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

Starfleet Academy: Fehr on Holly Hunter, Refreshing Star Trek Optimism

Oded Fehr (House of David) on what's ahead for Admiral Charles Vance in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, working with Holly Hunter, and more.

When Oded Fehr made his debut as Fleet Admiral Charles Vance in Star Trek: Discovery season three as a way to introduce the franchise to the 32nd century, Starfleet was but a shell of its former self due to the catastrophic galactic-wide event known as the Burn, which rendered all warp travel inert. With the USS Discovery coming from the 23rd century with an experimental mycelium spore drive that allows for instantaneous travel, the ship had an edge over no other Federation ship had and was tasked to continue the mission. With the remaining two seasons and a restored fleet, Vance is doing everything he can to reestablish Starfleet across the galaxy as they rebuild. With Discovery's first 32nd-century spinoff in Starfleet Academy, the narrative now shifts to a new character, Captain Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter, who's not only taking charge of the USS Athena but also acts as Starfleet Academy's chancellor, leading a growing class of cadets to lead the next generation of explorers.

While promoting his work on the Prime Video biblical drama House of David, Fehr spoke to Bleeding Cool on how Starfleet Academy brings the back to basics optimism of the Gene Roddenberry franchise than facing bleak galactic crisis from the getgo, tease what's ahead for Vance after dealing with the heroics of Discovery's Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), where Vance fits in the Gaia Violo-created series, and his character's relationship with Hunter's Ake.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Oded Fehr on Vance's Role in the New Series with Holly Hunter's Nahla Ake.

I want to touch on Star Trek, and you did a wonderful job on Discovery. I'm certainly looking forward to what you have in store for Starfleet Academy. How the narrative shifts for Charles Vance, going from Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham to now, Holly Hunter's character Captain Nahla Ake, and how that shifts in the new show.

Holly Hunter's character is one that I fell out with as Admiral Vance years before, and now he comes to her wanting to start this project [of Starfleet Academy] again. They build their friendship back up again. It's a different type of relationship between the two in the sense that there's something very…you know that feeling every time you walk into a campus of a big college, and there's this sheer optimism in the air?

There is a very optimistic way of looking at the future, and everyone is living for that, looking towards the future, achieving greatness, and so on. There's something about that in the show that we're surrounded by all these young actors playing all these young students, all with their new experiences, new relationships, and the wonderful creation of this academy again, bringing the academy back. We hope that in creating this, we bring back the experience of doing what Star Trek was originally doing [in The Original Series] as we know it, traveling to new worlds, finding new civilizations. This show is a lot more optimistic and more cheerful, and allows Admiral Vance to be a little bit different as well.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which also features appearances from Discovery alum Mary Wiseman (Tilly) and Tig Notaro (Reno), and Voyager alum Robert Picardo (The Doctor), also stars Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Gina Yashere, Tatiana Maslany, Becky Lynch, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Giamatti, is set to premiere January 15 on Paramount+. Season two of House of David, which also stars Michael Iskander, Ali Suliman, Stephen Lang, Ayelet Zurer, Indy Lewis, Ethan Kai, and Martyn Ford, streams Sundays on Prime Video.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!