Holly Hunter Joins STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY in Lead Role

Holly Hunter at Starfleet Academy. Images: Jeff Vespa/Contour by Getty Images / Parmount.

Acclaimed actress Holly Hunter has been cast in a lead role in the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, set to premiere on Paramount+. This news, first reported by Variety, marks a significant addition to the Star Trek franchise as it continues to explore new frontiers.

Hunter will take on the role of captain and chancellor of the Academy, guiding a fresh cohort of Starfleet cadets through their training in the 32nd century. Co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau are thrilled to have Hunter on board, praising her exceptional talent and presence. “It feels like we’ve spent our entire lives watching Holly Hunter be a stone-cold genius,” they said. “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.’”

The series will begin filming in Toronto later this summer, featuring the largest contiguous set ever constructed for a Star Trek series. This impressive set will include a two-story central academic atrium with an amphitheater, classrooms, a mess hall, and a picturesque walkway lined with trees, creating an immersive environment for the story's unfolding.

Starfleet Academy aims to explore the complexities of higher education within the Star Trek universe, capturing everything from budding romances and academic pressures to the angst of self-discovery. Landau highlighted the unique challenges the young cadets will face, saying, “These are kids who’ve never had a red alert before. They never had to operate a transporter or be in a phaser fight.”

Hunter joins the ranks of Oscar-winning actors who have ventured into the Star Trek world, a distinguished list that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Louise Fletcher, and F. Murray Abraham. Hunter’s illustrious career spans five decades, with an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Piano (1993) and nominations for Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993) and Thirteen (2003). From her breakout role in the Coen brothers' Raising Arizona to voicing Elastigirl in Pixar's The Incredibles series, Hunter has consistently demonstrated her versatility and talent.

In addition to her film success, Hunter has made a significant impact on television. She starred in and executive produced the TNT crime series Saving Grace, earning critical acclaim over its three-season run. She has also won Emmy Awards for her roles in The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom and Roe vs. Wade. More recently, she starred opposite Ted Danson in the NBC comedy Mr. Mayor.