Posted in: Star Trek, TV | Tagged: star trek, Starfleet Academy

Star Trek: Brooks, Shepard on "Figuring It Out" With Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy stars Kerric Brooks and Bella Shepard discuss the upcoming series and being immersed in the Star Trek universe.

Published Thu, 29 May 2025 07:45:06 -0500

by Tom Chang

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When it comes to how Star Trek has dealt with Starfleet Academy in the past, it's always been standalone episodes or arcs on TV and films from The Next Generation and the J.J. Abrams 2009 soft Kelvin Universe timeline reboot film of The Original Series crew being its best examples. Even when the perfect opportunity emerged in the animated series Prodigy that literally saw the core cast become honorary cadets, the institution was never made the focus. Now, we finally have that opportunity for that dedicated series with a new class as Starfleet Academy finally becomes a reality with a twist, it's a series set in the 32nd century, as the first era spinoff from Discovery, with much of the canon established in the 23rd and 24th centuries. Kerric Brooks and Bella Shepard, who play two of those cadets (not officially named yet), spoke to TrekMovie about how they describe the latest Paramount+ series.

Starfleet Academy Stars Kerric Brooks and Bella Shepard on Exploring Their Star Trek World

As far as what the two can say about Starfleet Academy, "New, exciting," Shepard said. "Hormonal [laughs]" Brooks added. "[laughs] It definitely throws you for a few loops," Shepard continued. "I say hormonal because we're young and we're figuring it out, as we are in real life. Definitely on the show, we're figuring it out," Brooks explained.

Shepard said the environment was "comforting" while adding that fans can expect "a lot of throwbacks and Easter eggs to earlier generations," which has been the trend on most of the new canon. Brooks added, "It's very championing. I wouldn't say other shows aren't that way, but I think it's very championing towards finding a brighter future for everybody."

Starfleet Academy will star a mix of older and younger talent with Oscar winner Holly Hunter playing the captain and chancellor of the institution. Joining Brooks and Shepard as cadets are George Hawkins, Karim Diané, Sandro Rosta, and Zoë Steiner. Franchise veterans, Tig Notaro, who reprises her Discovery role as Jett Reno, and Robert Picardo, who reprises his Voyager/Prodigy role as The Doctor, will also be in the main cast.

In recurring roles are two-time Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (Black Mirror), Gina Yashere (The Rubbish World of Dave Spud), and Tatiana Maslany (The Monkey). Guest stars include Discovery stars Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly) and Oded Fehr (Charles Vance), and WWE's Becky Lynch, who will play a bridge officer. Starfleet Academy is set for release in 2025/2026. For more, you can check out the full interview.