One of the key stars of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is opening up about her chemistry with co-star Sandro Rosta. The second episode of Starfleet Academy, “Beta Test,” introduced another major character in Tarima Sadal (Zoe Steiner), the President of Betazed's daughter, and the story showcased Tarima and Caleb Mir (Rosta) meeting with some obvious chemistry.
Steiner spoke about her chemistry with Rosta by saying (per TrekMovie.com), "He’s an amazing actor. He’s so present. He gives so much. I like, I didn’t have my work cut out for me, if you know what I mean. Like, I just had to be there with him and listen, he’s the best. I’m glad the chemistry translated, because we felt it in real life."
The unique storyline featured the Federation trying to talk Betazed into dropping their great wall, which, hopefully, would result in the Betazoids rejoining the organization. Caleb was pressured to sway Tarima into convincing her father to rejoin, while he also used her to get information on his missing mother’s whereabouts.
That led to tension with Tarima feeling used, but Caleb apologized to her. They also bonded over Tarima having to handle her telepathic powers and both feeling like outcasts. The episode ended with Tarima staying in San Francisco, only joining the War College rather than Starfleet Academy.
It was obvious there were some romantic sparks flying, even close to a kiss, although they were interrupted by Tarima’s dad. However, it’s obvious how the actors connected to make the characters shine, and the fans can only hope we’re seeing the start of Starfleet Academy’s first shippable couple.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+. And for more Star Trek content, visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.