Oscar-winning actress Holly Hunter will play a main role in the highly anticipated Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series.
Who is Holly Hunter playing in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?
Holly Hunter’s character name has not been revealed yet, but Variety, who first reported her Star Trek: Starfleet Academy casting, announced that the actress will play the captain and chancellor of the eponymous Academy, presiding over both the faculty and a new class of Starfleet cadets as they learn to navigate the galaxy in the 32nd century.
“It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” said co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, in a statement, confirming the actress’ Star Trek casting. “To have her extraordinary authenticity, fearlessness, sense of humor, and across-the-board brilliance leading the charge on Starfleet Academy is a gift to all of us, and to the enduring legacy of Star Trek.
What is Holly Hunter famous for?
Holly Hunter is best known for winning an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Ada McGrath in the 1993 film The Piano. She also received acting nominations from the Academy Awards for her performances in 1987’s Broadcast News, 1993’s The Firm, and 2003’s Thirteen.
She’s been active in showbusiness since 1981, taking on her iconic role as Ed in the Coen brothers film Raising Arizona in 1987 and lending her voice to the fan-favorite character Elastigirl in 2004’s Incredibles and 2018’s Incredibles 2.
On the TV front, Hunter starred in and executive produced the TNT crime series Saving Grace. She also scored Emmy awards for the made-for-television movies Roe vs. Wade and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, which came out in 1989 and 1993, respectively. Her most recent TV gig is the NBC comedy Mr. Mayor, in which she starred alongside Ted Danson.
In addition to the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Holly Hunter will also be seen in the drama movie Hurricanna, which doesn’t have a release date yet.
What will Star Trek: Starfleet Academy be about?
Sharing a name with the late 1990s video game, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will follow an all-new class of Starfleet cadets mentored for leadership roles in the United Federation of Planets space force.
Alex Kurtzman serves as showrunner, alongside Noga Landau. Kurtzman and Landau also executive produce the show, along with Aaron Baiers, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, and Gaia Violo, who wrote the series pilot.
The new series will focus on higher education, from the throes of budding romance to the pressures of academic achievement to the angst of painful self-discovery. In a March 27 cover story about the future of Star Trek, told Variety that these Starfleet cadets “are kids who’ve never had a red alert before … they never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight,” so it would be interesting to see how they would react if they encounter a real-life crisis.
What will Star Trek: Starfleet Academy come out?
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy doesn’t have a release date yet, but it will start filming in Toronto later this summer, featuring the largest contiguous set ever constructed for a Star Trek series. The said set features a central academic atrium that spans two stories and includes an amphitheater, classrooms, a mess hall, and an idyllic walkway lined with trees.
Where to watch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be available to watch on Paramount+, where several newer Star Trek series are also streaming, including Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.