Excitement all round for Trekkies as it’s less than 2 months until Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres with a two-episode debut on January 15, 2026. There’s been all sorts flying round in the ether about just what kind of show this latest edition to the Trek Universe will be.
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Luckily, Trek legend Jonathan Frakes may have just given longtime fans exactly the kind of update they’ve been hoping for. In conversation with TrekMovie.com on the All Access Star Trek podcast, the Next Generation icon opened up about his work on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy—and his comments about its tone, cast, and storytelling are certainly raising expectations for what promises to be an ambitious new era for Starfleet:
“To its credit, Academy has lots of levity. First of all, Paul Giamatti is the villain. And I met him while he was there, and I am a massive fan of his—I think most actors are, and most people are. And I said, ‘How’s it been?’ He said, ‘I have been having such a good time.’ And then he leans in and says, ‘Maybe too good a time.’”
Starfleet Academy Brings Back a Classic Trek Ingredient
Frakes, who directed the penultimate episode of the show’s upcoming first season, revealed to TrekMovie.com that Starfleet Academy may have a youthful cast and fresh setting, but it isn’t abandoning the humor that makes classic Trek shows so enduring. Although Giamatti’s villain doesn’t appear in the episode Frakes directed, he reportedly saw enough of Giamatti’s performance to know that viewers are in for something special.
While Strange New Worlds, especially in its third and most recent series, has thrived on switching things up and experimenting with multiple genres and has erred (perhaps too far) into comedy on occasions, Frakes revealed on the podcast that Academy will have a more consistent tone while still containing plenty of funny moments.
“I search out the levity in any script, especially in the Treks… because there’s so much… And [on Academy] it’s there,” Frakes explained to TrekMovie.com “And it helps the rhythm of the cutting and the storytelling.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising that comedy will still be a big feature of the series, with a writer’s room that includes comedic talent such as Lower Decks star and comedian Tawny Newsome. With a cast full of returning Trek comic relief favorites such as Tig Notaro reprising her role as Jett Reno from Star Trek: Discovery (now a member of the faculty at the Academy), Stephen Colbert (The Late Show) as the voice of the “Digital Dean of Students” and Robert Picardo (adding his trademark humour returning as the EMH Doctor from Voyager), the series appears to be aiming for something fun, character-centric, and accessible — without losing the emotional stakes or sci-fi depth that fans expect.
For longtime fans who have been missing the more consistent blend of drama, charm, and character-driven humour that defined shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, Frakes’ comments bode well.
Why Old-School Fans Should Be Encouraged
Frakes has been part of Trek, on-screen and behind the camera, for more than 35 years, so it’s safe to say he knows what he’s talking about, and after such glowing reports, fans will be looking forward to a promising new series that hopefully won’t lose sight of the tone that has anchored Trek for decades.
Frakes also singled out Oscar winner Holly Hunter—who plays Captain Nahla Ake, the new 422-year-old, half-Lanthonite chancellor of Starfleet Academy—as a standout presence on set. Describing her as “well-prepared, instinctive, smart, clever,” Frakes praised her command of the role with the kind of enthusiasm that should grab the attention of even the most sceptical of fans.
For years, certain corners of the fandom have argued that modern Trek series have occasionally drifted too far into darker, heavier storytelling or too far towards the comedic side. While Star Trek has always explored serious themes and given us plenty of laughs, it’s that unique balance of earnestness, warmth, wit, and morality that has helped the franchise endure.
Frakes’ comments suggest that Starfleet Academy has nailed that balance. Most encouraging of all is that this isn’t just lip service. When Frakes, of all people, says the tone feels right, old-school fans have every reason to trust him. And if he’s right, this series might just deliver the nuanced tone fans have been asking for.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy lands in 2026 exclusively on Paramount+ with season 2 already underway in Toronto.
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