I Love That Holly Hunter Can’t Sit In A Chair Normally On ‘Starfleet Academy’
The first two episodes of Starfleet Academy doing more, to the point of openly defying academic authority as representing expectations from the 60s Star TrekI told you this game has a very different vibe than before. Its young heroes are a strange mix of hormonal emotions and mistrust of their elders, who, in equal parts, feel like perfectly accurate representations of a group of kids who grew up in a very shaken universe and like a show in itself that’s almost over-the-top. Star Trek fans are angry that these young men do not behave like human beings Star Trek they should behave.
But it’s not one of the kids that actually pulls off a great move, or a move that might have some corners Star Trek the fandom gritted its teeth at the perceived disrespect. Instead, it’s arguably veteran cast member Holly Hunter, and I’m totally in the camp that the move is incredibly endearing more than anything else.
Hunter plays the role of Nahla Ake, Starfleet AcademyPositioned as the head honcho of its student body and senior staff, the school’s dual chancellor as an academic institution, and captain in charge of a Starfleet ship is a school based on the USS. Athena. Part Lanthanite, Ake has lived for centuries, which means that in the show’s 32nd century setting (during the events of the later part Star Trek: Discovery), he’s seen some of the best and worst the Federation has to offer—and he’s been part of the latter, something the series explores in its opening as it flashbacks to when Ake followed judicial orders that led to his disillusionment with, and eventual abandonment of, Starfleet.
When the show then jumps forward 15 years later and Ake is approached with the opportunity to join Starfleet and lead efforts to re-establish the school, he’s pretty cool at the moment. You’re living on Bajor, relaxing and taking care of the little ones, and just because you’re back in a Starfleet uniform doesn’t mean the vibe stops anytime soon. Hunter is the most attractive of a group of attractive stars, playing Ake with a precocious acting that makes him feel less than human. Star Trek captain and others like your cool aunt, but they still remind us of the kind of easy streaks we see in past captains (you feel it especially when talking to Captain Janeway, especially Voyager‘s early seasons, when he had to deal with the idea that the standard Starfleet captain-subordinate relationship he expects cannot continue on a ship trapped 70,000 light-years from HQ).
But it also appears through Ake’s body. The moment that Athena living in his main home in San Francisco, he takes off his Starfleet-issue boots and goes barefoot, almost challenging everyone to call him that. You’ll likely see her in flowing, loose-fitting dresses and sunglasses as well as her red commando dress. And it was there in such a way that he didn’t see a chair at all that he could jump on and curl up like a house cat.
Hunter plays Ake as the Smallest Female in the Alpha Quadrant (the character is 5’2″ and is comically isolated even by the student body, a fact that is revealed in the many scenes where she shares close proximity to another person’s body). His private office at Athena he’s full of chairs, couches, and chaises, and in the first two episodes—and in the other six episodes shown to press so far—we see them folded or curled up on them many times. A great scene at the beginning of the first episode sees his senior crew in silent agreement as Ake repeatedly adjusts the comfort settings of the captain’s chair Athenabridge to a very low height, only for him to quickly raise his feet and position himself on another arm rest. Later, we cut him almost asleep on it, tie and read a book.
It lends Ake this power of sad chaos that, on the other hand, feels like a shift to post shitposting for everyone to see when Jonathan Frakes is going to have the opposite attitude and kneel over the back seats to sit in his seat. TNGand on the other, it feels almost too much like shoving what we expect from standard Starfleet decor. It’s a quick reference to where Ake is at this point in his life: he was once that tough, law-abiding Starfleet officer, and he was led to uproot the bones of a long-broken status quo. Now, he doesn’t really care about the rules or what other people think of him—he’s just here to be comfortable, to show this new generation of students that they can be comfortable with him in turn, and come to them at a more accessible level.
Always Star Trek the captain is sad, and the drink of his choice has been chosen. It’s fun to have someone whose personality is built around finding new and creative ways to hang out with their furniture.
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