Star Trek: Starfleet Academyboasts the franchise’s most exciting new villain sinceStar Trek: Picardseason 3 introduced Amanda Plummer as Captain Vadic.Starfleet Academy,executive produced by co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, is currently in production at theStar Trek Stagein Toronto, Canada. Targeting a 2026 premiere on Paramount+,Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis headlined by Academy Award winner Holly Hunter andAcademy Award nominee Paul Giamatti, who plays the show’s recurring villain.
Star Trekboasts a cavalcade of legendary villains like Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) and the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), butit’s not oftenStar TrekTV series announce their villains beforehand. Star Trek on Paramount+’s shows like to keep as much under wraps as possible to avoid spoilers. A recent exception isStar Trek: Picardseason 3, which revealed from the outset thatAmanda Plummer was playing the villainous Vadic. Not only is PlummerStar Trekroyalty as the daughter of Christopher Plummer, who playedStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country’s heavy, General Chang, but Amanda left fans breathless with her villainous turn as Vadic inPicardseason 3.
Paul Giamatti Is Star Trek’s Most Exciting New Villain
Move over, Captain Vadic
Casting Paul Giamatti inStar Trek: Starfleet Academyis a major coup, and setting the Emmy and Golden Globe winner up as the nextStar Trekshow’s villain is ideal.Giamatti is a highly respected actor and an A-list starwho has delivered multiple barnburner performances in films likeSidewaysandThe Holdovers,and TV series likeJohn AdamsandBillions.Giamatti is also a lifelongStar Trekfan who is now living his dream of being part of the franchise. Certainly, Paul Giamatti will garner curious audiences to take a look atStarfleet Academy, as he’s among themost unexpected actors cast inStar Trek.
Where You’ve Seen Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s Cast Before
Star Trek’s next series, Starfleet Academy, counts Academy Award-caliber actors and a crew of new faces in its growing cast.
The details of who Paul Giamatti is playing inStar Trek: Starfleet Academyare being kept under wraps. Giamatti has always wanted to play a Klingon, butit’s unknown what form Paul’sStarfleet Academyvillain will take.Giamatti is also only recurring inStarfleet Academy,but there’s no doubt Paul will maximize his time on screen to be impactful and memorable.Giamatti dreamed of joiningStar Trekfor his entire career, andStarfleet Academyis bound to unleash something special with Paul Giamatti that could rank among the greatestStar Trekvillains.
What We Know About Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Star Trek’s future is in production now
Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis set after theend ofStar Trek: Discovery, and it continuesStar Trek’s 32nd-century era. Set in space and in San Francisco,Starfleet Academyintroduces a new young cast of fresh faces pursuing their dreams of becoming Starfleet Officers. However,a new threat to the United Federation of Planets- which is likely Paul Giamatti’sStar Trekvillain - and the cadets learning of the Federation’s sins complicate their lives as they grow, pursue love, and learn what it takes to be a part of Starfleet.
Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti leadStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s cast of young actors, and they will also be joined by a handful ofStar Treklegacy characters. Mary Wiseman as Lt. Sylvia Tilly, Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno, Oded Fehr as Admiral Charles Vance will all return fromStar Trek: Discovery. In addition, The Doctor (Robert Picardo) fromStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: Prodigywill also be part ofStarfleet Academy,which is filming on the biggest set ever constructed forStar Trek.What kind of havoc Paul Giamatti’s villain will wreakonStar Trek: Starfleet Academyremains to be seen, but it should be nothing less than epic.
