The first two episodes of sci-fi drama Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are out now on Paramount+ with the other eight episodes to be released weekly until March 12.

Set in the 32nd century, the series takes place in the far-future time period, which was introduced in Star Trek: Discovery (2017 to 2024). In it, the Starfleet space force and United Federation of Planets are recovering from a cataclysmic event.

The latest release follows the first new class of Starfleet cadets in over a century as they come of age and train to be officers. They are taught aboard the USS Athena – a starship that docks at the Starfleet Academy campus in San Francisco but can also be deployed with the rest of the fleet.

Known for his role in The Holdovers (2023), actor Paul Giamatti joins the Star Trek universe as antagonist Nus Braka – half Klingon (humanoid alien species) and half Tellarite (beast-like humanoid species).

“This guy despises every Starfleet value because he feels so shut out from life,” Paul said, describing his character.

“And I was part Klingon and part Tellarite, which are both really aggressive types of aliens, so I said to the team, ‘They’re both really aggressive, so I can be super aggressive, right?’ And they were like, ‘Sure, go ahead’,” he added.

As for the show in general, Paul described it to be an origin story, despite it being set in the future.

“It’s where everything about Starfleet comes from. It’s where all the captains come from and all their crew aboard those starships. So you’re getting this foundational look at how it all gets formed, which is cool. I hope that makes it easier for new fans to enjoy it because it’s all new for these characters, but it’s about all the ‘old stuff’ too, so I think older fans will be able to engage with it and enjoy it in the same way,” he explained.

The new release is intended to be the 12th Star Trek series. The long-running franchise dates back to 1966. The original show followed the voyages of the crew of the starship USS Enterprise – a space exploration vessel built by the United Federation of Planets in the 23rd century. Its mission was to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilisations, and ‘boldly go where no man has gone before’.