Why Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake already deserves a spot on Star Trek’s ultimate top table

When Jean-Luc Picard was named captain of the USS Enterprise-D in 1987, there was much head-scratching among supporters of Starfleet. WHO our this bald Frenchman with a distracting English accent? Why did he talk like a Shakespearean actor, leave most planetary excursions and womanizing to his first officer, and have a penchant for classical music, archeology and tea (preferably Earl Grey, hot variety)?

Those questions were asked because Picard seemed galaxies away from his predecessor in “Star Trek’s” big chair, James Tiberius Kirk. But while Kirk’s reputation as a gung-ho, macho ladies’ man is somewhat exaggerated — he’s also intelligent, calm under pressure and a hell of a leader — the contrast is intentional and important.

The second “Trek” from Spacedock was quick to establish the notion that each boss could be different, making it acceptable for each captain to do things their own way. In short, Picard proved that you don’t have to be a mini-Kirk to earn a spot in Starfleet’s hall of fame. “Starfleet Academy’s” Nahla Ake is the latest to pass the famous Kobayashi Maru command test, and a brand new type of CO – though she shares many of the traits of those who have boldly gone before her. She’s also shown enough promise throughout the first season of the spin-off at the school to suggest she’s already worthy of a seat at the captain’s table with the association’s MVPs.

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Of course, you don’t recruit an actress of Holly Hunter’s Oscar-winning caliber and then ask her to play some go-through-the-motions Federation jobsworth. Showrunner and franchise overseer Alex Kurtzman has described Ake as “almost like a space hippie”, and her casual approach to command is evident in the way she walks the academy’s halls barefoot. She also has a deeply unconventional approach to sitting in the captain’s chair – not even Will Riker’s famously eccentric relationship with seating can compete with the almost yoga-like positions she takes on the bridge.

Being the captain of a starship is hard enough, but Ake’s job description also includes the additional role of “chancellor” at the Academy. Given her seemingly relaxed approach to education, it would be easy for her to fall into the trap of becoming one of those teachers who tries a little too hard to be friends with the students. But Ake is far too smart and experienced to make that kind of mistake.

That she’s so comfortable with children—in a way that Jean-Luc Picard never was, especially in those early days on the bridge of the Enterprise—is especially impressive considering she’s several hundred years old, thanks to her lanthanite heritage. She is able to put a reassuring arm around the shoulder – an echo of Kathryn Janeway’s management style – but also knows when to keep her distance. In fact, she has the uncanny ability to be approachable without diminishing her authority.

As a result, you get the impression that her classes would be fun, even if she has the unfortunate habit — à la Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts — of putting students at risk. The failed mission of the USS Miyazaki in “Come on, let’s go” turned out to be the kind of learning experience that is usually best avoided.

That said, breaking the odd rule is part of what makes Ake tick. There’s a long tradition of Starfleet commanders defying orders, whether it’s a Michael Burnham before the captain who accidentally starts a war with the Klingon Empire in “Discovery,” or Kirk stealing the Enterprise to save his late BFF in “The Search for Spock.” But most of them save playing fast and loose with rules for a bona fide life-or-death situation.