Meet the determined Genesis Lythe.
Bella Shepard portrays one of the main cadets in the upcoming series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. However, her character, Genesis Lythe, isn't your everyday student. Lythe is a goal-centric cadet determined to forge her own path, as she is living in the shadow of a Federation admiral, and Lythe is the only Dar-sha among the show’s central five characters, the others being a Terran, Klingon, Khionian, and Kasqian. And Shepard is thrilled to be portraying such a “dynamic” female lead. Shepard said while appearing at this year’s Star Trek Universe panel at the New York Comic Con (via TrekMovie.com):
“It’s really special to me to get to play a female character that is so dynamic. I tell [the showrunners] Alex [Kurtzman] and Noga [Landau] all the time how freaking lucky I feel because she’s a leader, and she’s strong, and she’s smart. She’s also empathetic and caring and soft and vulnerable, and it feels so good to be able to bring a female character to life that is more than just one thing, because everybody is more than just one thing… I love Genesis, and she’s going be living in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Shepard is one of the more seasoned performers among her five contemporaries portraying the show’s primary group of cadets. With all the buzz surrounding the new sequel Wicked: For Good, it may surprise some to know that Shepard appeared in 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful. However, fans will undoubtedly recognize Shepard from her roles on the series A Girl Named Jo, Two Sides, and Wolf Pack. Starfleet Academy’s Genesis Lythe, though, is unlike any part she’s portrayed before. Shepard said during the same panel discussion:
“Genesis is a young woman with goals that she desperately needs to achieve. It’s kind of what drives her into joining Starfleet Academy. She’s the daughter of a Starfleet admiral, so she’s used to that kind of life. She kind of is comfortable with pressure and expectations, and we kind of get to see her go through the journey of figuring out life and realizing that you can’t meet perfection, because perfect is not real. And we kind of get to see her go through this beautiful arc.”
Shepard is an immensely talented performer, so Genesis Lythe could easily become another fan-favorite character for Trekkies to gush over. Do you think Genesis has a chance to live up to other powerful female Trek characters like Deanna Troi, Captain Janeway, and Seven of Nine, like this fan does? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Now, check out the official trailer for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and the new show drops on Jan. 15, 2026.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!