ValueSubtracted

TrekMovie has a brief writeup on the feature in the latest issue of SFX but I thought I'd check it out for myself (support your local library!) to see what else might be in there.

Honestly...it's not much, probably because quite a bit of info has already been released. But here are what I think are the highlights:

Alex Kurtzman on what makes the show unique:

"I think the thing that we felt most inspired by is the fact that on every other Trek show, your crew already knows who they are. They've been through the Academy, they've made their decision about where they want their careers to go, and they can't make a ton of mistakes. But these cadets are still figuring it out, and like all students in college, you go through a remarkable journey of self-discovery over the course of those four years. Oftentimes what you enter into college thinking you want to do, and what you leave college realizing you want to do, are two very different things."

Holly Hunter on the same topic:

"There's a safety net built into being a student. It's a place where failure is not necessarily discouraged."

Kurtzman on the setting:

"The new show synchronizes with the first two years of Starfleet returning to its full form. The safest way to look at it is it's like when Discovery ends, we begin - but there's kind of a two-year overlap."

(I found this somewhat confusing, but I suppose it could be explained away with flashbacks. Or maybe the first season really does run concurrently with Disco's fourth season?)

"Star Trek has always been a mirror that reflects the moment in which each series is made. The Federation is actually trying to return to its roots and embrace its core tenets, but the moment we're meeting right now is a world of kids who are inheriting a lot of damage and a lot of chaos, and it's up to them to figure out how they're going to make a brighter future out of it. So it felt to us that if you were to put Starfleet Academy in the halcyon days of the Federation, it would be a lovely fantasy, but it wouldn't really affect what kids are going through now. It felt very topical and relevant to put it in the 32nd century."

Noga Landau on the cadets:

"Because of the Burn, they didn't grow up during a time of abundance, of peace, of stability. Intead it was a time of desperation for a lot of people, so we have characters who grew up in refugee camps, or who grew up on Starfleet ships but have never set foot on a planet. We also have a character who basically grew up as a prince on a planet that had a rare supply of dilithium. They reflect the array of global experiences of young folks, in a way that I think is really important for the audience."

Kurtzman on the possibility of Discovery characters (besides Tilly and Reno) popping up:

"I love our Discovery actors so much, but when you bring a beloved character back, there has to be a specific reason in the storytelling. It can't just be fan service."

Holly Hunter on Chancellor/Captain Nahla Ake:

"I think there is an approachable aspect to being a woman leader in this world. People might be more willing to reveal [themselves]. Nahla has lived long enough to understand that an emotional life doesn't have to be sequestered entirely from leadership. The combination of both roles encourages the cadets to view Nahla as a whole person, rather than only an arm of the Federation.

The article notes that Nahla tends to walk around the Academy barefoot, and can be seen curling up in the captain's chair "like an authoritative cat."

Kurtzman on Nahla:

"I guess I have to take responsibility for the lack of shoes! For some reason, I just thought it was hilarious that the chancellor would walk around the academy without shoes on - she's almost like a space hippy. We also talked a lot about how the way a captain sits in the chair carries an enormous weight for fans. When the chips are down, when there's dire stakes, she's like any other captain would be. But when she's just floating through space, why shouldn't she curl up in the chair and read a book?"

Kurtzman on the 60th anniversary of Trek this year:

"There's quite a few exciting things in the works right now, but I'm not going to say more than that!"

Kerrice Brooks on SAM:

"All her knowledge comes to her in a second and that is something she is very proud of. But she wants to fit in. I don't think she dumbs herself down, but I do think she learns about the balance of what can be seen as "showing off" and finding her tribe who will accept her for who she is.

Karim Diané on medical cadet Jay-Den Kraag:

"I feel like this may be the first time that we're seeing on screen a Klingon who is this different. But from what I understand, the Klingons - like any community - don't just have warriors. Healers have always been there.

"I'd never done anything like [prosthetics] before and you really don't know what it will be like until you sit down for five, six hours transforming. It's tough to do on a daily basis, and I talked to Michael Dorn and Doug Jones because I was seeking help from anyone who had the experience of this. But it was also the most rewarding experience, because the result is this really awesome-looking character.

There's also a photo of Jay-Den looking rather smashing in a skant variant of the Academy uniform.