I've really enjoyed Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's inaugural season so far, but most of its best moments have admittedly come down to Easter eggs and other forms of fan service. Finally, "Come, Let's Away" allows the show to stand out for an even better, more promising reason: originality. Easily one of the best installments to date, Episode 6 will be a tough one to beat as season 1 moves into its final stages.
Because the show is part of Star Trek's 60th anniversary celebrations, it's understandable that Starfleet Academy has been dense with Easter eggs to this point. Honestly, trying to spot them all has been my favorite part of watching so far, and when those references come to the forefront, even better. That's why I'm so surprised I loved "Come, Let's Away" as much as I did.
FULL SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 Episode 6, "Come, Let's Away"
"Come, Let's Away" doesn't rely on Star Trek Easter eggs to tell an incredible story
There's no denying that episodes like "Vox in Excelso" and "Series Acclimation Mil" have been Starfleet Academy highlights. However, with the former being built so heavily around the Klingons and the latter serving as a soft Deep Space Nine legacy sequel, it's been tricky at times for Starfleet Academy to show what it can do without being doused in nostalgia.
"Come, Let's Away" is a standalone Star Trek episode that functions perfectly well without any notable references to previous franchise projects. This is actually more like what I was expecting from the show. Or, at the very least, what I thought the show would be capable of. While Episode 3, "Vitus Reflux," made me nervous that cadet-centric episodes were always doomed to be lukewarm at best, "Come, Let's Away" has reassured me that Starfleet Academy is capable of a masterpiece or two of its own without turning to other Star Trek shows for support.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 6 had high stakes for a change
Part of what has made Starfleet Academy a little tricky to root for has been the lack of a genuine threat to the main characters. Even the violent attack on the USS Athena in the premiere felt like it would work out well for everyone involved. They had, after all, just been introduced to the franchise. It wouldn't have made sense to kill them off so quickly. The following episodes have had similar problems, or else revolved around subject matters that were more character-building than they were believably dramatic.
I enjoyed them, don't get me wrong, but "Come, Let's Away" finally made me realize what the show was missing. It was high stakes. There were several occasions in Episode 6 when I expected characters to be lost, but I was still left shocked when the show actually killed off B'Avi (Alexander Eling). Just as it felt like he was about to come into his own as a redeemed rival of the Academy cadets, his emotional sacrifice cut deep. Now, I'm not convinced anyone is safe. It's a good place to be in as a fan, if not also a little terrifying. I'm just starting to grow attached to these guys.
Episode 6 further proves Captain Ake's backstory will be drip-fed to fans
Starfleet Academy has told us surprisingly little about Holly Hunter's Captain Ake so far. Other than her being over 400 years old, her half-Lanthanite lineage, and her implied Kligon romance from decades ago, she's something of an enigma. Her compulsion to help Caleb (Sandro Rosta) was one of the only things that was truly understandable, but "Come, Let's Away" even reframed that arc.
As it turns out, Captain Ake is haunted by the decision to sacrifice her son, who was presumably a Starfleet officer, in order to save the lives of countless others. The dark implementation of Spock's immortal "needs of the many" mantra is masterfully integrated into Ake's backstory, while leaving out just enough detail to leave us wanting more. Huge shout-out to Paul Giamatti's Nus Braka on his stellar performance in the monologue while delivering this reveal. It was a slew of exposition, but one that felt organic thanks to the legendary actor's talent.
I'm not sure if "Come, Let's Away" also messed up big time
For all of Star Trek's strengths, it has also struggled with introducing new recurring villains in recent years. Braka appears to be an outlier in this respect, as I can't wait for him to come back. Unfortunately, he is but one man, and the best Star Trek villains tend to be races as a whole. Klingons, the Borg, the Romulans, and the Kazon are just a handful of examples.
When the Furies were introduced in "Come, Let's Away," I was immediately unnerved by the way they moved, spoke, looked, and acted. Perfect villain race design. You can imagine my frustration when the seemingly extra-dimensional cannibals turned out to be little more than pawns in Braka's nefarious scheme to steal Federation tech. It was a slick plan, but it came with the expense of the Furies being pushed to the fringes. I really hope they can come back as the real bad guys they appeared to be.
Episode Rating: A+
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is streaming now on Paramount+. Catch a new episode every Thursday until the season 1 finale on March 12, 2026.