Welcome, Holly Hunter. But We’re Still Waiting on ‘Starfleet Academy’ Casting that We’re Counting On
Mary Wiseman, her Lt Tilly, and other “Discovery” crew also important to new series
There’s little doubt that Holly Hunter will be a great first addition to the cast of the planned next Star Trek spinoff, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
A 1993 Oscar winner, Hunter joins what has become a long tradition of the franchise attracting some of the most-accomplished actors in the field, following such performers as Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks and Michelle Yeoh.
Having appeared in movies like The Incredibles pictures and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, she’s no stranger to the general genre.
And such a commercially and widely known commodity as Hunter even should bring Starfleet Academy some wider attention when it debuts on Paramount Plus.
She’s to play a captain and the chancellor of the Academy, presiding over both the faculty and a new class of Starfleet cadets.
“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” said Starfleet Academy co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau in a statement. “To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across the board brilliance leading the charge on Starfleet Academy is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of Star Trek.”
While Hunter is first adult cast on a series often described as “Beverly Hills 90210 in space,” she should not be the last.
When Paramount first planned to spin Star Trek: Deep Space Nine off from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the studio was going to connect the series by moving Ensign Ro Laren from one, to the other.
That actor Michelle Forbes declined to move ahead scuttled those plans, which brought us Maj Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor).
But the studio has the same kind of opportunity here, and should follow through.
Not only is it set in the same 32nd century time period as Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy Lt Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) already has been an academy instructor, mostly off-screen.
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Further still: that sort of direct tie-in could set up episodes in which other other Discovery characters could make guest appearances.
Tilly, of course, has a particularly strong friendship with Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). But Saru (Doug Jones) and Dr Culber (Wilson Cruz) — either alone or with husband Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) — also could pop in as the stories dictate.
And given that it will focus on cadets and young officers, Starfleet Academy seems well-positioned to carry on the compelling story of Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), as well.
Yes, we absolutely know that Paramount is seriously minding its latinum these days, but occasionally featuring former Discovery folks for guest spots should be financially doable.
The third season of Star Trek: Picard was able to afford the full crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the TNG folks certainly were pricier than any of the Discovery players are likely to be.
The good news is that while she’s officially mum, Wiseman’s reportedly telegraphing some hopefully positive signals — at least for her own involvement.
More than 30 years ago now, DS9 was considered a big departure from The Next Generation which we all came to love.
The plan to send Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and Ro Laren to the spinoff was intended to give we longtime fans a kind of lifeline to help us become comfortable in this new world.
The folks working on Star Trek today now should do the same for Starfleet Academy.
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