4. Cadets fans can truly invest in
A setting like Starfleet Academy only works if we care deeply about the cadets themselves. Fortunately, there is a “core five” at the center of the story, and this is where the writers can build lasting emotional investment.
Each cadet must be distinct and flawed, with arcs that earn their growth. Fans aren’t just looking for archetypes or diversity quotas; they want personalities that feel honest. One of the most promising new characters is Tarima Sadal, a Betazoid rumored to be brilliant but empathetically overwhelmed by sensing so many young minds at once.
That concept has huge potential; especially if her struggle becomes a study in emotional resilience and mental health, two topics often sidelined in Star Trek’s future.
Meanwhile, the rest of the core group should balance humor, idealism, and cultural tension. Show us an Andorian from a post-war generation, a human raised on a colony far from Federation space, maybe even a Ferengi exchange student challenging the Academy’s rules of resource ethics.
Cadets with layered backgrounds bring Trek’s utopian ideals back into focus, ideals built through understanding, not assumption.