Star Trek’s Youngest Live-Action Show Was Perfectly Summed Up By An Unexpectedly Hilarious Quote

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy set the tone of its youth-oriented show early with an unexpectedly hilarious quote at the end of its second episode. Executive produced by co-showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's second and final season premieres in March 2027 on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's action-packed series premiere, "Kids These Days," introduced Captain Nahla Ake (Hollly Hunter) and the Starfleet Academy's newest crop of 32nd-century cadets. Their voyage to San Francisco aboard the USS Athena was attacked by Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), and the crisis forced the young cadets to test their mettle before they even attended a single class.

After settling in San Francisco, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 2, "Beta Test," dealt with political intrigue leading to the Betazoids' return to the United Federation of Planets. "Beta Test" launched the romance between Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) and Tarima Sadal (Zoe Steiner), but the cadets were largely on their best behavior as Betazed's president and dignitaries visited Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Was Summed Up By Ocam Sadal’s Unexpectedly Hilarious Quote

The youthful irreverence of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was first truly summed up at the end of episode 2, when Caleb learned Ocam Sadal (Romeo Carere), the brother of Tarima and son of Betazed's president, joined him and Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) as their third roommate. Watching Darem teach Caleb how to make his bed, Ocam quipped an immortal line that became a cult favorite:

“Bros making bros’ beds! Love to see it! Let's make a fort, guys!”

According to the cast, the line was improvised by Romeo Carere, who revealed himself as the seventh main cadet of the series. Beloved by his fellow actors and executive producers, Carere wasn't advertised as part of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cast, so he was a genuine surprise. Throughout season 1, Romeo became a reliable source of irrepressible comic relief and a master at hilarious improvisation.

Ocam's excitement at Darem teaching his roommate how to make his bed is also a breakthrough moment for Caleb. Since he was separated from his mother as a child, Caleb never had a bed of his own to make. Caleb survived alone in the galaxy until young adulthood, when he was recruited to Starfleet Academy. Learning how to make his bed was character development for Caleb.

"Bros making bro's beds!" took on a life of its own as symbolic of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's tone. While dialogue like that is too modern for many longtime Star Trek fans used to the elevated, Shakespearean-style speech of 1960s and 1990s Star Trek, it makes the cadets feel more relevant and authentic to the young adult audience that Starfleet Academy was designed to reach.

Why Star Trek Needed Starfleet Academy

Though it will only last for two seasons, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was a necessary step forward for the franchise, even if it's not fully appreciated at this time. As a 60-year-old franchise, Star Trek's core audience is aging. Evidently, new fans aren't being created in the numbers needed for Star Trek to sustain itself into the future.

Previous generations of Trekkers blame Alex Kurtzman's shows as straying too far from what 'Star Trek is supposed to be,' but Star Trek also needs to change with the times, as it did in the 1980s and 1990s. Rick Berman's Star Trek was very different from Star Trek: The Original Series. Indeed, Star Trek: The Next Generation was initially blasted as being fake Star Trek by TOS fans before the tables turned.

History proves that when Star Trek changes, its audience can be slow to adjust. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise are more widely respected now than when during their original runs in the 1990s and 2000s. Logic suggests it will take years, but wider acceptance for Kurtzman's Paramount+ Star Trek series, including Starfleet Academy, lies ahead.

Meanwhile, like Star Trek: Prodigy before it, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a noble attempt to be relevant to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Each series only lasted two seasons, and many will call them failures. However, Star Trek needs younger audiences to become Trekkers if it's to survive another 60 years.

To paraphrase Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Star Trek: Starfleet Academy had the virtue of never having been tried.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 is streaming on Paramount+