{"id":34801,"date":"2026-03-09T08:47:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T00:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=34801"},"modified":"2026-03-09T08:47:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T00:47:43","slug":"starfleet-academy-episode-9-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=34801","title":{"rendered":"Starfleet Academy Episode 9 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Spoilers follow for <\/strong>Star Trek: Starfleet Academy<\/strong><\/u> Episode 9, \u201c300th Night,\u201d which is available on Paramount Plus now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe the semester\u2019s already over!<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the problem with these 10-episode seasons in the streaming age, I guess. Whereas back in the old days, you\u2019d get 26 episodes per season \u2013 which was probably too many, as there\u2019d wind up being a fair amount of filler each year \u2013 10 episodes, in the case of Starfleet Academy anyway, is proving to be just enough to scratch the surface but leave some plot and character elements a bit undercooked.<\/p>\n

Sure, this is the penultimate episode of Season 1, so maybe everything will be fully fleshed out by the finale, but somehow I doubt it. And yes, I know I was recently complaining<\/u> about episodes being too long these days, but that\u2019s the trick \u2013 making a compelling episode of TV that works as<\/em> an episode of TV is not the same as servicing your characters and story over the course of an entire season. As we get closer to the end of Starfleet Academy Season 1, I\u2019m increasingly worried that we\u2019re running out of runway.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"null\"
Tatiana Maslany returns as Anisha.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/output><\/p>\n

Which is not to say that I didn\u2019t enjoy \u201c300th Night,\u201d which sees the return of Trek legend Jonathan Frakes<\/u> to the director\u2019s chair. The episode, which essentially functions as the first part of a two-part season finale, returns to the overarching plot of Sandro Rosta\u2019s Caleb and the search for his mother, Tatiana Maslany\u2019s Anisha, who were separated 16 years ago in part because of the actions of Holly Hunter\u2019s Captain Ake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you go?\u201d Maslany asks her son over and over when they are finally reunited this week, in a performance that is quite effective, and doubly so when one considers that the actress and Rosta haven\u2019t actually appeared onscreen together prior to this point (a child actor played Caleb in the pilot). Frakes shoots their reunion in tight close-ups which are fairly remarkable in their, and the actors\u2019, ability to sell the emotion of the moment, especially considering that both characters\u2019 faces are also covered for part of the scene.<\/p>\n

But the mother-son reunion also means that Caleb\u2019s whole reason for joining the Academy has now been fulfilled, which leads to another strong scene when he is compelled to go after his buddies in a series of takedowns that is clearly designed to put distance between them rather than allow Caleb to face down the reality of what he is doing \u2013 abandoning not just his friends, but also the life he had finally begun to build for himself. When Kerrice Brooks\u2019 Sam calls bullshit on what Caleb is doing, hugging him tightly, it\u2019s as if she\u2019s trying with all her might to stop him from leaving. Bella Shepard\u2019s Genesis is less forgiving, however, telling Caleb that while most guys his age are trying to make a life for themselves, he can\u2019t because he\u2019s \u201cso committed to being a messed up little kid forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The performances from this cast continue to do so much heavy lifting for Starfleet Academy, and the chemistry between them all doesn\u2019t hurt either.\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

The performances from this cast continue to do so much heavy lifting for Starfleet Academy, and the chemistry between them all doesn\u2019t hurt either. In particular, Caleb and Zo\u00eb Steiner\u2019s Tarima are pretty great together, as \u201c300th Night\u201d reminds us both in their turbolift scene as well as when Caleb visits her to say goodbye forever, even if she doesn\u2019t realize it… \u201cYour name sounds like music.\u201d<\/p>\n

By episode\u2019s end, Anisha has been wounded while helping the cadets escape execution, and everyone is beamed up to the USS Athena, but I can\u2019t help but wonder where things will go in the finale in terms of Anisha and Caleb. It seems unlikely that their reunion will be this neatly resolved, so the question then is, is she actually working for the Venari Ral, as Caleb asked her in this episode? Is she under the thrall of Paul Giamatti\u2019s Nus Braka<\/u>? One week left and there\u2019s still a lot to resolve here\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"null\"
“I love my job.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/output><\/p>\n

Questions and Notes from the Q Continuum:<\/p>\n