# Starfleet Academy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [July 29, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470 "2025-07-29T15:51:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/141 "2026-02-07T22:15:14Z")
By the way, I didn’t hate this episode. I didn’t love it, but it gave a lot of background to SAM that made her more interesting than “the weird hologram girl”. And I loved the DS9 references, including the appearances from Jake. And we find out that Dax is on the faculty?! I hope that wasn’t a throwaway, and she becomes a regular character (plus I think the actor did a good job). I loved DS9, for me it ranks 3rd after _Strange New Worlds_ and _Enterprise_. There aren’t that many references to it in later shows, so seeing the love in this episode was great. I also liked that Avery Brooks gave his blessings to this episode, and gave permission to use his voice toward the end. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/142 "2026-02-07T22:23:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > plus I think the actor did a good job That was Beckett Mariner. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/143 "2026-02-07T22:25:00Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That was Beckett Mariner. Holy shit, I did not recognize her with that stuff on her face. No wonder I liked her. I remember Tawny from one episode of SNW (the crossover with _Lower Decks_) but I also watched her on _Space Force_. Yet I didn’t recognize her at all. Yeah, make her a regular dammit. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/144 "2026-02-08T13:55:19Z")
Tawny Newsome is also one of the producers, so I’d be surprised if we never see her again. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/145 "2026-02-08T19:57:09Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > it gave a lot of background to SAM that made her more interesting than “the weird hologram girl”. My problem is not that the show is fixated on aiming for the tween and teen demographic, but that their approach to it is so _formulaic_: of course the usual romance and rivalries, insecurity and belonging, but even more that each character is working _so hard_ on defining themselves in relation to, and individuating from, their generally dysfunctional families of origin. So this goofy cute one is SAM’s dealing with her overbearing “parents”, last week Jay-den’s parental disapprovals, Admiral’s daughter big daddy issues, fish boy can never be good enough, Betazoid kids dealing with … parental expectations, and of course idealized absent momma. I suspect many teens are not all that drawn to these issues as enough to keep them coming back without actually moving a good story in each ep. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/146 "2026-02-12T17:32:22Z")
5x06 was much better than the last episode. A bit of a whiplash going from a very silly episode to a very serious one. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/147 "2026-02-18T02:43:55Z")
Episode 5 was so bad I gave up half way through and longed for a repeat of Spock’s Brain. I watched episode 6 with the idea of 1 last try. This episode, this gem, has me finally looking forward to the next episode. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/148 "2026-02-18T13:04:28Z")
Seems like they’ve found it’s cheaper to produce dreck than gold, and the ideal ratio for both profit and audience retention is 50/50 of each. So maybe watch every other one now that you’re in sync with their cadence? 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/149 "2026-02-18T14:06:55Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Episode 5 was so bad I gave up half way through and longed for a repeat of Spock’s Brain. Heh, yeah, thanks for reminding: TOS and TNG had quite their own share of “cringe” even when viewed in first run so there are benchmarks for both the high and the low bar. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/150 "2026-02-18T14:17:47Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Episode 5 was so bad I gave up half way through and longed for a repeat of Spock’s Brain Well, Monday H&I showed that very episode in rotation. Missed it by _that_ much! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/151 "2026-02-18T14:34:33Z")
Oh, such a shame. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/152 "2026-02-18T14:35:57Z")
Shame and shame! What is shame? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/153 "2026-02-19T18:48:35Z")
I tapped out with the Klingon debate. Let me know if the show gets better. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/154 "2026-02-19T21:33:32Z")
Episode 6 was very good, though episode 5 in my opinion should just be skipped. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/155 "2026-02-19T21:52:45Z")
Episode 7 is sort of a “cool down” episode after episode 6, feels like a bit of a bottle episode. Not a lot of action, but not a bad episode either. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/156 "2026-02-20T00:11:13Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Episode 6 was very good, though episode 5 in my opinion should just be skipped. I kind of liked 5. Like _Discovery_, the series’ biggest flaw is its own self-seriousness, and this was a silly little episode from the point of view of a silly character. Besides, it honored the best - yet most ignored - Trek series. I enjoyed it more than the Klingon episode, which was like being hit with a sack full of anvils. As for 6, it was the best episode so far, but like the rest of the show, it was over-directed. The writing was decent and the acting was good; the director needed a shot of Ritalin. Trek can and should be campy at times, but this show feels _unintentionally_ campy, which isn’t a good thing. 7 hasn’t been broadcast here yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/157 "2026-02-20T00:18:57Z")
At the beginning of episode 7 (Ko’Zeine, or the Spring Break episode), an overhead announcement from the “digital dean of students” mentioned a galactic meteor shower. (“Don’t miss it!”) What; a meteor shower that could be seen across the galaxy? And then, as some of the cadets are beaming to their home cities, Jett Reno said to one of them about their destination, “Duluth. Can I talk you out of this?” Nice insult. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/158 "2026-02-20T01:04:11Z")
Speaking of transportation, a species having a point-to-point long-distance wormhole generator kind of like an [Iconian gateway](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Iconian_gateway) would have been a pretty useful thing to share around, especially during the burn. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/159 "2026-02-20T01:09:46Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > a galactic meteor shower. (“Don’t miss it!”) What; a meteor shower that could be seen across the galaxy? I don’t know if any SF TV show/movie has ever addressed comets/meteor showers/“asteroid fields” in a non-stupid way. Maybe _The Expanse_ with actually having the asteroid belt extremely widely spaced comes closest. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470/160 "2026-02-20T17:05:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Speaking of transportation, a species having a point-to-point long-distance wormhole generator kind of like an [Iconian gateway](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Iconian_gateway) would have been a pretty useful thing to share around, especially during the burn. I highly doubt the writers even considered the implications of that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starfleet-academy/1021470.md?page=9)