Entertainment
Starfleet Academy Finally Used An Old Star Trek Trope To Do Something New
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Starfleet Academy is a show that has pretty shamelessly been relying on older Star Trek shows to tell new stories. Accordingly, one of the biggest criticisms of this new spinoff is that it doesn’t have that many ideas of its own. After all, the most memorable episodes of the season serve as fairly shameless sequels to beloved episodes of Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
However, the Season 1 finale “Rubincon” finally put a new spin on an old trope. Among other things, this episode extensively relied on a trial, and such courtroom drama was a staple of the Golden Age of the franchise (especially in The Next Generation). However, Starfleet Academy puts its own spin on this ancient trope by using the trial less to explore ethical conundrums and more to explore simmering character conflict.
Star Trek: Law & Order
So, when did trial episodes become a staple of Star Trek? There have been some judicious flirtations as early as The Original Series, like when Captain Kirk memorably faced court-martial. Arguably, though, this trope didn’t become something Star Trek was famous for until The Next Generation. This was a show where Data had to fight in court to be seen as a person and not a toaster, and Picard had to give a speech about freedom vs. security to a crazy admiral. Speaking of Picard, he also began TNG and ended TNG the same way: by testifying on humanity’s behalf in front of an omnipotent imp of a judge.
Star Trek: The Next Generation established a core aspect of these trials early on: rather than exploring characters, the courtroom drama was used to explore ideas. In “The Measure of a Man,” the fans at home already believe that Data should be treated like a human, so nobody watching is likely to have their beliefs about this character changed by testimony. Instead, we are here to enjoy the crunchy philosophical question at the heart of the episode: “how do we de define life in the far future?”
The Trial Never Ended, Picard
Similarly, “The Drumhead” is about an overzealous admiral investigating suspected sabotage aboard the Enterprise, eventually investigating Captain Picard himself in her mad urge to root out suspected traitors. As viewers, we are primed to believe Geordi La Forge and Data when they report that the explosion that triggered the investigation was just an accident. What we’re here to see is the episode’s exploration of a question that once vexed Benjamin Franklin: “is better security really worth sacrificing all of our personal liberties?”
This trend continued into other Trek shows: in Voyager, for example, Voyager’s “Death Wish” explores the morality of assisted suicide. However, the Starfleet Academy Season 1 finale “Rubincon” changed the formula up by having supervillain Nus Braka put the Federation itself on trial. His old nemesis, Captain Ake, basically represented the defense, while Anisha Mir (also Ake’s old nemesis) gets to play judge, jury, and executioner.
Putting The Federation On Trial
What made this episode different is that there wasn’t really any underlying philosophical question being explored. Nominally, viewers might briefly consider the validity of Nus Braka’s claims, but “briefly” is the keyword here: no Star Trek fans watching think the franchise’s latest spinoff will suddenly make the Federation the bad guys; instead, the trial is mostly a vector for Nus Braka’s megalomania and an excuse to have actor Paul Giamatti chew all the scenery in the quadrant. Beyond that, though, the courtroom drama is a vessel for something that used to be verboten under Trek creator Gene Roddenberry: juicy, juicy character conflict.
After all, the trial is the only place the show allows Anisha Mir to unload on Captain Ake, accusing the Starfleet officer of unfairly imprisoning her and separating her from her son. Meanwhile, Ake gets to explain how the other woman was an accessory to a pretty brutal murder. Along the way, she gets to dismantle Nus Braka’s sad backstory: he claims the Federation destroyed his home colony, but she proves his father did it through what the Picard show might frame as “sheer f*cking hubris.”
The Girls Are Fighting
Fortunately, the character conflict is quite juicy: both Holly Hunter and Tatiana Maslany are great actors, and it’s cool seeing them square off against each other onscreen in such a powerful way. Giamatti, arguably the show’s finest actor, gets to serve as a chaos agent, stirring the pot whenever things start to calm down. The result is scene after scene of captivating tension that furthers our understanding of these three characters and their relationship.
That doesn’t make these scenes perfect, of course: in my review of “Rubincon,” I noted how the mock trial is arguably the worst part of the episode. This is true on a storytelling level because Ake is really just buying time before the inevitable Starfleet rescue and equally inevitable happy ending. But everybody watches Star Trek for different reasons, and if you like seeing actors bring out the best in each other (a pretty darn good reason to tune in), it’s tough to beat these courtroom scenes.
If nothing else, Starfleet Academy deserves credit for proving that you can teach an old Targ new tricks: the show might still lean a little too heavily on the Star Trek tropes of yesteryear, but this season finale reveals that the writers are learning to do something new with them. Plus, the worst thing about this episode is three of television’s best actors giving it their all for the better part of an hour. If that’s the worst “Rubincon” had to offer, that’s a surefire sign of a good story!