Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1-08: The Life of the Stars (Quick Review)

Episode:

8

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Writer:

Gaia Violo & Jane Maggs

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Director:

Andi Armaganian

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Air Date:

26-Feb-2026

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This week on Sci-Fi Adventures I'm watching The Life of the Stars, the 8th episode of Starfleet Academy. A TV series that I'm not really enjoying much.

There are some familiar names in the credits for this one. It's got the same director as the previous episode, Ko'Zeine, and the two writers have both worked on episodes already. That's all the trivia I've got, sorry.

This is going to have SPOILERS for the episode, so if you haven't watched it yet maybe consider doing that first. Or not, if you're not really enjoying the series much either.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1-04: Vox in Excelso (Quick Review)

Episode:

4

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Writer:

Gaia Violo & Eric Anthony Glover

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Director:

Doug Aarniokoski

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Air Date:

29-Jan-2026

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This week on Sci-Fi Adventures, I'm writing about the fourth episode of Starfleet Academy - Vox in Excelso. They love their weird titles on this show, it's like I'm watching The X-Files again. Or Voyager (I never did learn what a Cathexis was.)

Though it's not the first Star Trek episode to have 'vox' in the title, as Picard gave us one three years ago. In fact it was just called Võx. Before that there was the season one Enterprise story Vox Sola, which probably translates into 'sleeping drug' or 'lullaby' or something like that, considering the effect it had on me.

According to Wikipedia, Vox in Excelso translates into "A voice on high" and was a directive from the Pope to formally dissolve the Order of the Knights Templar in 1312. So that sounds cool, we haven't had a Star Trek episode about the Knights Templar before. Probably because the franchise was off TV when The DaVinci Code became popular.

The episode was directed by Doug Aarniokoski, same as the last episode, and it was written by Gaia Violo & Eric Anthony Glover. I don't know who that last guy is, he's never written for Star Trek, but Gaia Violo is the series creator. She also wrote the action packed episode one, so maybe I'll be lucky and get another space battle.

There will be SPOILERS below, but if you're watching the series for the first time and you've watched this far you'll be fine.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1-01: Kids These Days (Quick Review)

Episode:

1

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Writer:

Gaia Violo

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Director:

Alex Kurtzman

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Air Date:

15-Jan-2026

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Well this went and ruined all my plans.

I was going to focus my attention on my Super Adventures video game site for a few more months, while secretly stockpiling a few sci-fi reviews. Then in April I'd be like 'Surprise! You thought sitting through years of RTD2 Doctor Who and Garth Marenghi's Strange New Worlds had permanently destroyed my interest in science fiction, along with my faith in humanity, but I'm back'. 

But nope, they had to suddenly drop Starfleet Academy on us in January! They've given it the Section 31 slot, reserved for projects they have the utmost confidence in. So now I'm watching this, because it has 'Star Trek' in the title. If they didn't want me to share my opinion of it, they should've called it Space Academy: Future Cadets. I would not watch that show.

I have to be honest, I've been dreading this series forever. As a tiny baby I knew I didn't want a Young Kirk and Young Spock movie, in the same way I had zero interest in the Young Sherlock Holmes movie. I did try the Starfleet Academy game but its cutscenes made me cringe. Though the funny thing is, at this point I'm actually more bored of the idea. We saw cadets becoming officers in Star Trek '09, then ensigns growing up in Lower Decks, then children becoming cadets in Prodigy, it has been done.

Anyway, I'm going to go into this with optimism and an open mind, I HOPE IT'S REALLY GOOD!!

(Warning SPOILERS, for episode 1 and bits of earlier Star Trek shows.)