Every year, at the end of the year, the billionaires of the world gather, in their super yachts, at destinations that cater to the rich. This year, almost all of them congregated in the Caribbean island of St. Bart’s. They live in a world where there are no needs or wants that aren’t instantly satisfied, can travel anywhere at any time, and the people outside their bubble might as well not exist.
There’s probably a reason why most of the successful Star Trek series’ didn’t dwell on the life of a normal Federation citizen. It’s the same reason why Iain M. Banks set most of his “Culture” novels outside or on the fringes of his utopian society; the stories live where there is want and need. When you already have everything, what more is there?
It’s not surprising to me that the first Star Trek show produced after billionaires took control of CBS/Paramount is a show focused on the trials and tribulations that billionaires face; finding other billionaires with whom to form alliances; keeping ones wealth from those who demand a portion; making decisions that affect billions of people with no input from them.
The premise of Starfleet Academy is simple: the reborn Federation has recovered from the galaxy-wide destruction of the Burn, a disaster that destroyed most of the galaxy’s dilithium and exploded any ship that happened to be in warp at the time. There is now breathing room to have the Federation’s best and brightest gather to refocus the Federation toward exploration, diplomacy, and expanding the Federation’s sphere of influence.
The show takes place primarily on the “Athena”, a massive starship cum mobile classroom and, when docked to its base in Marin County, the Starfleet Academy campus itself. It is commanded by Holly Hunter’s near-immortal Chancellor Ake, who takes on the dual position of the ship’s captain and head of the academy. Midway through the first episode, she drops the Athena out of warp to investigate a strange space anomaly. The ship is immediately disabled by a space pirate, Nus Braka (played by Paul Giamatti), leader of the Venari Rai, space pirates that we will continue to hear about through the second episode. This is different from the Emerald Chain space pirates from the previous Star Trek Discovery series. (Not sure why they needed another space pirate faction, but here we are).
Significantly, the ship isn’t damaged; just disabled. Help is forty-five minutes away. Braka demands Ake give him the Athena’s warp drive. Ake initially agrees, but then tricks him into leaving the ship, at which point she utterly destroys Braka’s ship, killing everyone on board. Braka manages to transport back to the Athena and then uses an escape pod to leave the ship. Ake allows him to leave without attempting to recapture him, and presumably waves away the Federation ships that were coming to their aid.
Previous Star Treks would have disabled the enemy ship and left the crew alive and taken into custody, if they were able. Picard would have just given them the warp drive, if help was already on the way. Kirk would have convinced them they didn’t want it in the first place. Sisko would have explained why taking the warp drive would unleash consequences they would not like. Janeway would have had them becoming allies. Ake — kills them all and never mentions them again.
There’s some backstory, with Ake and lead student Caleb Mir. Caleb was separated from his mother (Tatiana Maslany) when she and Nus Braka were arrested during a food raid on a Federation starship that ended with the death of a Starfleet officer; Ake was the judge who separated mother and child during their sentencing. Nus and mother were sentenced to a penal colony from which they later escaped. Meanwhile, Caleb has become a troublemaker and prodigy who is expert at everything, somehow, despite having been on the run for fifteen years. It’s clear Ake knows Caleb’s mom and Nus Braka are still working together, against the Federation — plenty of clues have been given. But we aren’t seeing that story, yet.
In the second episode, the United Federation of Planets wishes to form an alliance with the Betazed Federation, a group of worlds that is shut off from the wider galaxy by a psychic barrier; they are also being attacked by the seemingly powerful Venari Rai, and refuse to drop the barrier unless guaranteed significant aid from the UFP.
The episode is how I imagine the St. Bart’s meeting of billionaires played out. The head of both factions meet at the Academy (for some reason), and everyone involved has every need instantly met. These aren’t people who have ever wanted anything they couldn’t have; their only thoughts are to keep away the barbarians at the gate. To stay united against those not invited into the utopia.
In the end, they do; the Betazed worlds join the Federation, and the capital of the Federation is moved to Betazed. Two powerful utopias are now joined to fight the Venari Rai, and nothing is said about what it is the Venari Rai might possibly want. They are the other, and they are evil, and they refuse to be part of the utopia, and that is reason enough to kill them out of hand.
As when Star Wars’ Andor shows the lives of people who are not space wizards, I’d be far more interested in a show about the Venari Rai, fighting against being subsumed by the Federation. And maybe they will tell this story, maybe cadet Caleb Mir will rejoin his mom at Nus Braka’s side and we’ll see a story we didn’t expect. I don’t think this will happen. I’m sure Caleb’s mom will turn out to have been helping Braka due to some promise or threat and that they will be united, inside the benevolent arms of the Federation, by the end of the season.
Because it’s a Federation of billionaires, and within their world is no want or need.
