Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away”Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has drawn weirdly intense criticism about how the franchise’s newest captain sits in her chair. Now, after the show’s latest episode, there is far less reason to complain. In Episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away,” Starfleet Academy quietly provides context on how Holly Hunter’s Captain Ake chooses to conduct herself while in command of the USS Athena. It’s never explained out loud, but it’s easy to figure out by reading between the lines.
Starfleet Academy‘s 32nd-century setting makes it difficult for many returning characters to show up. There are some exceptions, like Robert Picardo’s Doctor and the recent reveal of Tawny Newsome’s Illa Dax, but figures in this category are limited. For this reason, Starfleet Academy has introduced a slew of fresh faces, and Captain Ake is one of them. She’s an incredibly intriguing figure, but countless Trekkies can’t seem to get past her unorthodox posture on the Athena’s bridge.
‘Starfleet Academy’ Episode 6 Establishes a Key Part of Captain Ake’s Command Style
“Come, Let’s Away” is a surprisingly dark installment that comes with high stakes. There are, granted, a few moments when Captain Ake sits very informally in her chair, in what many may call a lounge or a slouch. It probably annoyed the fans that it has irritated since the show’s premiere. However, when the story takes a turn from a lighthearted training exercise to a potentially fatal hostage situation, Hunter’s character sits up straight with the best of them.
While it’s arguably unprofessional to sit the way she does most of the time, Captain Ake’s default posture doesn’t break any Starfleet regulations. Furthermore, it creates a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere on her bridge, which allows her crew and cadets to go about their tasks with less tension in the air. Then, when there is a clear and present danger, she abandons these tangle-bodied poses in favor of a more traditional chair-sit. In short, when the crew sees Captain Ake bolt upright, they know for sure that it’s time to lock in and that something is wrong. It’s a brilliant character decision, and more psychologically impactful than the distracting, loud sirens and the flashing lights of a Red Alert.
There’s Another Explanation for How Captain Ake Sits on the Bridge in ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’
It’s important to keep in mind that, although Captain Ake looks human, that only accounts for half of her DNA. The other 50% is Lanthanite. Little is known about Lanthanites beyond their incredibly long lifespans, but there are other traits that can be gleaned from the only other member of the species Star Trek has introduced so far. Fans of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will know that Carol Kane’s Commander Pelia is a full-blooded Lanthanite, and her demeanor isn’t all that dissimilar to Captain Ake’s.
Both characters, despite being senior Starfleet officers, don’t conduct themselves as one might expect. They both have a strong air of informality about them, almost to the point of coming across as disrespectful. So, this could easily be argued as a prevalent characteristic among Lanthanites, just as Vulcans are often stern and sworn to logical reasoning. Alien captains in the franchise aren’t all that common, at least not alien captains who are also main characters. So, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s decision to put Ake in the captain’s chair was always going to make known new behaviors that aren’t traditional in a commanding officer.
- Release Date
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January 15, 2026
- Network
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Paramount+
- Directors
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Douglas Aarniokoski
- Writers
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Alex Taub, Tawny Newsome, Kirsten Beyer, Jane Maggs, Kiley Rossetter
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