Star Trek has a famous actor taking on a major role in Starfleet Academy but not the one some fans were expecting.
Trekkies know the great actors who take part in front of the camera but often overlooked are the voice performers involved. For decades, Majel Barrett (Gene Roddenberry's wife) was a key one as the voice for the computer in various Star Trek series, always there to deliver the information in a cool and collected manner. Her voice was used in almost every Trek series which began with The Original Series all the way to the first installment of the J.J. Abrams movies. However, that was Barrett’s final performance before her death in 2008.
Since then, the voice has been handled by other actors and shifted a bit to fit each Trek series. They include Kay Bess voicing the SS La Sirena's computer, Bonnie Gordon on Prodigy‘s USS Protostar, and Annabelle Wallis as the USS Discovery’s sentient computer, Zora.
Now, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is adding a new and notable voice as Collider broke the news that Brit Marling will voice the USS Athena's computer in the upcoming spinoff. The ship is a training vessel and Starfleet Academy headquarters, which will be used by the cadets for various adventures.
Marling is well known to sci-fi fans for co-creating and starring in the cult Netflix series The OA. She also starred in dramas like A Murder At the End of the World and has the smooth voice needed to pull off the part.
It’s a fun turn as Marling joins another famous voice as part of the series.
Who is Stephen Colbert playing in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?
It had been buzzed about that Starfleet Academy would have another famous voice as part of the cast. That turned out to be Stephen Colbert, and it was reported in October that the late-night talk show host would be providing his voice for “morning announcements” for the Academy.
Some fans had actually hoped Colbert would voice the USS Athena's computer. That would be fun with his snide talk, and it's easy to imagine the computer openly arguing or lecturing the cadets. Instead, Colbert is going for this smaller part, which is more humorous.
It’s not unlike how the CW’s Batwoman series had MSNBC host Rachel Maddow provide her voice as radio host Vesper Fairchild. It’s a fun bit for Colbert, who’s currently winding down his time as host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. A longtime Trek fan, Colbert clearly enjoys taking part in this new endeavor.
The new voice for the computer makes sense as Academy is set in the 32nd century, so obviously Starfleet wouldn’t be using the same voice for their computers. A younger actress also fits the Academy vibe, and Marling knows how to handle sci-fi.
So keep your ears peeled when Starfleet Academy premieres next year to hear Marling add to the legacy of the computer voices and let Star Trek grow more! And for more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres January 15, 2026, on Paramount+.