Paramount+The next major TV series in the Star Trek franchise will do something the long-running sci-fi juggernaut has never done before: Focus on a crew of students, who are not quite yet full Starfleet officers. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a seasoned adult Star Trek hero front and center. The legendary Holly Huner is playing Captain Nahla Ake in the new series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and in a new reveal from New York Comic-Con 2025, her backstory has been revealed, along with the official release date for the show. Captain Ake Has History With Nus Braka Holly Hunter’s Captain Ake leads Starfleet Academy. | Paramount+The new trailer gives much more backstory than the first Starfleet Academy teaser. Before, we didn’t know much about the cadets or their relationship with Captain Ake. But now, this trailer makes it clear that Ake was searching for a young guy named Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), who was separated from his mother, seemingly because of something that the villainous Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) did in the past. So, Ake has beef with Braka, and Caleb’s mother was taken from him because of something Braka did. This detail is new and gives Hunter’s new Starfleet hero a specific emotional investment in the story while creating a mystery box for the show, too. What happened to Caleb’s mother (seemingly played by Tatiana Maslany), and how does Nus Braka figure into all of this? The trailer also gives nearly equal time to Hunter’s character as well as the cadets, suggesting she is the true lead Starfleet hero of the new series.That said, the cast of Starfleet Academy is massive, meaning that we’ve probably only glimpsed a small fraction of how the story will truly unfold.Starfleet Academy’s Connection To DiscoveryJet (Tig Notaro) has existed in two distinct eras of Star Trek. | Paramount+This will be the first series premiere of a new ongoing Star Trek series since the debut of the animated series Prodigy in 2021. This is also the first brand-new live-action Star Trek TV debut since Strange New Worlds in 2022, and the first continuation of the 32nd Century Trek continuity since the series finale of Discovery in 2024.Although Starfleet Academy represents a new beginning for Trek, two Discovery regulars are part of the cast, specifically Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman). And they’re both technically time travelers from the 23rd century! And, because of that fact, Starfleet Academy isn’t just connected to Discovery, but to Strange New Worlds, too. Yes, SNW takes place 900 years in the past, relative to Starfleet Academy. But, Tilly and Reno both served with Captain Pike (Anson Mount) when he was temporarily the captain of the USS Discovery way back in Season 2 of that show. So, in a way, Starfleet Academy isn’t just a spinoff of Discovery, but Strange New Worlds, too.Starfleet Academy Release Date After a ton of speculation, it was confirmed at New York Comic-Con that Starfleet Academy will debut on Paramount+ on January 15, 2026. The series premiere will be two episodes long, and the entire series will run for 10 episodes, culminating in the season finale on March 12, 2026.Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stream on Paramount+.