Paramount+’s new series Starfleet Academy has already dropped a few surprises. Still, one of the most intriguing Easter eggs may only be obvious to long-time fans of Star Trek: The Original Series. In the closing moments of the premiere episode, "Kids These Days," viewers are introduced to a mysterious black-and-white–faced alien cadet, an unmistakable visual callback to the Cheron species first introduced in the season 3 episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.”
That episode, which first aired in 1969, featured actor Frank Gorshin as Commissioner Bele, a Cheron pursuing his rival Lokai aboard the USS Enterprise. The stark black-and-white makeup, split precisely down the middle, symbolized the species’ self-destructive obsession with racial division.
On Cheron, those with the black half on the right side of their face oppressed people with the black half on the left. This was a clear but powerful metaphor for prejudice and intolerance. More than 50 years later, the same visual theme has come back to the Star Trek universe in a new story about education, diversity, and togetherness.
The unnamed Cheron cadet enrolled in Starfleet Academy shares the same black coloring on the right side, like Bele, as opposed to the left like Lokai.
Even though we don't know much about the new recruit yet, her short time with us hints that Starfleet Academy will continue the Trek tradition of using character design and species lore to talk about social issues. The Cheron were a warning in the first series: they were an advanced civilization that came apart because they couldn't stop being enemies.
Putting a young Cheron native in the Federation's most idealistic institution gives the species a chance to survive and even redeem itself. There are a lot of symbols. For example, the descendant of a world that was divided is now training with the brightest beings in the galaxy. This shows how the series has always wanted to improve and bring about peace.
The callback is a visual representation of Star Trek's habit of fusing classic concepts with fresh narrative. The series is immediately grounded in well-known canon thanks to the black-and-white pattern, which also indicates that the creative team is cognizant of Trek's deep-cut past.
It's a gratifying homage to one of the most iconic morality plays of the 1960s for devoted viewers. For newbies, it's a striking image that piques their interest. What kind of world creates someone like her, and what teachings may she bring to the academy halls?
If this premiere moment is any indication, Starfleet Academy intends to honor Trek’s past while challenging its future. By resurrecting a symbol of division in a story about unity, the series reminds audiences that even old conflicts can be reexamined through new perspectives, a lesson Star Trek has exemplified for nearly 60 years.
For more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.