesis and Darem essentially share an episode, which gives neither one of them a chance to have a strong payoff or add much to their fairly stereotypical characters Jay-Den does get an episode to shine in what was one of the stronger one this season, but his character suffers somewhat because we focus more on his superficial traits and not on why he wants to be a Klingon doctor and how it drives him. SAM also gets an episode to herself, but despite being the show’s answer to Data as the naive character learning what it’s like to be human, her quirkiness is often downplayed and eventually outright forgotten. Tarima is a mixed bag. She doesn’t get as much screen time as the other cadets, and aside from her vaguely defined “curse,” she’s mostly there to play the love interest.
Digging into Academy instructors, they’re all fine for what they need to do. Characters from other franchises, The Doctor from “Voyager” and Jett Reno from “Discovery” both bring some humor and also earn their merit as mentors while Admiral Vance generally doesn’t get a lot to do. The same could be said of new character Lura Thok. She makes a strong impression early on, but factors into the show less and less as it moves on. Ultimately, the only other main character to make a major impact is Captain Ake. She has a complicated role, alternating between being a quirky free spirit and a competent leader and teacher. Meanwhile, Paul Giamatti chews up the scenery as the main villain. While he can overdo it at times, he typically makes an interesting character.
The show looks solid, with a massive set and solid visual effects. (Although is still has that modern Trek aesthetic that looks kind of like a video game cutscene.) The series struggles to get the balance right with the humor. While it can be funny at times, often the jokes fall flat. Also, the attempt to bring in a younger audience by using more contemporary language compared to most previous Trek shows usually works for a show about young adults in what is essentially a college campus, but occasionally it feels like a melodrama with a Star Trek veneer.
In its debut season, “Starfleet Academy” squanders its likable leads with a fair amount of mediocre episodes and a flimsy overall narrative, but I’m still invested on seeing where things go.
** out of *****