In a previous review, I said Star Trek was on life support. That’s still the case, but… do we have a slight pulse with episode 6?
Well. It finally happened. An episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy that didn’t make me want to immediately rewatch Deep Space Nine just to cleanse my soul.
Now — before anyone gets too excited — let’s be clear. The bar was buried somewhere beneath Qo’noS after the glitter-sick, wood-joke, nostalgia-bait marathon of episode five. So when I say episode six is “better,” understand that we’re talking about stepping over a puddle, not climbing a mountain.
But still… improvement is improvement.
The Now-Traditional Academy Opening
We begin, as is now tradition, with teen drama.
Longing stares. A bedroom scene. Modern music layered over emotional angst.
Nothing says “the disciplined future of Starfleet” like awkward eye contact and contemporary pop vibes. Right?
The show continues to lean heavily into relationship drama before we even get to the final frontier. It’s such a tonal mismatch for Star Trek that it almost feels deliberate at this point. And yet — once the actual plot kicks in — there’s at least a concept worth exploring.
A training exercise that goes wrong.
Now that is classic Trek territory.
A Good Premise… Done Better Before
The idea of a simulated or structured exercise spiralling out of control is absolutely fertile ground. It’s tense. It reveals characters under pressure. It tests leadership.
And as I was watching, one episode kept popping into my head:
“Peak Performance” from TNG.
In that episode, Starfleet stages a war game to test readiness. Riker commands an outdated Hathaway against Picard’s Enterprise-D. Meanwhile, Data struggles with a crisis of confidence after being outmanoeuvred. There are no flashy gimmicks. No over-the-top theatrics. Just professional officers navigating competition, pride, and growth.
When the Ferengi unexpectedly enter the equation, the exercise turns real — and the characters rise to the occasion because they are well trained, competent officers.
That’s the difference.
Peak Performance is about professionalism under pressure.
Episode six of Academy is about cadets scrambling while chaos unfolds around them.
So, the premise is solid. The execution? Patchy.
Caleb The Miracle Worker (Again)
Caleb continues his transformation into a full-blown Gary Stu.
Life support has failed on a “destroyed” vessel.
No problem.
One corridor access panel.
A bit of programmable matter.
And apparently the entire ship’s life support system is fixed.
Just like that.
Star Trek engineering has always been technical, layered, and collaborative. Scotty didn’t just tap a wall and shout “Och, that’ll do it!”
Geordi didn’t wave his hand over a console and restore atmosphere.
This felt effortless in a way that removes tension entirely.
The Cannibal Aliens Who Aren’t Scary
The antagonists of this episode are cannibalistic aliens. The Furies.
On paper? Great.
In execution? Not so much.
The makeup choices are odd — their faces move in a strange, distorted way that immediately reminded me of Star Trek: Enterprise’s Silik when he was in that temporally distorted environment.
It worked there because the entire room was affected.
Here? It’s just their faces.
It looks inconsistent and unintentionally distracting.
And then there’s the dialogue. I genuinely couldn’t understand what they were saying. I had to turn the volume up to neighbour-annoying levels — and even then it was muddy.
This has become a worrying trend in modern Trek. I may genuinely need subtitles for half these episodes.
Admiral Vance… Threatening To Beat Someone?
I like Admiral Vance. Well, I like the actor. I like the gravitas he can deliver.
But in this episode, he threatens to physically beat a man.
Yes, the villain is a bit of a knob.
But Admirals don’t go around threatening to punch people. They set the example. They embody Federation restraint. That’s the whole point of the uniform.
The delivery is solid. The writing is not.
Redshirts, Freak-Outs, And A Gold Sticker
We do get predictable deaths here — and honestly, I won’t complain too much. Trek has always had its Redshirt moments.
What did bother me was the cadet who swallowed her combadge earlier in the season completely losing it at the sight of a dead officer on the view-screen.
Yes, it’s traumatic.
But the freak-out was so exaggerated it felt theatrical rather than human.
However — credit where it’s due — she is removed from the bridge.
That is the correct call.
However, if it was me, I’d go further: if you cannot maintain composure in crisis, you shouldn’t be in Starfleet.
So for once: I award a gold sticker for command decision-making.
Paul Giamatti: Great Actor, Clunky Script
Paul Giamatti returns, and again — he’s clearly a phenomenal actor doing his best with what he’s given. And you can tell he had a ball being on Star Trek.
However, the quirky, eccentric villain trope is tired.
The noughts-and-crosses shaved into his head? I don’t understand it. Symbolism? Fashion? Regretful barber choice?
His scenes with Captain Ake have some tension. But where is the security detail? Where is the First Officer firmly saying, “Absolutely not, sir”?
I miss William Riker-style firmness. The kind of first officer who would physically step between danger and his captain without hesitation. An officer who stands by his principles, respects the chain of command, but knows when to challenge upwards.
Here? It’s all strangely relaxed.
Holly Hunter: Expressive, But Dwarfed
Holly Hunter does some solid expression-based acting opposite Giamatti. In quieter scenes, she sells emotion well.
But once she’s in that oversized captain’s chair?
She loses me.
It’s almost visual metaphor at this point. The chair dwarfs her — and so does the command presence she’s trying to project.
She’s not commanding the room. She’s just sitting in it.
Visuals: Decent CGI, Questionable Set Dressing
The CGI is solid. Space looks good.
But the cinematography is dark and scenes cut-heavy. The “Miyazaki” ship set is particularly dim — and the corridors are dressed in something that genuinely reminded me of Ross’s leather pants from Friends.
What is that texture?
It feels like very cheap set recycling from either Academy itself or Strange New Worlds.
Trek has always been great at set redresses, but it’s never this blatant with what is basically bin bags lining the corridors.
Quoting The Past… Again
We get a Spock quote.
Of course we do.
This show continues its obsession with “Remember this Trek line?” moments.
But this is set 1000 years in the future.
Have there been no memorable officers since the 24th century? No new quotes? No legends?
Where is the world-building?
The Sound Of Music… In The 32nd Century
Why would an alien know or quote The Sound of Music?
It’s an Earth film from centuries ago.
Star Trek used to treat Earth culture references carefully — they were contextualised. Here, they’re just tossed in without thought.
It’s nonsensical.
Canon Headaches
There’s a comic book about the Miyazaki — a ship from 150 years ago in their timeline — yet the characters in it wear TOS-style uniforms.
Why?
And I’m fairly certain the Vulcan cadet had red blood in one shot.
It should be green.
I’m not watching the episode again though, so I’ll never know for sure, unless someone else cares to check and tell me.
These details matter because they signal care. If they don’t care, then why should I.
It really does feel like the writers don’t care.
Superpowers In Starfleet?
Sam gets shot. She’s a hologram. She can make herself permeable.
Yet she keeps being used like a quasi-superhero who can touch-hack computers.
Tarima the Betazoid also uses her “abilities” to conveniently solve the sticky alien problem.
At times, this feels less like Starfleet and more like a bad teen version of X-Men.
A Glimmer Of Professionalism
I didn’t mind some of the bridge scenes with Genesis and Darem.
They felt like cadets trying to prove themselves. Solving a cloaking issue using a probe. Celebrating praise from senior officers.
That’s some of the good stuff.
That’s the Academy concept working — just briefly.
And speaking of the bridge. Do you remember being awkwardly introduced to the bridge crew in episode one? Where have they gone and why was time spent introducing characters we barely see?
Predictable Ending, Weightless Climax
Of course Giamatti’s Braka double-crosses the Federation.
Of course he was working with the cannibal aliens.
Of course he gets what he wants.
The Federation just comes off as incompetent again.
Why would the planet that the Federation supplies just randomly agree to have their supplies stopped?
And Braka’s final boarding of a station? This happens off-screen. We’re told about it. We don’t see it.
No weight. No impact.
Final Verdict
Episode six is an improvement, but only because the bar was subterranean.
It still feels like non-Trek far too often. It still leans into teen drama and modern tone. It still treats canon far too casually.
But at least it attempted something resembling Star Trek structure.
My score remains:
Major Reshoots Required
There’s four episodes to go.
Will this slight upward trajectory continue? Is it just a little blip on T’Pols scanner?
Or will we return to glitter-sick, longing stares, got-wood jokes, and boldly staying on the surface of Earth.
The former would be lovely, but history so far suggests the latter.
And let’s be honest, even a dramatic improvement in writing wouldn’t save this show, or Star Trek.
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