Holly Hunter To Lead ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Series As Chancellor
Captain Hunter
Paramount+ just announced Holly Hunter will star in the upcoming YA-focused Starfleet Academy series, playing the “captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy.” Hunter’s Hollywood career spans decades, starting in the 1980s, including a breakout role in Raising Arizona and her first Oscar nomination for Broadcast News. She went on to pick up three more Academy Award nominations, and won in 1994 for her leading role in the film The Piano. She is also known for voicing Helen Parr (Elastigirl) in the two Incredibles Pixar movies. Hunter’s television resume is also extensive, including multiple Emmy nominations and two wins. She starred in the TNT series Saving Grace which ran for 3 seasons from 2007-2010 and most recently was part of the cast of the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor which ran for two seasons between 2021 and 2022.
“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.”
The new series is set at the famed Starfleet Academy in San Francisco in the 32nd century, the same timeframe established in Star Trek: Discovery. It is set to go into production in late summer at Pinewood Studios in Toronto.
Holly Hunter (Ricky Middlesworth)
Cadet’s face new love and a new enemy
Today’s announcement also included this synopsis for Starfleet Academy:
The series will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners and executive produce the series alongside executive producers Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Onsunsamni, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. The series premiere episode is written by Gaia Violo. As we’ve previously reported, Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome is one of the show’s writers.
Hunter is the first officially confirmed member of the Starfleet Academy cast. While Discovery’s Mary Wiseman has sidestepped questions regarding the show, fans expect she will also be part of the cast. Her Sylvia Tilly was established to be a teacher at Starfleet Academy in season 4 and continues to be one in the current fifth and final season, although she is “on loan” to the ship at the moment.
