Star Trek Has 3 Episodes To Do Its Most Underrated New Character Justice

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has made many worthwhile additions to the franchise's roster of heroes and villains. Paul Giamatti's Nus Braka provides a truly brilliant enemy - the likes of which Star Trek has needed for years. Karim Diané's Jay-Den Kraag warps Klingon culture into the 32nd century, becoming arguably the most interesting of the show's student characters. Holly Hunter's Nahla Ake reinvents the mold for Star Trek captains, bringing a fresh quirkiness to the bridge.

Thus far, each of Starfleet Academy's main students has been afforded a focal episode to flesh out their character. Caleb Mir fronted the opening two installments, Jay-Den was the star in a Klingon-centric episode 4, SAM led episode 5's investigation into Benjamin Sisko, and Darem Reymi gets married (briefly) in episode 7. Alas, one Starfleet Academy cadet still deserves a closer look.

Genesis Is The Only Starfleet Academy Cadet Without Their Own Episode

Bella Shepard's Genesis Lythe has been part of the Starfleet Academy ensemble since opening day. She championed Reymi as he walked the hull of the USS Athena, became best friends with the photonic SAM, and was easily the most useful person on the bridge during episode 6's Miyazaki incident (and that includes her captain).

Despite all this promise and potential, Genesis hasn't yet been given the lead on her own episode. That's a problem, because without those deeper moments of characterization, Star Trek's new cadets have relatively generic outlines. Caleb is the one with no parents, SAM is the extroverted outcast, Reymi is the arrogant rich kid, etc. You can choose any school-based story (Harry Potter and Wednesday being the most apt) and pick out characters in the exact same molds.

Star Trek's new characters only evolve into something more when they get enough time to shine. SAM's episode with Jake Sisko and Illa Dax brought many more layers to her holographic personality, while viewers never properly understood Reymi until they saw him break the record for Khionia's shortest marriage. Suddenly, those characters stopped looking like cookie-cutter clichés.

Right now, Genesis Lythe still feels like the super-smart teacher's pet. With only three episodes of Starfleet Academy season 1 remaining, time is running out for Genesis to, firstly, get her own episode, and secondly, carry the effects of that episode into the show's wider narrative.

Starfleet Academy Episode 7 Proves Genesis Is Underused

While Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7 is mostly about Reymi's reluctant nuptials, the B-plot involves Genesis attempting to rewrite her Starfleet application for some convoluted reason that's 100% down to overthinking. It's our first real indication that there's more to Genesis than just being an academic whiz and an admiral's daughter, but Star Trek doesn't have time to fully unpack her dilemma here.

It's also interesting that sparks are flying between Genesis and Caleb. The pair's romantic chemistry was teased at the very beginning of Starfleet Academy, then forgotten so abruptly viewers would be forgiven for wondering if they'd completely imagined the frisson between characters.

Apparently not, as Genesis and Caleb definitely share a moment in episode 7. Nevertheless, the long gap between "moments" only goes to show how much Genesis has been underused so far in Starfleet Academy's inaugural season. Viewers can only hope that Genesis' brush with rule-breaking and unfolding relationship with Caleb are the precursors to Bella Shepard finally getting her own episode before Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's first season ends.