'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' clip shows off hammy acting and teen drama, putting fans on yellow alert (video)

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" is approaching at warp speed, with the first pair of episodes for its 10-chapter debut season due to arrive on Jan. 15, 2026.

Last week, Paramount+ released a new "people pile" poster to precede this dynamic clip, and it's got an overly-familiar "Friends" feeling to it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... Is it?

We'll let you ruminate on that after you check out this sneak peek of "Starfleet Academy" recently revealed during the CCXP fanfest in São Paolo, Brazil, which shows the villainous Klingon/Tellarite Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) mercilessly attacking Chancellor Nahla Ake's (Holly Hunter) school training vessel, the U.S.S Athena. It's a savage looking encounter, but it's the rest of the trailer that has us raising our shields.

Braka's transformable battlecruiser, the Venari Ral, is a formidable opponent, and the two spaceships face off in deep space. Batten down the hatches, forego any evasive maneuvers, and enjoy the sweet symphony of destruction, complete with.... if we're honest, some seriously hammy acting and awkward dialogue.

The young-adult-targeted series takes place in the post-Burn universe of the 32nd century, where the first new class of cadets in 120 years seeks to revive the storied institution aboard the teaching starship U.S.S. Athena, to restore Starfleet as a bright beacon of galactic hope. We're getting real "Star Trek" does "Dawson's Creek" vibes from this. Is that a good thing? No, probably not, but we're excited to be proven wrong.

In addition to Hunter and Giamatti, the young cast includes Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir, Karim Diané as Jay-Den Kraag, Kerrice Brooks as Sam, George Hawkins as Darem Reymi, and Bella Shepard as Genesis Lythe.

Executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" arrives on Paramount+ with a two-episode debut on January 15, 2026.

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When it does release, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be available to watch on Paramount+. You can also watch almost every other Star Trek show and movie on there, too, while you wait.

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