Yes, the face of the franchise will be in The Big Apple to celebrate Trek’s 60th anniversary.
One extremely important Star Trek icon, who was noticeably absent from the beloved science fiction franchise’s 60th anniversary celebration at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, will not be a no-show in The Big Apple this fall. Captain James T. Kirk himself, William Shatner, will attend New York Comic Con 2026 to celebrate Star Trek 60 (per the sci-fi saga's official Instagram account).
In addition to celebrating six decades of unparalleled Treks, the Star Trek Universe panel will also feature several actors from season 2 of Starfleet Academy, including everyone’s favorite EMH Doctor, Robert Picardo, who has appeared in the saga for over 30 years now between Voyager, Prodigy, and SFA.
Holly Hunter, who portrays the chancellor of Starfleet Academy and the captain of the USS Athena, Nahla Ake, will also be in attendance for the NYCC 2026 Star Trek Universe panel and Starfleet Academy season 2 preview, along with SFA mainstays Sandro Rosta (Caleb Mir), Bella Shepard (Genesis Lythe), and Karim Diane (Klingon cadet Jay-Den Kraag).
Starfleet Academy co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau will also join the Star Trek Universe panel in New York City, and the synopsis of SFA season 2 reads as follows (per Variety):
“[Starfleet Academy season 2] follows our cadets into their second year aboard the USS Athena. There, their ideals of leadership, friendship, romance and morality are put to the test as they navigate budding rivalries, shaky diplomatic negotiations, a fiercely competitive schoolwide tournament, and the arrival of a mysterious new cadet whose existence raises questions that could have consequences far beyond the classroom.”
I’m delighted that William Shatner is able to attend NYCC 2026, since a previous engagement kept him from joining the Star Trek Universe panel in San Diego. And while I’m excited that the Starfleet Academy synopsis has finally been released, I am a little disappointed that the season 2 debut date hasn’t been revealed yet.
The Star Trek Universe panel is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3:15 p.m. ET on NYCC's Empire Stage, but it will only last one hour. Share your comments with us about William Shatner attending, not to mention your thoughts on the Starfleet Academy synopsis, via the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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