'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' First Look Reveals Paul Giamatti's Alien Villain
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There's been a lot of chatter about "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" for a few years now, but thanks to Entertainment Weekly we finally have our first look at the upcoming series.
The preview offers us glimpses of most of the main cast, including Paul Giamatti as a still unnamed alien villain. You can see Giamatti in full costume and makeup below.
First look at Paul Giamatti as the villain in 'STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY'
Giamatti has previously expressed that this dream role was to be in Star Trek.
(Source: https://t.co/lGt377l1Me) pic.twitter.com/psRcW6VKRV — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 25, 2025
While executive producer Alex Kurtzman didn't say exactly what species Giamatti's character is supposed to be, he did let loose a potential hint. He mentioned there is a "Klingon hybrid species" in the series and that several of the characters on the show would be members of this new race.
Asked if Giamatti's villain's species was the Klingon hybrid, Kurtzman answered, "It might be. We'll see."
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Giamatti managed to attract the "Star Trek" role when he was doing press for "The Holdovers." During a number of interviews, the star mentioned his hopes to one day be cast in "Star Trek." Kurtzman says that got his attention.
Actor Paul Giamatti attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents "Black Mirror" event at The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists on May 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Actor Paul Giamatti attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents "Black Mirror" event at The Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists on May 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
"We looked at each other and we went, 'Is he kidding?! Well, let's call his agent and find out,'" Kurtzman said. "Within, I think, less than an hour, [his agent] called back and said he would love to meet."
Giamatti was given the scripts for the first five episodes of "Starfleet Academy" and offered five different roles. It was Giamatti who chose to play the villain.
While you often hear about actors who play alien characters complaining about their time in the makeup chair, Giamatti was apparently the exact opposite.
"He had such a great time putting on the makeup. He loved sitting in the chair," Kurtzman recalled. "We were worried it was going to take too much time, but he said, 'No, I love it. It really lets me drop into the character.'"
Back in March, Giamatti talked about how much he enjoyed playing the "Starfleet Academy villain, and how much the villain loved being bad.
"He takes great pleasure in being the villain," Giamatti said. "He likes it. And it's very much a part of his thing that he's all 'Oh yeah, I'm the bad guy.'"
He added, "To my mind, it feels very, very old-school 'Star Trek.' My character is a very fun villain; he reminds me of a combination of classic Trek villains. That's all I'll really say."
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