Star Trek: Starfleet Academy actress Holly Hunter heaped praise on the series’ USS Athena bridge set, calling it a “mythical” and “magical” playground she cannot resist walking through between takes.
During an interview (via the Steve Varley Show ), Hunter was asked what felt different about working on a massive futuristic starship set compared to her past projects. She immediately singled out the bridge of the USS Athena, explaining that all the show’s sets are built on neighboring stages, which means she often passes the bridge on her way to other parts of the production.
Hunter admitted that detouring through the bridge has become a ritual because, and she never wants to simply walk past it. “I go up the stairs, and I go through the bridge, because I love it so much,” Hunter said. “I don’t want to pass by without going through it.”
Trying to capture what makes the USS Athena set so special, Hunter described an almost intangible quality to the design and atmosphere. “There’s something, I don’t know, mythical about it. There’s something magical about it,” Hunter continued, emphasizing how much fun she has whenever she is on the bridge.
For the Oscar-winning actor, the Athena is far more than a technical backdrop filled with consoles and railings. “I have so much fun there. It’s such a playground,” Hunter explained before admitting that she has NOT "always felt that way about movie sets,” a remark that underlines just how unique Starfleet Academy’s flagship environment feels to her.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+. And for more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.