Paul Giamatti on His ‘Big, Classic Fight’ In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Premiere

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Warning: MILD SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s series premiere

Paul Giamatti, an Academy Award nominee, was a fan of his fight scene in the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The series, executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau, will debut with two episodes on January 15th on Paramount+.

Paul Giamatti appears as Nus Braka, the main villain in the first season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Braka is a space pirate with Klingon and Tellarite heritage who holds a deep resentment towards the United Federation of Planets in the 32nd century. In the show’s first episode, he engages in an exciting physical fight with Caleb Mir (played by Sandro Rosta), a new cadet at Starfleet Academy.

During a press event for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy attended by international journalists, Paul Giamatti was joined by his co-star, Academy Award winner Holly Hunter, who portrays Captain Nahla Ake.

So, I was chatting with Paul Giamatti about that fight scene in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, and he really opened up about it. He shared that he did a lot of the stunt work himself, which was cool to hear. But what he really emphasized was how much he enjoyed working with Sandro Rosta, the fight choreographer – he used the word “loved,” actually. I’ve included Paul’s full response, along with Holly’s, right below for you to check out.

Paul Giamatti was told about a fight scene in the script, but it was originally very minor – just some pushing and shoving. The director, Alex Kurtzman, then decided it needed to be much more intense and violent, turning it into a really big, chaotic fight.

I agreed to it, though it had been a long time since I’d done anything like that – I’m nearing 60, after all. I was happy to try, especially with Sandro, as I completely trust him. The whole experience was fantastic, very well-planned and executed.

Holly Hunter: It looked incredible.

The movie turned out really well! I’m proud to say I did almost all of my own stunts – there was just one shot too risky for either myself or my co-star, so we had a stunt double for that. We really went for it, though – he split his lip and I actually broke my finger, but it was a fantastic experience, and I absolutely loved filming it.

They mentioned they were considering another fight, but I told them I was done. I’d had my main event and enjoyed it immensely, but I wasn’t interested in continuing. It was a great experience, and I was happy with how it all went.

Holly Hunter: Highly successful.

Paul Giamatti: And it came out good. It really did.

Holly Hunter: Great.

Paul Giamatti praised the film’s action sequences, noting they were meticulously planned and executed with the help of talented stunt performers and a wonderful crew. He especially enjoyed working with Sandro and said they had a lot of fun during filming.

Moderator: Wow, so you paid your dues to Star Trek.

Paul Giamatti described a scene as a large, classic fight reminiscent of the original Star Trek series, noting they were known for having excellent fight sequences, and he thought it was well done.

Paul Giamatti has always been a big fan of Star Trek. He really wanted to play a Klingon, and that desire led to him being cast as the villain in season one of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The character, originally named Nus Braka, was specifically written for Giamatti. However, to make him distinct from the Klingon cadet Jay-Kraag (played by Karim Diane), Nus was made a mix of Klingon and Tellarite.

The new trailer for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy shows a fight between Nus Braka and Caleb Mir. While Sandro Rosta, who plays Nus Braka, is physically larger than Paul Giamatti, Caleb Mir is a human. This means Nus Braka, with his Klingon and Tellarite strength, easily throws Caleb against a wall.

Paul Giamatti, a longtime fan, finally gets to play a villain in the world of Star Trek with Starfleet Academy, and he even gets to participate in a fight scene. The brawl between his character, Nus Braka, and Caleb Mir is reminiscent of the iconic fistfight between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in the original Star Trek series, but it’s enhanced with today’s incredible stunt work.

Paul Giamatti plays Nus Braka in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, adding his name to the list of memorable Star Trek villains. What makes his character unique is that, unlike many Star Trek antagonists, Nus Braka actually has a direct confrontation with a Starfleet hero, placing him among a select few truly impactful baddies in the franchise.

Watch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy‘s NYCC trailer here:

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2026-01-09 05:10