Is there any chance of Giamatti returning for season 3?
Paul Giamatti's time running out at the end of season 1 was a crushing revelation, but, at least, Nus Braka wasn't, in fact, killed, and he will simply be defeated at the end of Starfleet Academy's first 10 episodes.
Imagine if Captain Kirk (William Shatner) had killed Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), or if Captain Picard and the Enterprise-D crew had somehow vanquished Q (John de Lancie) after his first appearance in The Next Generation’s “Encounter at Farpoint?” Those villains never would have gone down in Trek history!
Fortunately, during his same interview with The D-Con Chamber podcast, Giamatti left the door open for a possible return as Nus Braka in the future. The actor said:
"[Smiles] I mean, there's a possibility I could be returning, but I don't know [...] I would love to [return]."
Nus Braka is without question my favorite character on Starfleet Academy, and I can’t understand how Giamatti’s tenure on the new streaming series could be limited to only one season, if he isn't asked back for season 3 — should it be greenlit.
Certainly, I expected Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) and her cadets to triumph over Nus at the season’s conclusion, but I didn’t expect Giamatti to reveal in a surprise podcast appearance over the weekend that “the end of my little tenure on the show” was nigh!
How do you feel about the news that Nus Braka’s on-screen time won’t extend into season 2? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount Plus.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!