Why The Cast Of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Looks So Familiar

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" boldly goes where ... Yeah, everybody knows the rest of the shtick here. Premiering on January 15, 2026, the Paramount+ sci-fi series shines the spotlight on a new group of young cadets who learn the necessary skills and undergo the grueling training to try to become the next generation of Starfleet officers. They aren't alone in their quest to follow in the famous footsteps of those who came before them, as the faculty's skilled instructors guide them through the trials and tribulations of the life of a space explorer.

We'll see where "Starfleet Academy" will rank among every "Star Trek" TV series in the end, but it contains an exciting mix of familiar and new names and faces for the audience to get to know. A few of these actors have appeared in previous "Trek"-related shows, while others are generally well-known to anyone who consumes a lot of TV and film. But the show also takes a gamble in casting relative unknowns in some of its major roles, a welcome change in the guard in favor of new faces. Having said that, let's check out why the cast of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" looks so familiar!

Holly Hunter stars as Captain Nahla Ake, the chancellor of Starfleet Academy. She has a mighty big job on her hands, as the academy's San Francisco campus opens its doors to fresh-faced cadets for the first time in over a century. Such a commanding role requires a performer with gravitas and on-screen presence, and that's something that Hunter possesses in droves.

When it comes to awards season, Hunter is often in the mix. She won an Oscar for her performance as Ada McGrath in "The Piano," while she garnered Academy Award nominations for her roles in "Broadcast News," "The Firm," and "Thirteen." If that isn't enough, Hunter appeared in famous flicks like "Raising Arizona," "Crash," "Copycat," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "The Big Sick." Animation aficionados also recognize her as the voice of Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl, from "The Incredibles" series, whereas DC fans should recall her appearance as Senator Finch in the infamous Granny's peach tea courtroom scene from "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

On the television side, Hunter has made herself known to audiences for her stints as Grace Hanadarko in "Saving Grace," Audrey Bayer in "Here and Now," Rhea Jarrell in "Succession," and Arpi Meskimen in the hilarious "Mr. Mayor." Now, she can add the part of Ake in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" to her ever-growing acting credits.

Newcomer Sandro Rosta steps into the role of Caleb Mir, a rebellious cadet who joins Starfleet Academy for a much different reason than his peers. Caleb is one of the main characters in the series whose unwavering determination and courage make him a natural fit for the Starfleet, even if it isn't his initial dream to sign up.

Rosta is a graduate of the Oxford School of Drama and holds a background in sports and martial arts. Prior to "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," his previous acting experience was in a 2021 short film, "Snitches Get Snitches," and various theater productions presented by his drama school.

The fact that his role as Caleb is his first professional role is particularly impressive when you consider the magnitude of the part and franchise. "[One] year ago, I was pulled out of [Oxford Drama School] — and today I'm reflecting on how it feels to share a small part in the legacy of one of the most beloved and world-changing franchises in history," Rosta wrote on his Instagram account in July 2025.

In "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," Genesis Lythe has something to prove as the daughter of an admiral, and she's determined to do so. The cadet's specific focus is in the command field, undoubtedly eyeing a spot as the leader of the Starfleet in the near future and bringing pride to her people, the Dar-Sha.

Bringing Genesis to life is Bella Shepard. Her first role arrived in 2013's "Oz the Great and Powerful"; it was a minor part, but the actor built on that blockbuster experience to accumulate a number of acting credits in indie films and guest appearances in TV shows like "iCarly," "Grace and Frankie," and "Orange Is the New Black" thereafter.

Shepard secured recurring roles in shows like "A Girl Named Jo" and "On the Ropes," but her biggest claim to fame is in the 2023 "Teen Wolf" Paramount+ spinoff, "Wolf Pack." She plays Blake Navarro, a high school student who gets nipped by a werewolf and wonders why everything feels so fuzzy all of a sudden. While the series only lasted a single season, it paired her up with Sarah Michelle Gellar, who executive produced and starred in "Wolf Pack." Shepard must have made quite the impression on Paramount executives too, since she was cast in another Paramount+ show, "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy."

Kerrice Brooks brings a sense of wonderment and excitement to S.A.M., aka Series Acclimation Mill. As a Kasqian, Sam is a type of hologram creation, but that doesn't mean there's anything inauthentic about her. She's happy to be a part of the Starfleet Academy, and this energy proves to be infectious to everyone around her.

As it turns out, Brooks had a direct role in the characterization of S.A.M. "In the very first round for S.A.M., we saw a bunch of actors and none of them were quite right," executive producer Alex Kurtzman told Entertainment Weekly. "Then we saw Kerrice, who had a very different voice than the character that was written. [Executive producer] Noga [Landau] and I called each other and we were like, 'We are in the presence of a genius. We actually need to rewrite the character for her.'"

For those wondering why Brooks looks so familiar, she appeared in music videos for Kelly Rowland's "Flowers" and Billie Eilish's "Lost Cause." She also popped by for brief stops in "On My Block" and "How We Roll." Before "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," though, most fans are likely to remember her as the fun-loving and memorable Ro from the 2024 coming-of-age comedy "My Old A**," which also stars Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella.

The Klingon remains one of the most important and discussed species in the "Star Trek" Universe. Karim Diané joins a dynasty of special actors to portray the distinct warrior aliens by playing Jay-Den Kraag, the Starfleet's Klingon cadet who specializes in the science field and forms a fast friendship with the others in the academy.

The West African-born performer experienced his first taste of fame when he appeared in the 3rd season of "The X Factor." He built on this popularity and kept himself in the limelight by posting videos of him singing in the shower that garnered him an online following. Hollywood came knocking when he appeared as the character, Blue, in three episodes of the crime drama, "StartUp," which also stars "Nobody Wants This" star Adam Brody and Edi Gathegi, who plays Mister Terrific in James Gunn's "Superman."

Diané was also featured in several shorts and smaller projects before he secured the supporting role of Kris Greene in the 2021 Peacock series, "One of Us Is Lying." In the show, Kris is in a romantic relationship with high school student Cooper Clay (Chibuikem Uche). They have a complicated dynamic since Cooper keeps his sexuality guarded, while Cooper also lies to Kris about being in college.

Have you ever seen George Hawkins and Max Minghella in the same place at the same time? Seriously, it's uncanny! Apart from being a dead ringer for "The Handmaid's Tale" star, Hawkins plays the ambitious Khionian cadet Darem Reym in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy." Much like Genesis Lythe, Darem has his eye on becoming the captain of the Starfleet in the not-too-distant future — and naturally, this might rub some people up the wrong way.

A graduate of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and a relative newcomer to the entertainment industry, Hawkins appeared in the minor role of Sean in the Stephen Graham-led 2021 drama "Boiling Point" and Adam in 2023's British gangster flick "Gassed Up." His most recognizable role, though, was in the 2022 ITV drama, "Tell Me Everything." Hawkins stars as Dylan in all six episodes of the second season of the series. Having said that, there's no disputing that "Starfleet Academy" provides Hawkins with his biggest platform as an actor yet.

Zoë Steiner captures the shades of grey of Tarima Sadal in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy." As the daughter of the president of Betazed, and due to her telepathic abilities as a Betazoid, there's already an expectation of what she should be. At the same time, Tarima is still young and trying to figure out her own way in the world and where she belongs.

According to Steiner, she identified closely with Tarima's characterization. "It's been the biggest privilege and gift to be able to play Tarima, because I feel so like her," Steiner said at the 2025 New York Comic Con (via TrekMovie.com). "When I got the script in the first place ... I felt like I was looking into a mirror. She wears her heart on her sleeve, like she cannot help it, even to her detriment."

The part of Tarima is arguably Steiner's breakout role as an actor. Previously, she starred in Australian musician Chino Saturn's music video for the track, "Bloom," as well as two short films. In addition to this, she played Hanna in all six episodes of the 2022 Australian miniseries "Significant Others."

The half-Klingon and half-Jem'Hadar Lura Thok establishes herself as one of the most important educators at Starfleet Academy. Yes, she's a disciplinarian and commands respect from everyone around her, but there's no denying that she wants what's best for the cadets — and will push them to become the best version of themselves.

British comedian Gina Yashere put down the mic stand — but not the sense of humor — to breathe life into the intimidating Thok. While it might be difficult to recognize Yashere in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" because of all the makeup and prosthetics she's under (she's definitely one of the "Star Trek" characters who looks completely different in real life), it's tough to miss the unmistakable voice. It's the same voice that has made her such an in-demand voice actor.

After years of appearing as herself on comedy, sketch, and game shows, Yashere came to more mainstream prominence by voicing Gareth in the children's animated show, "The Rubbish World of Dave Spud," playing Kemi in the sitcom, "Bob Hearts Abishola," and providing the voice of Axe in the puppet show, "The Barbarian and the Troll." On the film front, Yashere made a double impact in 2001 with "Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang)" and "Mr. In-Between," while she lent her voice to the cavewoman Gravelle in the 2018 animated film, "Early Man."

One of the returning faces in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" is Robert Picardo, who reprises his role as the Doctor, also known as the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH). Picardo remains a fan-favorite among Trekkies because of his portrayal of the character in "Star Trek: Voyager," "Star Trek: First Contact," and "Star Trek: Prodigy," proving that holograms can be more human than most humans.

This isn't Picardo's only defining role in the world of sci-fi, though, as the actor became known as the beloved Richard Woolsey in the "Stargate" franchise, starring in "Stargate SG-1," "Stargate Universe," and "Stargate Atlantis." In the "Stargate" timeline, Woolsey eventually becomes the leader of the Atlantis expedition.

Apart from the realm of science fiction, Picardo possesses an enviable filmography that spans multiple decades. In television, he's appeared in everything from "The Wonder Years" to "The Mentalist" and "Smallville." His film credits are equally admirable, with roles in noteworthy movies such as "Legend," "Total Recall," "Gremlins 2: The New Batch," "The Pagemaster," "Hail, Caesar!" and "Confess, Fletch." Picardo is also a prominent voice actor, appearing in the likes of "Justice League Unlimited," "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy," and "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command," while also contributing his voice and likeness to various "Call of Duty" video games.

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" sees Tig Notaro reprise her role as Denise "Jett" Reno from "Star Trek: Discovery." In this show, Jett mentors and acts as instructor, relaying her engineering experience and deadpan quips to the cadets who quickly find out what she's about.

Notaro started out as an acclaimed stand-up comedian and radio commentator before finding success as a writer and actor. She starred as a fictionalized version of herself in "The Sarah Silverman Program," while also making guest appearances in popular sitcoms like "Community," "New Girl," and "The Office." Notaro also dropped in as Barb in several episodes of "Transparent," before she co-created (along with Diablo Cody) and starred in the 2015 comedy series, "One Mississippi." However, most TV fans will likely recognize her as chief of staff Amanda Robinson from Apple TV's "The Morning Show." Notaro has also made her mark in the film world, with unforgettable roles in Zack Snyder's zombie actioner "Army of the Dead," Christopher Landon's horror comedy "We Have a Ghost," and as the voice of Big Tig in "Zootopia 2."

In "Star Trek: Discovery," Admiral Charles Vance establishes himself as a key figure as the commander of the Starfleet. Vance returns in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," occasionally popping in to see how the new cadets are faring and letting everyone feel starstruck by his presence.

Portraying Vance once again is Oded Fehr. Television audiences know him from roles such as Zankou in "Charmed," Faris Al-Farik in "Sleeper Cell," Levi Shur in "The Blacklist," Asim Naseri in "24: Legacy," and Abner in "House of David." In addition to this, Fehr loves a good voice acting gig, especially in the superhero world, starring as Doctor Fate in "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited," Ra's al Ghul in "Young Justice," and N'Kantu in "Ultimate Spider-Man" and "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."

In film, one of Fehr's better-known roles was as the sharpshooting video game character Carlos Olivera in Paul W. S. Anderson's "Resident Evil" movies. Having said that, his most iconic role remains as the loyal and determined Ardeth Bay in Stephen Sommers' "The Mummy" movies, alongside Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and Arnold Vosloo.

Paul Giamatti needs no introduction. Whether he's hamming it up as the villainous but campy Rhino in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" or infuriating as the stubborn teacher Paul Hunham in "The Holdovers," this chameleon-like actor transforms into whatever is necessary of him on camera. Think of the type of films he's been in — everything from "Cinderella Man," to "My Best Friend's Wedding," "Saving Private Ryan," and "Straight Outta Compton" — then consider his scene-stealing turns as Chuck Rhoades Jr. in "Billions" and Harold Levinson in "Downton Abbey" on TV for example ... It's obvious, isn't it? Giamatti is simply a national treasure who needs to be protected at all costs!

In "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," Giamatti receives the opportunity to play the half-Klingon and half-Tellarite antagonist Nus Braka. In typical Giamatti fashion, he garnered all the attention here, because just looking at his character and knowing what the actor is capable of, everyone assumed he was about to create one of the best Star Trek villains ever.

Giamatti revealed to Trek Brasilis that he drew inspiration from classic Trek rogues like General Chang, Gul Dukat, and Khan Noonien Singh for his portrayal of Braka. "He is very much a kind of malformed child inside," Giamatti added. "He's this very angry, angry, psychopathic child inside."