Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7
"Ko'Zeine"
Writers: Alex Taub, Eric Anthony Glover
Director: Andi Armaganian
Cast: Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr
Last week, I mentioned how Star Trek is at its best when the boots are on the ground seeking out new life and new civilizations. However, after the pulse-pounding events depicted in “Come, Let’s Away,” I must admit it was sort of nice to sit back and take a bit of a breather this time. Even if it was kind of boring.
“Ko’Zeine” kicks off with Starfleet Academy preparing to close down for All World’s Day—the final frontier equivalent of Spring Break. SAM (Kerrice Brooks) hopes to iron out some glitches at a holo-clinic, Jay-Den (Karim Diané) plans to soak up the sun in Ibiza, and Caleb (Sandro Rosta) convinces Chancellor Aké (Holly Hunter) to let him stay on campus instead of with his host family. Tonally, it’s a little jarring — especially considering last week’s episode left one cadet dead and another in a coma — but what are you gonna do?
The episode then splits into a dual narrative: one half focuses on Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) being kidnapped as part of a traditional Khionian marital abduction, while the other follows Genesis (Bella Shepard) sneaking back into the Academy to alter her personal file after discovering she’s being recommended for the pre-command track by Chancellor Aké. These stories aren’t bad, per se. In fact, both do a solid job of giving their respective characters a bit more substance heading into the final three episodes of the season.
With Darem, we learn he’s been arranged to marry his childhood friend, Princess Kaira (Jaelynn Thora Brooks). Wanting to please both his parents and his people, Darem pledges his devotion to the “sealing,” even if he’d prefer to finish his time at the Academy first. This leads to Jay-Den — who witnessed the kidnapping and now finds himself serving as best man — questioning his friend’s motives. That doesn’t sit well with the would-be king, who reverts back to being a jerk and snaps that he can’t just “cut and run” like Jay-Den did.
Back on Earth, Caleb’s sunbathing solitude is interrupted by Genesis, who claims she returned to campus to catch up on some studying. This quickly leads to a series of shenanigans, including a couple rounds of “toxic or non-toxic” and an attempt to catch an escaped warp slug (seriously) while trying to avoiding Commander Reno (Tig Notaro), who’s spending her break limping around campus with a broken toe. The pair strengthen their bond through the mischief, with Caleb admitting he hasn’t reached out to Tarima (Zoe Steiner) since the Miyazaki incident four weeks prior. At the same time, Genesis opens up about wanting to step out from her father’s shadow and become her own person. That vulnerability pushes her to convince Caleb to hack the bridge so that she can sit in the captain’s chair and create a special key granting her access to all the Academy’s databases.
Meanwhile, Darem goes through with the wedding, and Jay-Den delivers a toast highlighting his friend’s unwavering devotion to duty. The words resonate with Kaira, who ultimately calls for the marriage to be annulled so Darem can return to Earth and pursue the life he was meant to live. Meanwhile, Chancellor Aké comes home early after Caleb and Genesis are caught on the bridge by Commander Reno. It’s here we learn Genesis wasn’t just trying to remove herself from the pre-command track — she was also attempting to delete letters of recommendation she altered before entering the program. Terrified of failure, she makes a desperate choice that underscores a simple truth: we’re all flawed, and at some point, we have to face our fears rather than erase them.
Aké reveals she will not be recommending Genesis for the pre-command track and places both her and Caleb on academic suspension for their actions.
Like I said, while the lighter tone was a welcome change after last week’s intensity, I found the episode rather boring overall, with minimal consequence and two characters who deserved something more by the time the end credits rolled. Oh well — what can you do? “Ko’Zeine” is a filler episode in every sense of the word, and it certainly could have been worse. Here’s hoping the last few episodes can bring this season to a satisfying finish.
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