Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Come, Let’s Away

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away,” sees a training mission go terribly awry as the cadets must work together to survive. Paul Giamatti returns as the seedy Nus Braka, and he and Holly Hunter put on a masterclass in their lengthy one-on-one scenes. It’s a welcome switch-up from the teen drama aspect of the series. 

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, “Come, Let’s Away” 

We haven’t seen Giamatti since the series premiere. He felt like he was in a different show compared to his costars. Thankfully, he’s more grounded here. There are still those “Shakespearean villain” flourishes (which certainly elevate the character here), but he’s less over-the-top. This is the Giamatti we know and love — fearless and natural. 

There’s a seamless switching of power dynamics between Nus and Nahla as both attempt to get what they want from each other. Viewers also get more insight into Nahla’s trauma, at least through Nus’s perspective. He picks at her grief over losing her son like a scab. 

Nus’s betrayal isn’t entirely unexpected, but there is somewhat of an emotional impact thanks to Giamatti’s compelling performance. “Come, Let’s Away” keeps its finger on the pulse of the narrative, and it maintains a steady clip from beginning to end. It flies by, really.

Unsurprising Surprises 

That said, like the aforementioned betrayal, some plot twists aren’t as surprising as one would hope. B’Avi felt like a goner the minute he and Caleb mended fences. The problem is that audiences have seen this trope play out time and again. It would’ve been more surprising to keep B’Avi and see him and his War College buddies develop a camaraderie with our titular cadets. 

Unsurprising plot twists aside, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy raises the stakes for this episode. Sure, our cadets boast plot armor; however, that doesn’t mean they can’t incur some damage. Poor SAM is on the fritz. Tarima rips out her inhibitor and falls into a coma.

The “good guys” won, but at what cost? Lives were lost, and two cadets were critically injured. “Come, Let’s Away” goes against the Star Trek grain by ending in a state of hopelessness. This lack of hope leaves space for and punctuates Admiral Vance’s threat to find Nus Braka at all costs. It would be interesting to see more urgency regarding Nus. After all, Caleb’s mom is still out there, and it feels like the series has forgotten that. 

Somber and Dark 

Beyond that, though, “Come, Let’s Away” is more somber fare compared to last week’s uplifting homage to Sisko. It’s fun to watch the cadets from the two schools finally work together as they’re thrown into a life-or-death situation. We see who’s prepared for anything versus who cracks under pressure. 

Here’s hoping that Giamatti gets even more to do in the back half of the season. It seems like the series has something big brewing for him on the horizon. 

Stray Observations: 

• Inexplicably, the Furies remind me of The Silence from Doctor Who. Maybe it’s the face shape.
• B’Avi quoting Spock isn’t unexpected, but it is a delight all the same for this nostalgia girlie. 
• I’ll never get used to hearing Paul Giamatti throw around modern terms like “babe” and “bestie” while looking like an alien. This week, he added “wanking” and “splooging” to his vernacular. 
• Jay-Den and Kyle are cutie-patooties. I wholeheartedly support his ship. 
• Who knew that alcohol that tastes like cat piss and flatworms would be a delicacy? 
• I loved seeing that one cadet hyperventilate after seeing Tomov outside the airlock. It’s more realistic to have varied reactions among the inexperienced and not just a bunch of stoic cadets. 

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streams new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.

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