Star Trek Shots

Holly Hunter, Kerrice Brooks, and Robert Picardo inside the shuttlecraft set, filmed from outside the cockpit window during production of "The Life of the Stars". Picardo discussed working long shooting hours alongside his younger fellow castmates: "...Pace-wise, mentally, the fourteen-hour shooting days — is a challenge, but they’re so delightful to be around. They’re committed to their roles, very serious about their work. You want to work with actors who take the work seriously, but not themselves too seriously. They seem to have really good senses of themselves, of what a long career will be, and their heads are screwed on right. That’s very refreshing for me to see in all of these wonderful young performers."

Holly Hunter, Kerrice Brooks, and Robert Picardo on the set of "The Life of the Stars", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Robert Picardo inside the shuttlecraft set as a camera crane films from outside the cockpit window during production of "The Life of the Stars". Picardo discussed working long shooting hours alongside his younger fellow castmates: "...Pace-wise, mentally, the fourteen-hour shooting days — is a challenge, but they’re so delightful to be around. They’re committed to their roles, very serious about their work. You want to work with actors who take the work seriously, but not themselves too seriously. They seem to have really good senses of themselves, of what a long career will be, and their heads are screwed on right. That’s very refreshing for me to see in all of these wonderful young performers."

Filming Robert Picardo on the shuttlecraft set during production of "The Life of the Stars", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Kerrice Brooks walks in front the LED volume depicting 32nd century San Francisco during production of "Series Acclimation Mil". Brooks enthused about working with Cirroc Lofton, who had not appeared in a STAR TREK production since DEEP SPACE NINE concluded in 1999: "Cirroc was everything. Shout out to Cirroc. He made me step up my game in a lot of ways. I can't say he was rusty. I will say there was one [time] where we shot like five scenes a day, and I just did not know that one by heart, because it was the last scene. I was hoping to God we did not get to it, but we ended up getting to it, and so we were in it together, but I felt really taken care of by him. Yo, he was amazing. I felt like he was literally the big brother that I needed as SAM, but also as Kerrice."

Kerrice Brooks on the set of "Series Acclimation Mil", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Tig Notaro in costume as Commander Jett Reno in a Starfleet Academy classroom, a publicity photo for STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Season One. According to Notaro, she and her brother watched STAR TREK together as children. When she attempted to introduce the franchise to her own kids, the reception was less than enthusiastic: "I've tried to show my kids the show. When they were really little, they were only interested in watching the spaceship fly by. Anytime I was on camera, they were like, 'Go back to the spaceship.'"

Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno, STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Mary Wiseman returns as DISCOVERY's Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly: A visiting instructor arrives at the Academy and uses an unorthodox method to help our cadets process the emotions of recent trauma in "The Life of the Stars".

Mary Wiseman as Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly in "The Life of the Stars", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno in the command chair of the USS Athena during a Starfleet Academy training simulation. According to Notaro, she and her brother watched STAR TREK together as children. When she attempted to introduce the franchise to her own kids, the reception was less than enthusiastic: "I've tried to show my kids the show. When they were really little, they were only interested in watching the spaceship fly by. Anytime I was on camera, they were like, 'Go back to the spaceship.'"

Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno in "The Life of the Stars", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Paul Giamatti (with a clapper in front of him) holding a model of the NX-01 during filming of "Come, Let's Away" A major fan of STAR TREK, Giamatti admitted he was surprised he received the offer to play Nus-topher Braka: “I didn't actually think I'd ever actually get a call! I made no secret about the fact that I loved the show, but I never thought it would actually be something that would happen… It's a top experience for me. I don't know that much else can top this. I still kind of can't believe that I got to do it."

Paul Giamatti on the set of "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

A camera operator films Karim Diané and George Hawkins on the set of "Ko'Zeine" Regarding the introduction of non-heterosexual Klingons through his character, Jay-Den Kraag, Diané had this to say: "Star Trek has always pushed boundaries. In the 1960s, Nichelle Nichols was a Black woman in a leadership role on prime-time television during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. She received hate mail for it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged her to stay because of what it meant. Today, it’s a gay Klingon who happens to be Black. History tends to resist progress before it celebrates it.”

Karim Diané and George Hawkins on the set of "Ko'Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Paul Giamatti (with a clapper in front of him) holding a model of the NX-01 during filming of "Come, Let's Away" A major fan of STAR TREK, Giamatti admitted he was surprised he received the offer to play Nus-topher Braka: “I didn't actually think I'd ever actually get a call! I made no secret about the fact that I loved the show, but I never thought it would actually be something that would happen… It's a top experience for me. I don't know that much else can top this. I still kind of can't believe that I got to do it."

Paul Giamatti on the set of "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Director Larry Teng jokes with Robert Picardo on the set of "Series Acclimation Mil". Picard discussed working long shooting hours alongside his younger fellow castmates: "...Pace-wise, mentally, the fourteen-hour shooting days — is a challenge, but they’re so delightful to be around. They’re committed to their roles, very serious about their work. You want to work with actors who take the work seriously, but not themselves too seriously. They seem to have really good senses of themselves, of what a long career will be, and their heads are screwed on right. That’s very refreshing for me to see in all of these wonderful young performers."

Director Larry Teng with Robert Picardo on the set of "Series Acclimation Mil", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Mary Wiseman returns as DISCOVERY's Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly: A visiting instructor arrives at the Academy and uses an unorthodox method to help our cadets process the emotions of recent trauma in "The Life of the Stars".

Mary Wiseman as Lieutenant Sylvia Tilly in "The Life of the Stars", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

A camera operator films Karim Diané and George Hawkins on the set of "Ko'Zeine" Regarding the introduction of non-heterosexual Klingons through his character, Jay-Den Kraag, Diané had this to say: "Star Trek has always pushed boundaries. In the 1960s, Nichelle Nichols was a Black woman in a leadership role on prime-time television during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. She received hate mail for it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged her to stay because of what it meant. Today, it’s a gay Klingon who happens to be Black. History tends to resist progress before it celebrates it.”

Karim Diané and George Hawkins on the set of "Ko'Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag photographed on the set of in "Ko’Zeine". Exceptionally engaged with the STAR TREK fan community, Diané revealed that he had trepidation taking on the role of Jay-Den, knowing there would be ugly online discourse around the character's sexuality and even attire, but he said, "...what matters more is this: over the past few weeks since this show premiered, I've received countless messages from LGBTQ+ people around the world... people who feel seen, validated, and inspired by Jay-Den. Those messages outweigh every bit of negativity. Every single time."

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag in "Ko’Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag working it in a Starfleet-issue skirt in "Ko’Zeine", about which Diané wrote on Instagram: "The skirt discourse is wild. Klingons do not fear polyester. Some humans clearly do."

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag in "Ko’Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag working it in a Starfleet-issue skirt in "Ko’Zeine", about which Diané wrote on Instagram: "The skirt discourse is wild. Klingons do not fear polyester. Some humans clearly do."

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag in "Ko’Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag working it in a Starfleet-issue skirt in "Ko’Zeine". Exceptionally engaged with the STAR TREK fan community, Diané revealed that he had trepidation taking on the role of Jay-Den, knowing there would be ugly discourse around the character's sexuality and even attire, but he said, "...what matters more is this: over the past few weeks since this show premiered, I've received countless messages from LGBTQ+ people around the world... people who feel seen, validated, and inspired by Jay-Den. Those messages outweigh every bit of negativity. Every single time."

Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag in "Ko’Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Portrait of Dale Whibley and Karim Diané, whose characters Kyle and Jay-Den are romantically involved, on the set of "Ko’Zeine". Diané was surprised by the vocal but totally stupid and insignificant online backlash to Jay-Den Kraag entering into a same-sex relationship: "I genuinely cannot believe that a gay character on a TV show in 2026 can cause this much commotion. I don’t know what I thought. Y’all have to understand that I live in New York City. So you could be purple in Brooklyn, and nobody cares. Nobody gives a shit, you know what I mean? So when I come to the Internet, and I see all these feathers being ruffled it’s jarring. Nevertheless, I guess it signals that there’s more work to do” to achieve LGBTQ+ acceptance."

Dale Whibley and Karim Diané on the set of "Ko’Zeine", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Robert Picardo in a very "The Doctor" pose during production of "Come, Let's Away". Picardo said the return of The Doctor was due in part to the character's role in STAR TREK: PRODIGY: "STARFLEET ACADEMY is set in the far distant future in the 32nd century. Starfleet, which basically fell apart in this future tragedy called ‘the Burn,’ has been reconstituted, and this is the first entering class at Starfleet Academy in more than a hundred years. And my character is teaching there. And I think that frankly, at least according to our producer, who we both know well, Alex Kurtzman, he said PRODIGY that seeing the doctor teach cadets on Prodigy, his exact words, that it made complete sense, that he would be teaching cadets in Starfleet Academy in the future. So I really do think that my stint on PRODIGY helped open, that [door]."

Robert Picardo on the set of "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

A camera crane follows Kerrice Brooks on the atrium set during filming of "Series Acclimation Mil". Discussing the size and immersion of the USS Athena/Starfleet Academy sets, Brooks said much of her performance consisted of real reactions to the environment: "And we didn’t even have to act either, because we were so in the environment at all times. We were reacting to some real stuff. Like, 'That was real!' Everything about it. Even in the ship and we were rocking and wigs were flying off and teeth were coming out. Like it was a lot, but it was fun."

Kerrice Brooks during filming of "Series Acclimation Mil", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

A-camera operator Michael Carr films Holly Hunter on the set of "Kids These Days". According to a feature on STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY in the February 2026 issue of American Cinematographer, the visual language was crafted by series cinematographers Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, Maya Bankovic, and Philip Lanyon to create an "intimate yet expansive visual language for this 32nd-century", utilizing the massive LED volume at Pinewood Studios Toronto: "The production balances cutting-edge virtual technology with a warm, character-driven aestheti designed to hold up on the largest screens possible."

Camera operator Michael Carr and Holly Hunter on the set of "Kids These Days", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake on the bridge of the USS Athena during a joint training mission with the Starfleet War College. In an interview with Collider, Hunter discussed her character's mental state in the episode as it relates to her backstory and the larger state of the STAR TREK Universe: "I think she makes a mistake that she can't live with. The Federation is a severe outfit at the beginning of this show. At the beginning of STARFLEET ACADEMY, they are still recovering from The Burn and from some of the restrictions that they instilled after The Burn. But nevertheless, I think Nahla really takes some of those steps that she was responsible for when she quits. And I think that child, she feels compelled to make that right, as mysterious as that is to search the galaxy for a person who is orphaned, possibly. I love the mysticalness of that, and I love that there was something deeply mysterious about that search. We all make mistakes. I don't know."

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, and Romeo Carere as Ocam Sadal stand among their fellow cadets during the training mission to the USS Miyazaki. STARFLEET ACADEMY Costume Designer Avery Plewes worked with STAR TREK: DISCOVERY's Gersha Phillips (who established the look of the 32nd century's attire) before taking the reins in the new series: "Co-designing with her, I learned so much about workflow, building, and pushing the absolute limits of what is possible from her. She taught me to seek out new ways to simplify and find opportunities to go hard. I've never met someone with so much energy in my life... a force doesn't even begin to do justice as to what she is capable of. Often in awe of her skills and talent, 1AM eternally grateful for the baton that was passed my way."

Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, and Romeo Carere as Ocam Sadal (among others) in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal among fellow War College cadets aboard the USS Athena. Steiner reflected on "Come, Let's Away" and Tarima's development over the course of the episode: "This was a huge episode for me, and it was such a gift as an actor to go to that depth emotionally. I think, for Tarima, we really see in [this episode] her reckoning with and coming to terms with her power. We can obviously talk about Betazoids and their sensitivity, and their empathic abilities. But I think that sometimes [we] forget about what that means in terms of how much power is truly within her. And we see her really coming to terms with that, and being able to see her sensitivity as a strength, even like a superpower rather than a weakness.”

Zoë Steiner as Tarima Sadal in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake addressing the cadets aboard the USS Athena during a joint training mission with the War College. In an interview with Collider, Hunter discussed her character's mental state in the episode as it relates to her backstory and the larger state of the STAR TREK Universe: "I think she makes a mistake that she can't live with. The Federation is a severe outfit at the beginning of this show. At the beginning of STARFLEET ACADEMY, they are still recovering from The Burn and from some of the restrictions that they instilled after The Burn. But nevertheless, I think Nahla really takes some of those steps that she was responsible for when she quits. And I think that child, she feels compelled to make that right, as mysterious as that is to search the galaxy for a person who is orphaned, possibly. I love the mysticalness of that, and I love that there was something deeply mysterious about that search. We all make mistakes. I don't know."

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

unexpectedly delightful character

Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, and Romeo Carere as Ocam Sadal stand among their fellow cadets during the training mission to the USS Miyazaki. STARFLEET ACADEMY Costume Designer Avery Plewes worked with STAR TREK: DISCOVERY's Gersha Phillips (who established the look of the 32nd century's attire) before taking the reins in the new series: "Co-designing with her, I learned so much about workflow, building, and pushing the absolute limits of what is possible from her. She taught me to seek out new ways to simplify and find opportunities to go hard. I've never met someone with so much energy in my life... a force doesn't even begin to do justice as to what she is capable of. Often in awe of her skills and talent, 1AM eternally grateful for the baton that was passed my way."

Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, and Romeo Carere as Ocam Sadal (among others) in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Raoul Bhaneja as Commander Zeeren Kelrec aboard the USS Athena during a joint training mission with the War College. Bhaneja contrasted his character's mindset with that of Holly Hunter's Captain Ake, in the post-Burn STAR TREK Universe: "Kelrec’s only known the Burn world, right? Where Ake lived in the ‘before times,’ in a sense – so it makes him skeptical that things could have really been like the way she describes, or could be again. He wants to believe in the principles of it, but he’s nevery actually seen it. So that makes it difficult when he’s seen basically war and bloodshed and horror."

Raoul Bhaneja as Commander Zeeren Kelrec in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Raoul Bhaneja as Commander Zeeren Kelrec and Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake addressing the cadets aboard the USS Athena during a joint training mission with the War College. In an interview with Collider, Hunter discussed her character's mental state in the episode as it relates to her backstory and the larger state of the STAR TREK Universe: "I think she makes a mistake that she can't live with. The Federation is a severe outfit at the beginning of this show. At the beginning of STARFLEET ACADEMY, they are still recovering from The Burn and from some of the restrictions that they instilled after The Burn. But nevertheless, I think Nahla really takes some of those steps that she was responsible for when she quits. And I think that child, she feels compelled to make that right, as mysterious as that is to search the galaxy for a person who is orphaned, possibly. I love the mysticalness of that, and I love that there was something deeply mysterious about that search. We all make mistakes. I don't know."

Raoul Bhaneja as Commander Zeeren Kelrec and Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake addressing the cadets aboard the USS Athena during a joint training mission with the War College. In an interview with Collider, Hunter discussed her character's mental state in the episode as it relates to her backstory and the larger state of the STAR TREK Universe: "I think she makes a mistake that she can't live with. The Federation is a severe outfit at the beginning of this show. At the beginning of STARFLEET ACADEMY, they are still recovering from The Burn and from some of the restrictions that they instilled after The Burn. But nevertheless, I think Nahla really takes some of those steps that she was responsible for when she quits. And I think that child, she feels compelled to make that right, as mysterious as that is to search the galaxy for a person who is orphaned, possibly. I love the mysticalness of that, and I love that there was something deeply mysterious about that search. We all make mistakes. I don't know."

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in "Come, Let's Away", STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY (2026)

they always do that smh