Posted in: Paramount+, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: paramount, preview, star trek, Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy Showrunners on Enrolling Robert Picardo/The Doctor

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau discuss "enrolling" Robert Picardo's The Doctor in the upcoming series.

When Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau landed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (SDCC 2024), they had some very big news to drop regarding their upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and how it's bringing aboard "Discovery" stars Tig Notaro (Jett Reno), Oded Fehr (Admiral Vance), and Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), and "Voyager & "Prodigy" star Robert Picardo (The Doctor). At a panel during this weekend's Star Trek: Las Vegas, Picardo "went rogue" – in a good way – by getting Kurtzman and Landau on the line to field a few questions. "We are starting at the end of the month [August]. We are very quickly barreling towards production at this point. The cast is starting to arrive, sets are being built, they're almost finished, and it's an incredibly exciting moment for everybody here in Toronto," Kurtzman shared regarding where things stand production-wise.

From there, Kurtzman and Landau shared why they chose to bring back Picardo's Doctor. For Kurtzman, it felt like a natural fit considering The Doctor's role on Netflix's animated series. "[If the audience has] seen 'Star Trek: Prodigy,' there's a lot of Doctor there – and obviously the Doctor is teaching cadets at Starfleet Academy. It seemed very logical to us that he would still be there in the 32nd Century." For Landau, a fondness for the character was also a factor. "I don't know if Bob [Robert Picardo] knows this, but the Doctor, like, raised me. So I was worried… that I would come on [the video call to pitch his return] and scare him away. But then I realized that nothing scares Bob Picardo!" Landau shared. "I sent him the script and told him a little bit about the part he would have in the show for the first season. He's going to do things we've never seen The Doctor do before — and The Doctor's done a lot, think about it! — and he said 'yes.' I don't think we had to twist his arm too hard, actually."

Produced by CBS Studio, the streaming series introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves – and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Paramount+'s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy stars Holly Hunter as the captain and chancellor, Paul Giamatti (Billions) as the season's villain; Kerrice Brooks (My Old Ass), Bella Shepard (Wolf Pack), George Hawkins (Tell Me Everything), Karim Diané (One Of Us Is Lying) and Zoë Steiner (Significant Others) as cadets; and recurring guest star Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) as an academy instructor. In addition, Tig Notaro ("Discovery"), Oded Fehr ("Discovery"), Mary Wiseman ("Discovery"), and Robert Picardo ("Voyager") have joined the series' cast. Notaro and Picardo join as series regulars, reprising their roles as Jett Reno and The Doctor. Meanwhile, Fehr and Wiseman are set as guest stars, reprising their roles as Admiral Vance and Sylvia Tilly.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners – with Kurtzman expected to direct the first two episodes – and will executive produce the series alongside executive producers Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, and John Weber. The series premiere episode is written by Violo, with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment – and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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