Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode "Vox in Excelso." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
Another episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is out, and the discourse continues online about the newest Trek series. The show has received loads of critical acclaim, but also had older fans, figures in politics and others, like Elon Musk, decrying the show's "woke" values that they don't support as part of the franchise.
We've heard a lot from others on Starfleet Academy, but I was curious what the people making it had to say. Showrunner Noga Landau didn't seem too phased by the criticism when I spoke to her ahead of "Vox in Excelso," and she pointed out how the current discourse plays into the episode:
Well, I think the purpose of Star Trek has always been to unite rather than divide. I think that sometimes, before you unite, you do have to debate. The whole episode is about debate, right? Debate is what makes us human. We shouldn't be scared of it. We shouldn't be scared of listening to each other.
The episode is centered around Star Trek newcomer Karim Diané, whose Klingon character Jay-Den Kraag is the only of his species currently at Starfleet Academy. Kraag is riddled with nerves in his debate class, and the situation only gets worse when a ship carrying eight houses worth of Klingon refugees is in jeopardy out in space. The loss would not only result in Jay-Den in losing his family, but could ultimately mean the near-extinction of the species in general.
Starfleet Academy takes a lot of big swings in this episode and dives into Jay-Den's past and his complicated path to Starfleet. Older fans may take issue with the representation of a Klingon who didn't wish to be a warrior, and in this episode, he's also heavily implied to be gay. It flies in the face of more common depictions of Klingons, often seen as brutish, masculine and incapable of showing fear or vulnerability.
Noga Landau's response is that Star Trek has traditionally leaned on telling stories of all types, and I think there's a greater message in Starfleet Academy of not making generalizations about any one person based on their culture and background. Much like Nog in Deep Space Nine, who wanted to be in Starfleet rather than pursue profit like other Ferengi, Jay-Den prefers healing and helping others to the glory of death in battle. Showcasing different walks of life, is part of the Starfleet Academy agenda:
Our only agenda in making this show was to show a rich tapestry of humanity to every person who walks this earth, including the voices coming from all corners who have mean things to say about it. I would say to those voices, ‘ Buddies, it's OK, like grab a chair. Get a drink for yourself. Just go on the ride with us for a little bit.
Should those naysayers pull up a chair, they may be reminded that Diané's Jay-Den is far from the first Klingon Star Trek has introduced that breaks the mold of the stereotypical description of the species. As the lawyer Klingon Kolos said to Captain Archer in Star Trek: Enterprise, "You didn't believe all Klingons were soldiers?"
I could bring up more examples, but I think Karim Diané said it best when he noted that Star Trek is built on storylines that give historical moments. He brought up one moment in particular that many considered "woke" back in its airing, to the point many stations refused to carry the episode altogether:
I also think when you look back at history, and you look at Kirk kissing Uhura. At that time people were freaking out like, ‘Oh my God, like what is going on? Like this is crazy’. And now we look back at it like as a piece of history, an iconic piece of history…There are queer people in the world. There are Luras and Renos walking around everywhere. That's just what it is…I'm so ecstatic to be a part of this show that does this and is able to like really help people see themselves on TV. I think it's rare, and I’m ecstatic to be a part of it.
Diané makes a great point, and in an era where a young generation cannot possibly escape political messages even if they tried, he's happy to represent a character that others who may feel different can relate to. Star Trek has always embraced IDIC (Infinite Diversity Infinite Combinations), and to scale that back to make people feel more comfortable wouldn't be what Gene Roddenberry set out to do.
Others will share different opinions and call back to William Shatner's previous comments that Gene Roddenberry would "turn over in his grave" if he saw what modern Star Trek was doing. CinemaBlend asked Shatner for clarity on that statement in 2024, and he said the creator would look down on sexual relationships between crew members. That is to say, something that was happening in Trek as far back as The Next Generation, but the former star doesn't keep up with watching the franchise.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy airs new episodes on Paramount+ on Thursdays. I'm excited to see the rest of the season and eager to see how others continue to react to it as more episodes come out.
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