Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has a blended cast, featuring both industry up-and-comers and established legends of the big and small screen. Although the younger actors have done a great job so far of making themselves at home, two of the show's veterans have been proving in recent weeks why they've had such long and impressive careers.
Now, before we get started, I'd like to point out that even the most perfectly executed monologue is rarely enough for an actor to be nominated for a TV award. Oftentimes, their performance throughout an entire episode or season needs to be flawless, with an almost intangible quality of greatness. I happen to think both the actors in question have offered performances like this in recent weeks, but their respective monologues are questionably their respective highlights in Starfleet Academy to date.
FULL SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, Episode 8, "The Life of the Stars"
Award-worthy Starfleet Academy monologue #1: Paul Giamatti in Episode 6, "Come, Let's Away"
Starfleet Academy's pilot episode "Kids These Days" allowed Star Trek newcomers Paul Giamatti and Holly Hunter to make their franchise debuts. Their respective characters of Nus Braka and Captain Nahla Ake were quickly confirmed as having a long and uneasy history that predated the episode's events. They had a killer dynamic, making it disappointing that Giamatti's character made his exit and didn't show up again for several weeks.
Thankfully, Episode 6 brought him back with a bang. His performance remained stellar, and his chemistry with Hunter was still evident from a lightyear away. While his return would have been great without the monologue that taught the audience about Captain Ake's past, said speech really allowed Giamatti to flex his villainous acting muscles. On Paramount+, the scene begins at 33:42 and ends at 38:12. In just those few minutes, Giamatti delivers a slew of expositional sentiment, aiming it all at Hunter's character.
Despite Giamatti being landed with the difficult task of simply recounting off-screen events so the viewers can learn more, he manages to find a way to make the entire sequence truly enthralling. The smugness and insincerity that bleed through Braka's artificial sympathy are evident. And yet, behind it all, it's still impossible to tell for sure whether anything he's saying lines up with what he thinks of Captain Ake and what she's been through. He's the perfect Star Trek villain, and this moment cements it.
Award-worthy Starfleet Academy monologue #2: Robert Picardo in Episode 8, "The Life of the Stars"
Picardo has worked continuously since his time on Star Trek: Voyager ended with the show's 2001 finale, but playing the Doctor in the beloved space opera remains the highlight of his career. That's not to disparage any of his other projects; I'm just pointing out how perfect he is as the photonic physician. When he was announced as returning for Starfleet Academy, I was overjoyed. He was my favorite character in Voyager, and not just for his fantastic comic timing. He also shone during dramatic and emotional moments, and Starfleet Academy's "The Life of the Stars" gives him the best chance in decades to revisit that version of the Doctor.
The episode references a few different Voyager storylines, making "The Life of the Stars" a sort of mega-tribute to the classic Star Trek show. However, the most important installment that's acknowledged is 1997's "Real Life," which saw the Doctor create a holographic family and then end the simulation within the same episode. When the program is made as realistic as possible to give the Doctor a more accurate depiction of what family life can be like, he tragically loses his daughter.
Picardo's monologue in "The Life of the Stars" is built around this decades-old twist. Beginning at
48:55 and ending at 50:30, the Doctor's tear-jerking speech is significantly shorter than Braka's, but it's just as densely packed with emotion. Just a different kind of emotion. With Starfleet Academy leaning heavily on the memory of its 1997 companion piece to evoke the sadness required, Picardo more than holds up his end of the bargain.
As the Doctor recounts the heartbreaking events to a deactivated SAM (Kerrice Brooks), he explains that the loss of his daughter centuries earlier is the primary reason he is unable to open up emotionally and be the photonic mentor she needs. It's impossible to watch without becoming misty-eyed, especially if you remember "Real Life." Still, even for non-Voyager fans, Picardo's performance in this moment is powerful enough to stand on its own. It also pays off the mystery of why he's been so uncharacteristically cold since the start ofStarfleet Academy.
Both these Starfleet Academy scenes have the same (silent) scene partner for a reason
Captain Ake does have a few lines toward the start of the Braka speech, but she's eventually pushed into a frustrated silence as Giamatti's character really tries to get to her. Hunter's character is also present during the Doctor's moment with SAM, but she stays quiet until her fellow Starfleet officer has the closure he needs. It might seem like a mere coincidence that Ake was present during both of these standout scenes, but I think it's an intentional move by the writers.
When Braka and Ake are alone in "Come, Let's Away," it feels very much like a Starfleet Academy affair. It highlights the length of Ake's life and the amount we still don't know about her past. The Doctor's speech also ties into Starfleet Academy's new storylines, but it's also very Voyager-heavy. So, Ake's presence reasserts the moment as belonging to the new show by once more drawing attention to how long Hunter's character has lived. She isn't as old as the Doctor, sure, but the ancient nature of Picardo's Star Trek character provides a great opportunity to subtly focus once more on how much of Captain Ake's life before Starfleet Academy we have yet to learn about.
New Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 episodes drop on Paramount+ every Thursday until the finale on March 12, 2026.