Starfleet Academy as Recurring Villain

Set phasers to stun Star Trek fans because veteran actor Paul Giamatti is joining the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in a recurring role as the villain of Season 1. The 57-year-old Giamatti was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor thanks to his work in the comedy-drama film The Holdovers, and with a career spanning more than 30 years, he’s appeared in such favorites as American Splendor, Sideways, and the Showtime series, Billions. He’ll appear next in Downton Abbey 3 to reprise his role of Harold Levinson, a part he played all the way back in 2013.

As per Deadline, Giamatti joins Star Trek: Starfleet Academy alongside fellow veteran Holly Hunter, who was cast earlier this year as captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. While his villainous character has yet to be named, it’s been revealed that he will play “a man with an ominous past connected to one of our cadets.” Co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau released a statement calling Giamatti one of the “greatest actors alive.”

“Sometimes you’re lucky enough to discover that one of
the greatest actors alive is also a huge
Star Trek
fan
, and meeting Paul was one of those miraculous moments for us. The sheer delight with which he dove in on Starfleet Academy
is only surpassed by the gratitude we feel
about him joining our incredible cast.”

Related

All Roads Lead to Discovery: The Full Star Trek Timeline, Explained

Star Trek: Discovery takes place at the furthest point in the franchise timeline. Here is the stardate for each major entry in the series.

‘Star Trek on Paramount+’ also shared the news on their X account (formerly Twitter), saying that they’re “beyond excited” to announce that Giamatti has joined the series. Check out their post below.

When Will Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Be Released?

Production on the 10-episode first season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is expected to get underway this summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will debut in 2025. Alex Kurtzman already tempered fan expectations earlier this year at SXSW when he spoke with Collider regarding the time needed for the series, which he says includes set construction, post-production, and visual effects. As of right now, he’s not setting any dates in stone.

“It could end up
not airing until 2026
. We don’t know. But by starting [shooting in late summer], just building the sets alone is a massive endeavor, then six months of shooting, then six to eight months of post…so, it’ll come out,
but it’ll come out when it’s done
.”

Related

Every Major Star Trek Movie Villain, Ranked

Each Star Trek installment is partially defined by its villain. Some have been engraved into the minds of the Star Trek fan base.

With that being said, though, Star Trek fans can at least look forward to a couple of recent favorites returning in 2024, including Star Trek: Prodigy. While the series was canceled at Paramount+ and removed from the platform in June 2023, Netflix swooped in to pick it up, re-releasing the first season in December 2023. All 20 episodes of Prodigy’s second season will be released on July 1, 2024.

In addition to Prodigy, Star Trek: Lower Decks will also make its return this year with a 10-episode fifth and final season, which is expected to release later in 2024 on Paramount+. The critically acclaimed animated series deviates from past Star Trek properties by turning the focus from the main crew to highlight the support crew aboard the USS Cerritos in the year 2380.