Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Reveals Captain Nahla Ake’s Prankster Past

Be warned, this contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 3, “Vitus Reflux.” The episode reveals surprising details about the backstory of Captain Nahla Ake (played by Holly Hunter). Directed by Doug Aarniokoski and written by Alex Taub and Kiley Rossetter, the third episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy creates a rivalry between the cadets of Starfleet Academy and the War College.

Captain Ake’s first appearance in the premiere of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy immediately showed she’s a different kind of Star Trek captain. Unlike previous captains, such as Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) who wasn’t fond of children in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ake is presented as a warm and supportive leader.

Nahla Ake is a unique character with a long history. As a half-Lanthanite, she’s 422 years old and has witnessed many important events in the United Federation of Planets, all leading up to the events of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy in 3195. With such a long life, Captain Ake has a wealth of untold stories, and episode 3 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy begins to reveal one of them.

Captain Nahla Ake Was A Prankster When She Was A Starfleet Academy Cadet

Cadets at Starfleet Academy were surprised to learn that Captain Nahla Ake was a notorious prankster during her time as a student in the 28th century. As a cadet, Nahla famously participated in a legendary prank, beaming the entire freshman class to the roof of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.

It’s no surprise that Chancellor Ake enjoys a bit of mischief – she’s a famously quirky Lanthanite. Having lived for over four centuries, Nahla has experienced a lot, rivaled only by figures like The Doctor, Starfleet Academy’s incredibly long-lived holographic Chief Medical Officer.

Nahla is passionate about supporting young people and inspiring them to be innovative and take risks, even if it means bending the rules. Chancellor Ake took a unique approach to handling student misconduct at Starfleet Academy, subtly guiding the cadets to use the Vitus Reflux plant to successfully win a prank war against the War College.

Captain Ake’s history as a skilled prankster sheds light on her quirky and lovable personality. For example, her pet Nahla often lounges on the Captain’s chair of the USS Athena, and she has a habit of going barefoot, which often bothers Commander Kelrec (Raoul Bhaneja), the Chancellor of the War College.

What Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Revealed About Captain Ake’s Long Life

Details revealed in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy establish Nahla Ake as a truly unique Captain in Star Trek history. At 422 years old and born in 2773, she’s the longest-lived Captain we know of. Ake has not only survived major events like The Burn, but also other galactic conflicts, including the Temporal Wars of the 30th century.

The first episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy revealed that Captain Ake left Starfleet in 3180 because she was forced to separate a young boy, Caleb Mir (played by Sandro Rosta), from his mother, Anisha Mir (Tatiana Maslany). The series also hints at a long-standing and complex rivalry between Ake and Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) that hasn’t been fully explored yet.

Nahla moved to Bajor after retirement to teach young children of many different species at the Little Blooms Early Education Center. It was there that Admiral Charles Vance discovered Ake and appointed her the new Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, convincing Nahla to rejoin Starfleet. Ake is also dedicated to helping Caleb Mir, hoping to guide the troubled young man toward a career as a Starfleet officer.

Captain Nahla Ake is a unique Star Trek captain with a love for reading real books, wearing glasses, and even pajamas decorated with warp cores! She’s the perfect choice to lead Starfleet Academy as its Chancellor, and she also has a playful side, known for enjoying school pranks.

Read More

2026-01-23 22:51