Please note: this article contains minor spoilers for the series premiere of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy”.
In times of crisis, what do Starfleet officers need most? A few reassuring words, a moving call to action and perhaps a heroic feat or two tend to help save the day in “Star Trek.” What “Starfleet Academy” presupposes, however, is that its entire new class of cadets needs a timely reminder of the past from time to time. The latest Paramount+ series took the innovative approach of transform its main ship, the USS Athena, into a campusoffering the best of both worlds. But when the thought of knowing what hits the fan, a brief moment suggests there’s value in taking the lead from a franchise veteran who’s seen it all.
“Starfleet Academy” has already made significant progress in its first two episodes buying back two of the most controversial “Star Trek” shows of old, “Voyager” and “Discovery,” but even die-hard fans may have missed this “Voyager”-themed Easter egg. The premiere is by far the more action-packed hour of the two, introducing us to main protagonist Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), Chancellor Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter), and villain Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti). But amid all the excitement, when Caleb’s actions inadvertently draw the ire of Braka and his vicious Venari Ral gang on the Athena, some background set pieces directly pay homage to Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway.
The detail was highlighted in a post on social media by Jörg Hillebrand, “Star Trek” research assistant and longtime fan, who explained:
“The daily inspirational quote displayed during Venari Ral’s attack on the USS Athena […] is one from Captain Janeway. She said these words in [the ‘Voyager’ episode] “Dark Frontier” and in [the ‘Prodigy’ episode ‘The Devourer of All Things Part I’]”.
The daily inspirational quote displayed during Venari Ral’s attack on the USS Athena in #StarfleetAcademy“Kids These Days” from “Kids These Days” is Captain Janeway’s. She said these words in #StarTrekVOY“Dark Frontier”➡️ from and in #StarTrekProdigy“The Devourer of All Things I”⬅️. pic.twitter.com/xoPydJl20J
– Jörg Hillebrand (@gaghyogi49) January 17, 2026
Starfleet Academy’s Deep Voyager Reference Keeps Captain Janeway’s Spirit Alive
“Star Trek”’s past has the power to find its way into the present. The most important moment of “Starfleet Academy” is for “Voyager” fans, located on digital computer consoles displaying inspirational quotes that young cadets can take note of (or, more likely, mock) during their daily lessons. For those who paused the episode and looked deeper every time one of these quotes appeared on screen, they would have spotted some words of wisdom spoken by Captain Kathryn Janeway:
“There are three things to remember as a sea captain: keep your shirt tucked in, go down with the ship, and never abandon a member of your crew.”
Trekkies can probably identify the two occasions that best encapsulate Janeway’s personality in canon. In “Voyager,” the Captain memorably briefs Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) on the responsibilities of wearing the uniform in the Borg-centric episode “Dark Frontier.” With Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in need of rescuing, Janeway reassures her young teammate that she would never abandon anyone under her command. Years later, the cartoon “Star Trek: Prodigy” the episode “The Devourer of All Things” revisits this exact line of dialogue under very different circumstances. Nearly a decade later, Janeway once again finds herself in desperate circumstances with the Borg and decides to disobey Starfleet’s orders in order to search for some missing crew members. When confronted by Admiral Edward Jellico (voiced by Ronny Cox), she angrily explains these rules again… before hanging up on him in classic Janeway fashion. It’s strangely reassuring to know that Starfleet cadets continue to learn from the best, brightest, and fiercest captains of all.
New episodes of “Starfleet Academy” air on Paramount+ every Thursday.
