Legacy meets youthful energy
Several moments in the Starfleet Academy footage work overtime to connect these newcomers to Trek’s past. Holly Hunter, who plays Nahla Ake, explicitly calls back to William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy’s era, reminding viewers that Kirk and Spock were themselves Starfleet Academy graduates and framing the new series as a bridge between those veterans and today’s cadets.
Tig Notaro, who reprise's the role of Jett Reno, reinforces that bridge, noting that the show carries a “traditional Star Trek vibe and world” even as it filters everything through younger eyes and a more chaotic campus energy.
Quick flashes of pyrotechnics, battles, and starship shots promise that this won’t just be dorm drama, but a fully fledged Trek adventure space, complete with the USS Athena serving as a mobile extension of the Academy.