Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 Episode 4, "Vox in Excelsio," doesn't stray from the show's 32nd century, but it does provide a brief glimpse into an era that hasn't been fleshed out all that much. The era in question holds a lot of promise for great Star Trek storytelling, so I hope Starfleet Academy continues to address it as the show continues. If not, it would be a huge waste.
Serving as a direct spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet Academy's 32nd-century setting places the show at the furthest point in the future of the space opera's timeline. With most Star Trek shows taking place in the 24th century, there is a huge gulf that separates Starfleet Academy from the franchise's narrative core. Although some events from this ignored period have been mentioned, most have been left to the imagination. However, Starfleet Academy seems intent on making sure this era isn't completely abandoned.
FULL SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 Episode 4, "Vox in Excelsio."
Starfleet Academy just teased an intriguing part of Captain Ake's Star Trek past
Holly Hunter's Captain Nahla Ake's half-Lanthanite lineage has allowed her to live for over four centuries before the events of Starfleet Academy. Understandably, only the parts of her life that are especially relevant to the show's current storyline are acknowledged in any real way. With "Vox in Excelsio" being such a Klingon-heavy installment, a key part of Captain Ake's past is brought to the forefront.
As strongly implied by their scenes dripping with sexual chemistry, Captain Ake has a romantic history with the episode's newly introduced Klingon elder. The pair's romantic past occurred decades before Starfleet Academy, but as suggested by the moments between them, Hunter's character has barely aged in that time, thanks to her Lanthanite DNA. The long-standing connection ultimately serves the resolution of Episode 4's plot very well.
Starfleet Academy surely must reveal more about Captain Ake's substantial history
After three episodes of coy winks to the fact that Captain Ake has lived several lifetimes before Starfleet Academy, it was very satisfying to have these references pay off so soon into the show. This willingness to flesh out her timeline so soon into Starfleet Academy's run makes me hopeful that there are plans to do more of the same in the future. She is, after all, one of the biggest keys to a "lost" Star Trek era.
What's even more promising is when Oded Fehr's Admiral Vance references Captain Ake's incredibly long Starfleet service record. The events contained within said file would probably be enough to justify an entire spinoff for Holly Hunter's character. While I doubt that would actually happen — although never say never with Star Trek — this playful moment between Admiral Vance and Captain Ake feels like a sure sign that we'll learn more about her pre-Starfleet Academy antics.
Star Trek already showed a willingness to acknowledge the long lifespan of Lanthanites
Lanthanites have, admittedly, been used very sparingly in Star Trek lore so far. Other than Carol Kane's Commander Pelia in Strange New Worlds, Captain Ake is the only member of her species to appear in the franchise. And Hunter's character is only half Lanthanite. Regardless, Strange New Worlds continuously references moments from Pelia's life in much the same way as Starfleet Academy just did with Captain Ake. There has even been an all-but-confirmed meeting between Pelia and Doctor Who's main character. But I digress.
Regardless, in Strange New Worlds season 2's "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," not long after Pelia's debut, the show travels back from the 23rd century to the 21st. And who's there, helping out La'an (Christina Chong) and Kirk (Paul Wesley)? It's Pelia. Just like Captain Ake, Kane's character looks exactly the same hundreds of years apart, and still boasts that signature Lanthanite breeziness. If Strange New Worlds did it, there's no reason why Starfleet Academy can't.
Why Star Trek's Lanthanite flashbacks are so important
Lanthanites as a species are a really cool idea, but they come with a weird problem. Because they live for so long, it becomes unusual that they never showed up in Star Trek canon before Pelia's debut in Strange New Worlds season 2. Of course, this has kind of already been accounted for by softly explaining that Lanthanites look so human, they've just been able to blend right in on Earth. Still, the truth of the matter is that they just hadn't been invented until fairly recently.
While it's alright to just accept that Lanthanites have been there all along, living as humans through the centuries, it's more of a convincing retcon effort to actually see and hear about members of the species and what they were up to during the various eras when the writers hadn't yet dreamed them into existence. Strange New Worlds has done this well already, but with Captain Ake being a more central figure in Starfleet Academy than Pelia is in her show, Holly Hunter's character deserves more historical context.
Catch a new episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+ every Thursday. The season 1 finale will arrive on March 12, 2026.