Caleb from Rosta takes the spotlight in the latest trailer. We witness him as a young boy with his mother (Tatiana Maslany), who is forcefully taken away by armed guards while Nus Braka jeers, “You cling to your hatred for me right now, kid. It’ll provide warmth during the nights.” Shift to Captain Ake locating the now-adult Caleb and enlisting him in the Academy with a vow to assist him in tracking down Nus Braka—likely for vengeance. We observe instructors putting the new recruits through rigor as they endeavor to earn the Starfleet uniform. There might be romance blossoming for Caleb. Plus, Captain Ake appears to share a dark past with Nus Braka.
As noted by Ars senior editor Sam Axon in 2023, there have been numerous references to the Kobayashi Maru throughout the franchise, alongside significant story arcs centered around the academy in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, among others. Additionally, there were Starfleet Academy video games in the 1990s for various platforms.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is set to premiere on January 15, 2026, on Paramount+.
Initial glimpse of Strange New Worlds S4
To be frank, the third season of Strange New Worlds has been rather inconsistent. However, a change in direction may be on the horizon, based on a four-and-a-half minute preview from the forthcoming fourth season shown at NYCC. It features an extended segment where Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew react to a distress signal from a different vessel, only to face a colossal space storm that disrupts nearly all their systems. They resolve to take a shuttle to a nearby planet to collect essential iridium for their warp drive. (Is anyone else reminded of Galaxy Quest and the search for a replacement beryllium sphere?)
Nonetheless, the tone appears to align more with the series’ established style. (For context, producer Akiva Goldsman has attributed the troubles of S3 partially to production delays due to strikes and changes in staffing.) The fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is projected for release sometime next year. The series has already been renewed for a shortened fifth and final season consisting of six episodes.
