Summary
Now that Paul Giamatti has been cast inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, speculation turns to which classicStar Trekalien species he could play. The Oscar-nominated actor has a recurring guest role inStarfleet Academyas season 1’s villain who is said to have a connection to one of the cadets.Paul Giamatti’s casting inStar Treksuggests thatthe role ofStarfleet Academy’s villain requires an incredibly versatile character actor. Giamatti’s versatility as an actor means that he could play all manner ofStar Trekalien species in the upcoming Paramount+ show, which is very exciting indeed.
Picking up whereStar Trek: Discoveryleft off,Star Trek: Starfleet Academyis set in the 32nd centuryand will continue to tell the story of how the Federation rebuilds after the Burn.Discoveryhas set upStarfleet Academyin a number of ways, particularly through Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), who is expected to play a part in the new spinoff. However,Discovery’s set-up hasn’t given many clues as to who, or even what species, Paul Giamatti’sStarfleet Academycharacter is. However,the current state ofStar Trek’s 32nd century could provide some clues.
6 Paul Giamatti Roles That Show He’s A Perfect Star Trek Villain
Paul Giamatti’s career as a character actor has prepared the Star Trek fan to fulfill an ambition with his villainous Starfleet Academy role.
7Paul Giamatti Could Play A Klingon
Giamatti is a big fan of Star Trek’s Klingons
Paul Giamatti is a big Klingon fan, and recently delivered his famous speech about Merlot from the movieSidewaysin character in a Klingon voice. Giamatti has previously played an iconic character that he’s been a fan of. While it was controversial, Paul Giamatti’s role as the Rhino inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2was because he was a fan of the villain. It’s possible, therefore, that Giamatti may have signed on to play a villain inStar Trek: Starfleet Academybecause he could finally realize his ambition to don the iconic Klingon cranial ridges.
By casting Paul Giamatti as a Klingon villain,Star Trek: Starfleet Academycould fulfill the actor’s ambition, while also providing a long-awaited update about the future of the Empire.
After their controversial appearance inStar Trek: Discoveryseasons 1 and 2, the Klingons never appeared in successive seasons. Therefore,audiences are still waiting to see what the Klingon Empire looks like inStar Trek’s 32nd century. By casting Paul Giamatti as a Klingon villain,Star Trek: Starfleet Academycould fulfill the actor’s ambition, while also providing a long-awaited update about the future of the Empire.
6Paul Giamatti Could Play A Ferengi
Giamatti’s previous roles suggest he has the lobes.
As Starfleet’s first Ferengi officer,Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Nog (Aron Eisenberg) made history as aStarfleet Academy cadet.Star Trek: Discoveryrevealed that Nog made a huge impact, as several different Ferengi officers have been spotted in the 32nd century. Therefore, one ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s new cadets could easily be Ferengi, perhaps with a traditionalist father, played by Paul Giamatti. Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodénchik) reformed Ferengi society afterDS9ended, but there were still vicious criminals like Sneed (Aaron Stanford) who embraced the old ways.
Paul Giamatti’s role as slave trader Limbo in Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apescertainly proved he had the lobes to play a Ferengi.
In the wake of the Emerald Chain’s downfall, an enterprising Ferengi criminal could provide a new threat to the Federation in the 32nd century by amassing their own vast empire. Paul Giamatti could play this vicious Ferengi criminal, who disapproves of their child’s decision to join Starfleet.Being torn between parental expectations and personal freedoms is a tentpole of YA fiction, so it would make sense forStar Trek: Starfleet Academyto go down that road. Paul Giamatti’s role as slave trader Limbo in Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apescertainly proved he had the lobes to play a Ferengi.
Star Trek: Discovery Proves DS9’s Nog Is Starfleet’s Most Important Ferengi
DS9’s Nog made history by becoming the first Ferengi in Starfleet, and Star Trek: Discovery has revealed his legacy lives on, 800 years later.
5Paul Giamatti Could Play A Tellarite
From Pig Vomit to pig alien.
Paul Giamatti often plays quite brash characters, and there are no aliens in theStar Trekuniverse as brash as the Tellarites. Therefore, Giamatti could be perfectly cast as a Tellarite villain inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.The Tellarites were one of the founding species of the United Federation of Planets, alongside the Andorians, Vulcans and Humans. When the Federation fell apart in the aftermath of the Burn, the Tellarites remained members even as their fellow founding species abandoned it.
…with no disrespect intended towards Paul Giamatti, he has a physicality that could convincingly portrayStar Trek’s warthog-like Tellarites.
The Burn and its aftermath was an extremely difficult time in theStar Trekuniverse, due to political turmoil and a scarcity of resources. Paul Giamatti’sStar Trek: Starfleet Academyvillain could have grown up during this time, harboring a grudge against the Tellarites and the Federation for not doing more to end the oppression by the Emerald Chain. That’s a solid villain origin story that could neatly build onStar Trek: Discovery’s continuity. And what’s more, with no disrespect intended towards Paul Giamatti, he has a physicality that could convincingly portrayStar Trek’s warthog-like Tellarites.
4Paul Giamatti Could Play An Andorian
Giamatti has played a big blue villain before.
In thePaul Giamatti movieBig Fat Liar, his character, Marty Wolf, gets dyed bright blue for a considerable portion of the runtime. WhileBig Fat Liarmay not be Giamatti’s finest hour as an actor, it’s ideal training for playing an Andorian onStar Trek. As an actor, Paul Giamatti has a dry wit that he’s used to great effect in movies likeSidewaysandThe Holdovers. The actor Jeffrey Combs, who playedStar Trek’s best known Andorian, Shran, has a similarly dry sense of humor, meaning that Giamatti could make a great Andorian villain.
Whether Paul Giamatti plays an Andorian inStarfleet Academywill depend on what the script demands, and if he’s gotten over his experience onBig Fat Liar.
Andoria entered talks to rejoin the Federation at the end ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 4, having abandoned it in the wake of the Burn.Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) encountered an Andorian criminal called Ithykwhen she first arrived in the 32nd century, suggesting that other villainous Andorians are still out there. Whether Paul Giamatti plays an Andorian inStarfleet Academywill depend on what the script demands, and if he’s gotten over his experience onBig Fat Liar.
Every Star Trek Species Played By Jeffrey Combs
Star Trek’s Jeffrey Combs has made a career from giving nuanced performances behind layers of alien prosthetics from DS9 to Enterprise, and beyond.
3Paul Giamatti Could Play A Cardassian
Giamatti could follow in the footsteps of David Warner.
The Cardassians are one of the most outright villainous aliens in theStar Trekcanon. Brutal oppressors who can also be calculating and conniving, a Cardassian can be a rich role for an actor. The brutal Cardassian torturer Gul Madred was one ofDavid Warner’s threeStar Trekroles, and his best-remembered. Giamatti and Warner worked together on Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apes, and have also performed Shakespeare on stage.Star Trek’s Cardassians are also quite Shakespearean, with their penchant for cruelty drawing comparisons with protagonists like Richard III.
Giamatti’s ability to seamlessly shift between quiet cruelty and blood-boiling rage could make him an incredibly compelling Cardassian villain…
Paul Giamatti is an incredibly versatile actor, who can play quiet and calculating villains as well as broad and bombastic antagonists. Giamatti’s ability to seamlessly shift between quiet cruelty and blood-boiling rage could make him an incredibly compelling Cardassian villain inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy. It’s unclear where the Cardassian Union stands inStar Trek: Discovery’s 32nd century, but theFederation President, Laira Rillak (Chelah Horsdal) is part Cardassian, suggesting a more positive relationship between the two powers. However, there’s always a chance that an outlier could cause trouble.
2Paul Giamatti Could Play A Vulcan
Paul Hunham’s standards in The Holdovers have nothing on the Vulcans.
InThe Holdovers, Paul Giamatti played Paul Hunham, a history teacher with incredibly high standards for his pupils. Hunham’s disapproval of the entitled young men that he had the misfortune to teach was similar to the disdain shown to humanity by the Vulcans in Starfleet’s early days. It’s unknown if Paul Giamatti’sStar Trek: Starfleet Academyvillain is an instructor, or somebody from outside the institution. If he’s a waywardStarfleet Academy mentor, then Giamatti’sHoldoversrole could inspire a terrific Vulcan villain.
The union between Vulcans and Romulans could have created another villain, one that could be perfectly played by Paul Giamatti.
InStar Trek: Discovery’s 32nd century, the Vulcans and Romulans finally unify on their renamed home world, Ni’Var. Governed by President T’Rina (Tara Rosling), Ni’Var is now a crucial member of the 32nd century’s Federation. However, despite their role in the Federation, the Vulcans have spawned manyStar Trekvillains over the years, from Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) toDiscovery’s Logic Extremists. The union between Vulcans and Romulans could have created another villain, one that could be perfectly played by Paul Giamatti.
1Paul Giamatti Could Play A Brand New Star Trek Alien
Starfleet Academy has teased a new threat to the Federation.
TheStar Trek: Starfleet Academyannouncementstates that the cadets will face “a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.” While that new enemy could just mean Paul Giamatti, it could also mean new enemy aliens. IfStarfleet Academyis about to introduce a new alien species to theStar Trekcanon, then they could do a lot worse than have Paul Giamatti as their representative. As one of Hollywood’s greatest working character actors, there aren’t many roles that Paul Giamatti can’t play.
Paul Giamatti is one ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s greatest assets.
For over three decades, Paul Giamatti has played Santa Claus, an orangutan, a snail, a Russian thug in a giant rhino suit, and a fictional version of the actor Paul Giamatti. Quite simply, Paul Giamatti is one ofStar Trek: Starfleet Academy’s greatest assets. As a hugeStar Trekfan, there could be no greater draw for Paul Giamatti than getting to make history as a brand new villainous alien race, set to wreak havoc in the 32nd century.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academystarts shooting in Fall 2024 for a late 2025 or early 2026 release.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Cast
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows a group of cadets as they embark on their journey to become Starfleet officers. Facing the challenges of friendship, rivalry, and romance, they confront a new enemy endangering the Academy and the Federation under the guidance of their rigorous instructors.
