The USS Athena is under attack in a new sneak peek of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy revealed at CCXP in Brazil today. As the starship that doubles as the titular learning institution falls into the clutches of the villainous Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), the crew had better think of something, or school will be out — permanently. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres exclusively on Paramount+ on January 15, 2026.

In the new clip, the Athena, the massive starship that serves as Starfleet Academy’s mobile campus, is approaching the Badlands, an unstable region of space that first appeared in Star Trek: Voyager; Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) and first officer Lura Thok (GIna Yashere) plan to have the students conduct a study of the area. Unfortunately, the Badlands turn out to be bad indeed, as the Athena comes under attack from a mysterious force; the Athena‘s defenses quickly prove to be no match for it. We catch a glimpse of both the holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo), who’s doing his best to treat the wounded, and wrestler-turned-actor Becky Lynch as a member of the bridge crew trying to get the Athena out of trouble. It’s no use, and soon Braka is using a hologram to gloat about finally having his fifteen-years-belated revenge on the Captain. What does he want? Can the Athena escape? And why is he talking about origami chickens? You’ll have to tune into Starfleet Academy‘s two-episode series premiere next month.

What Do We Know About ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place farther in the future than any other Star Trek series; it’s set in the 32nd century, decades after a galaxy-spanning disaster known as the Burn shattered the United Federation of Planets. Now, they’ve started to rebuild, and Starfleet Academy has reopened its doors to its first class in years. Those bright-eyed youngsters include Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), a human orphan searching for his mother (Tatiana Maslany); Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), an aspiring Klingon doctor; Sam (Kerrice Brooks), a sentient hologram; Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), scion of the wealthy Khionians; Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepherd), daughter of an admiral; and Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner), the daughter of Betazed’s president. And while the faculty, including Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), Charles Vance (Oded Fehr), and Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) will do their best to protect their charges, nothing can prepare them for Nus Braka’s vendetta…

Starfleet Academy will be one of two Star Trek series debuting new seasons in the new year. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which takes place many centuries earlier, is also expected to debut its fourth and penultimate season in 2026.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will debut on Paramount+ with a two-episode premiere on January 15, 2026.

via Collider