Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s first two episodes are absolutely packed with a stunning number of deep Easter eggs and references. We’re headed to the far future of the Star Trek timeline, as we boldly go where every starship captain has gone before – to Starfleet Academy, reopening on Earth in the 32nd century. These students have all grown up after a cosmic event known as “the Burn,” at a time when the Federation is being re-established.
Videos by ComicBook.com
There’s a sense in which Starfleet Academy is the perfect 60th anniversary show for this franchise, in large part because the Academy is the perfect place for Easter eggs. There’s even a memorial wall listing characters from throughout the franchise’s history, honoring heroes of the past. But that’s not all; here’s every Easter egg and reference in the first two episodes.
Starfleet Academy’s Dedication Mural Is Packed With Easter Eggs & References
The dedication mural has countless familiar names, including the entire Enterprise crew from Star Trek: The Original Series, even minor characters such as Commander Janice Rand. One particularly delightful revelation is that Nyota Uhura became a captain, because she’s listed as Captain Uhura. Midshipman First Class Peter Preston is name-dropped – Scotty’s nephew from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There’s even Hikaru Sulu’s daughter, Demora, who apparently became a captain too.
The Next Generation crew is similarly well-represented, although Wesley Crusher is oddly identified as “Lt. JG Wesley Crusher” – a rank he never attained. There are some oddities with Deep Space Nine references, with a simple reference to “Dax” that leaves it open to interpretation which version of Dax we’re referring to. Garak is listed as an ambassador, revealing his post-DS9 story too. Quite a few Voyager names are visible, and it seems Harry Kim eventually became an Admiral.
There are a few names from Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as several from Discovery. The strangest is Dr. Hugh Culber, raising the possibility this part of the memorial wall hasn’t been updated since Discovery was believed destroyed in the 23rd century. Only Christopher Pike’s name can be seen from Strange New Worlds, presumably keeping other character fates secret for that show’s final season. There are a couple of names from Lower Decks, including Commander Beckett Mariner and Captain Carl Freedman, while Zero the Third may be Zero from Prodigy.
There are a few out-of-universe names, but the most touching is Peter David – the legendary Star Trek novelist who sadly passed away last year. No doubt more Easter eggs will become visible as we see more of the memorial wall over the course of the season.
Key Alien Races in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
There are a staggering number of alien races in Starfleet Academy, suggesting quite a few planets have relations with the Federation. We spotted Saurians, Orions, Vulcans, Ferengi, a delightful Brikar from Prodigy, and there’s even a Cheronian female. This last appearance is quite shocking, because the Cheronians were believed rendered extinct in Star Trek: The Original Series, although an unnamed Cheronian appeared in Section 31, already contradicting that.
The cast of Starfleet Academy include several notable takeaways. Gina Yashere’s Commander Lura Thok is half-Klingon and half-Jem’Hadar, Karim Diane’s Jay-Den Kraag is a Klingon, and Holly Hunter’s Chancellor Nahla Ake is a Lanthian – a humanoid race first seen in Strange New Worlds. Paul Giamatti’s villainous Nus Braka is half-Tellarite and half-Klingon. The second episode brings back the Betazoids as a major plot.
The U.S.S. Athena is an Important Ship
Starfleet Academy is centered arond the U.S.S. Athena, a new name for a Federation starship. It’s an important reference, though, hinting at the double nature of this new Starfleet Academy; Athena was the ancient Greek goddess of both wisdom and warfare. In the same way, cadets will train both at Starfleet and the War College.
Humpback Whales Give James T. Kirk a New Legacy
Tarima is delighted to get the chance to see humpback whales, but there’s more to this story than seems at first glance. The Voyage Home revealed whales had gone extinct by Captain Kirk’s time, but the crew of the Enterprise brought them back via time travel. It seems the whales have survived into the 32nd century. It’s likely Tarima actually wanted to see the other sentient race on Earth, to get a different perspective on the planet.
Every Other Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Easter Egg
In addition, Starfleet Academy‘s first two episodes feature some tremendous Easter eggs:
- The V’Rilik penal colony is on the planet Toloth, first referenced in Strange New World – although a member of the Federation at that time. Now, it appears to be part of an unknown empire.
- Chancellor Ake references the classic Latin phrase “Ad Astra Per Aspera” (Through adversity to the stars”), lifted from a plague at Cape Canaveral honoring the Apollo I crew and used frequently throughout the franchise’s history.
- There’s an atrium named after Enterprise‘s Hoshi Sato, a memorial to The Next Generation‘s legendary character Boothy, and a James T. Kirk Pavillion.
- There’s also a surprise Red Dwarf Easter egg, with a line about Gazpacho soup being cold.
What do you think of Starfleet Academy? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Madhouse -
Courtesy of David Production -
Image Courtesy of Studio Pierrot
