{"id":2118824,"date":"2025-10-27T18:17:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2118824"},"modified":"2025-10-27T18:17:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T18:17:16","slug":"the-golden-age-star-trek-episode-you-must-watch-to-be-ready-for-starfleet-academy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-golden-age-star-trek-episode-you-must-watch-to-be-ready-for-starfleet-academy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Golden Age Star Trek Episode You Must Watch To Be Ready For Starfleet Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Starfleet Academy<\/em> airs in January, and Star Trek fans are going to see where this <em>Discovery<\/em> spinoff takes their favorite franchise. In an interview, co-showrunner Noga Landau discussed how the series would give fans the exploration of strange new worlds they\u2019ve come to expect by making the ship a teaching hospital where \u201ccadets actually go out into space and learn on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If you\u2019re excited about this premise, then you definitely owe it to yourself to watch <em>Deep Space Nine<\/em>\u2019s \u201cValiant,\u201d the first Trek episode to really focus on cadets in space.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Star Trek\u2019s Most Famous Space Cadets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Jake and Nog after being rescued by the Valiant<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The plot of \u201cValiant\u201d begins with Jake (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg) being rescued from the Dominion by the Starfleet vessel Valiant. It was originally a training ship, but all of the command officers were killed in a particularly brutal attack. A group of elite students called Red Squadron is now running the ship, but it\u2019s only a matter of time before these <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/star-trek-starfleet-academy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Starfleet Academy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Starfleet Academy<\/a> cadets run into more trouble than they can handle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">How does this work out for them? Spoilers, sweetie: the cadets remain fatally committed to their commanding officer\u2019s final mission to gather intel on an advanced new Dominion ship. They succeed, but a charismatic cadet convinces them to try to destroy the ship, causing everyone aboard the Valiant (save Jake, Nog, and a single cadet) to be killed in the attempt.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Star Trek At Its Darkest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The cadet crew of the Valiant\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/u_OQxtJv.N0.peDmvbvERA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/a10da3416a65d481a8fd69ee8c336725\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The cadet crew of the Valiant<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Obviously, \u201cValiant\u201d is one of those darker, more mature episodes that <em>Deep Space Nine<\/em> specialized in, and all because the cadets\u2019 commanding officers are killed. On <em>Starfleet Academy<\/em>, the instructors will be very much alive, and we expect the cadets to survive (more or less) the entirety of their missions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/star-trek\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Star Trek;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Star Trek<\/a> fans looking forward to the new show full of cosmic cadets\u2019 misadventures, this classic <em>Deep Space Nine<\/em> episode is most definitely worth revisiting as something of a tasty television appetizer. That\u2019s because the episode dramatizes something that would normally be very boring: learning.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The Defiant class ship Valiant is destroyed\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/F_SJzXXZuWvkLwffUyNhBQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/76176a00a69406478fb846e528ae0225\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The Defiant class ship Valiant is destroyed<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For example, watching Red Squadron do things like study for finals or put together capstone projects would have been snooze-inducing (take it from me, an English professor!). Watching them learn on the fly while facing life and death situations in the depths of space, now, that\u2019s downright riveting.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>Star Trek\u2019s Future Is Its Past<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Valiant\u2019s cadet captain\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6xbXPaaPX0Q5oe9nUI_RDg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/19de372236f447cef037b9bfe0a752d4\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Valiant\u2019s cadet captain<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Without traveling to the future (<em>Discovery<\/em>-style), I have no way of knowing what, exactly, <em>Starfleet Academy<\/em> will be like. Given that co-showrunner Noga Landau promises it will have a \u201cmission of the week\u201d format, it sounds like the show\u2019s premise is like what \u201cValiant\u201d might have been if the command officers hadn\u2019t gotten killed. That makes this <em>Deep Space Nine<\/em> episode worth rewatching for anyone wanting to preview the vibe of the new show or anyone simply wanting to revisit the golden age of Star Trek.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While it\u2019s not the most talked-about episode of <em>Deep Space Nine<\/em>, \u201cValiant\u201d encapsulates what that show did best: taking characters and audiences alike out of our comfort zones to explore tales of murky morality. <em>Starfleet Academy<\/em> will likely be a bit more lighthearted, but it promises to offer the same kinds of harrowing adventures of Starfleet cadets jumping from peril to peril. That means if you\u2019re a fan who wants to really make the grade, be sure to do the homework and rewatch \u201cValiant\u201d today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starfleet Academy airs in January, and Star Trek fans are going to see where this Discovery spinoff takes their favorite franchise. In an interview, co-showrunner Noga Landau discussed how the series would give fans the exploration of strange new worlds they\u2019ve come to expect by making the ship a teaching hospital where \u201ccadets actually go [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2118825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[397080,392030,402143,319398,366292],"class_list":["post-2118824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-deep-space-nine","tag-noga-landau","tag-red-squadron","tag-star-trek","tag-starfleet-academy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/The-Golden-Age-Star-Trek-Episode-You-Must-Watch-To.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2118824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2118824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2118824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2118826,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2118824\/revisions\/2118826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2118825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2118824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2118824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2118824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}