Starfleet Academy Episode 7 Recap and Analysis

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7 – “Ko’Zeine”Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7 brings the show back down to Earth (and the Khionian Sunset Moon) for an hour of bonding, character development, and revelations. Written by Alex Taub and Eric Anthony Glover, and directed by Andi Armaganian, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7 lets the cadets cope with the fallout of the previous episode’s tragedy aboard the USS Miyazaki.

Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) was abducted and returned home to the Khionian realm to be ‘sealed’ (married) to his bethroned, Kaira (Jaelynn Thora Brooks). Darem acquiesced to his culture’s expectations to become Khionia’s new co-ruler with Kaira. However, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), Darem’s ‘Ko’Zeine’ (best man), knows his friend’s heart really beats for Starfleet Academy.

Meanwhile, Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard) hustles Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) at Starfleet Academy, which was vacated for All Worlds Day and spring semester break. Genesis coaxes Caleb to help her break onto the USS Athena’s bridge so that she can access and alter her Starfleet application. Inevitably, Genesis and Caleb are caught by Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro).

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7 is a pleasing throwback to the type of ‘filler’ episodes that longtime Trekkies miss about the 22 to 26 episodes-per-season Star Trek series executive produced by Rick Berman. Pairing off Darem, Jay-Den, Caleb, and Genesis in a charming, low-stakes drama deepened their bonds and brought a new understanding to the inner doubts and fears of Starfleet’s future heroes.

Darem Doesn’t Marry Kaira And Rule Khionia, Thanks To Jay-Den

Thanks to Jay-Den’s ‘Ko-Zeine’ speech, Kaira decided to break her sealing to Darem so that he could return to Starfleet Academy. Jay-Den described the Darem he knows from their months together as Starfleet cadets, including Darem walking on the hull of the USS Athena and leading a Calica prank war against the War College. Kaira didn’t recognize the Darem that the Klingon spoke of.

Crucially, Kaira realized that Jay-Den was right about Darem, who will put aside his own desires to fulfill the needs of others. Darem couldn’t refuse being sealed to Kaira, which has been his purpose since they were children. However, Darem has grown as a person since joining Starfleet, and Kaira decided forcing Darem into ruling Khionia with her would be unfair to him.

Unspoken between Darem and Jay-Den is the romantic attraction the Khionian aristocrat feels for the Klingon healer.

Unspoken between Darem and Jay-Den is the romantic attraction the Khionian aristocrat feels for the Klingon healer. Jay-Den can’t reciprocate it because he’s dating Kyle (Dale Whibley) from the War College. Jay-Den feels obligated to be with Kyle, who is mourning the death of B’Avi (Alexander Eiling), in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6.

It’s curious that Darem’s parents were present at his sealing to Kaira, but they did not interact on-screen. George Hawkins told ScreenRant in an exclusive interview that there were no scenes between Darem and his parents in the script, and it symbolizes the cold distance the Reymis maintain from their son.

Genesis Isn’t Expelled From Starfleet Academy But She Won’t Be On Captain’s Track

A very angry Captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) left her holiday early and returned to Starfleet Academy to deal with Genesis and Caleb’s break-in at the USS Athena’s bridge. Genesis came clean that her goal was to access her Starfleet application recommendation letters, which she had altered because they all described her as leading “out of fear.”

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has yet to introduce Genesis’ father, who is a Starfleet Admiral.

Genesis dreaded the truth about her recommendation letters being discovered, which would derail Captain Ake putting Lythe forward for the Pre-Command (Captain’s track). Genesis’ crimes delivered that outcome anyway: Nahla didn’t expel Genesis, but placed her and Caleb on academic probation with 200 hours of menial labor.

Caleb was already serving 90 hours of menial labor for placing the USS Athena in danger in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s premiere. It’s unclear if Mir had completed that punishment before Capain Ake added another 200 hours. Regardless, Caleb is spending the majority of his freshman year doing manual labor between classes.

Genesis’ failed plan is her first display of terrible judgment in her otherwise stellar performance as a Starfleet Academy cadet. Genesis had been the ‘most Starfleet’ of her peers, competent, bright, and effective in a crisis. How Genesis thought she could get away with her bridge break-in evades logic, but perhaps her unaltered recommendation letters had a point that Genesis must learn to overcome her fears.

To convince Caleb to help her, Genesis confessed that she wants to be a Captain to prove she can get out of her famous “Dadmiral’s” shadow. Genesis swore to Caleb after she was caught that “not all of it” was BS. Hopefully, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will clarify how much truth there was in Genesis pouring her heart out to Caleb.

A month after the tragic events aboard the USS Miyazaki, Caleb hasn’t contacted Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner), who is recovering from her coma on Betazed. Tarima removed her neural inhibitor and overloaded her psychic powers to kill the Furies and save Caleb and their friends. Caleb spent the next month composing and deleting messages to Tarima, although he received updates from her brother, Ocam (Romeo Carere).

Caleb needed time, and Genesis’ counsel, to sort through his complicated feelings about Tarima psychically seeing his buried trauma about being separated from his mother, Anisha Mir (Tatiana Maslany), as a child. Caleb realized that it wasn’t an accident, and deep down, he wanted Tarima to see the real him. Yet Caleb has been unable to vocalize this in a transmission to Betazed.

The empathic Betazoid may sense what has developed between Genesis and Caleb when she returns to Starfleet Academy.

Genesis helped Caleb see that he owed Tarima a communiqué, and Mir finally sent her his confession. However, Caleb and Genesis also shared a spark of attraction that they both acknowledged. Although Caleb’s feelings for Tarima are stronger, the empathic Betazoid may sense what has developed between Genesis and Caleb when she returns to Starfleet Academy.

SAM’s Glitching Is Repaired

Series Acclimation Mil aka SAM (Kerrice Brooks) is barely in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6, but her issues from the previous episode were seemingly resolved off-screen. SAM was shot by the Furies, and the holographic cadet was damaged and began glitching. During her spring semester break, SAM went to a holographic repair “spa” in Denver, Colorado.

SAM returned to Starfleet Academy looking perfect and the Emissary of Kasq was her normal, energetic self when she found Genesis. However, SAM’s reemergence was part of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6’s moving climactic montage set to Fink’s “We Watch the Stars (Berlin Session)” as the cadets watched a meteor shower.

Given how dire SAM’s glitching seemed at the end of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6, an off-screen repair putting the Emissary back to normal seems too pat. It’s worth keeping an eye on Series Acclimation Mil in the next episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.