Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 2
"Beta Test"
Writer: Noga Landau, Jane Maggs
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Cast: Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Zoë Steiner, Robert Picardo, Tig Notaro, Oded Fehr
From grappling with the Gorn to combating callous Changelings, Star Trek has spent the last 60 years being anything but boring. However, in addition to all the phaser fire and Ferengi schemes, Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi showpiece has consistently shown itself to be something more – a mirror reflecting on modern society while pointing toward a better tomorrow. It is on this side of the line where “Beta Test,” the second episode of the freshly launched Starfleet Academy, firmly plants its flag.
With fall semester officially underway, the cadets of the USS Athena are dropped headfirst into a rigorous academic environment where nothing is off the table. Everything from interstellar cartography to the romantic properties of alien mucus is fair game, all studied under the eyes of esteemed educators like the Doctor (Robert Picardo) and engineering specialist Jett Reno (Tig Notaro). However, even in the post-Burn world of the 32nd Century, it soon becomes clear that school still doesn’t appeal to everyone.
Case in point is Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), who is far from thrilled with his first day — let alone the fact that he ends up rooming with smug shape-shifter Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) and his bewildering banana allergy. Rather than settling into Academy life, Caleb spends much of his time butting heads with faculty, attempting to outwit campus security, and continuing his search for answers surrounding his missing mother. That personal quest is briefly put on hold, however, with the arrival of Tarima Sadal (Zoe Steiner), a beautiful Betazoid who quickly complicates his daily shenanigans.
Tarima is part of a delegation invited to Earth to discuss the possibility of her people re-joining the Federation. Accompanying her are her twin brother and father, who brings his own reservations about Starfleet to the table. Despite the tension, Tarima immediately takes a shining to the confrontational Caleb and his open lack of pride in Starfleet, forming a bond that feels both impulsive and inevitable.
This initial interaction sets the stage for much of the episode. As Nahla Aké (Holly Hunter) and Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) begin negotiations with the Betazoids, Caleb takes Tarima on a tour of the Academy campus. Their walk eventually leads them to the cartography room, where Tarima gives Caleb access to Betazed’s star charts – including the location of Goja V – as a gesture of trust. It’s a small moment, but one that carries significant weight, both personally and politically.
Meanwhile, Tarima’s father makes no effort to hide his disdain for Starfleet, openly voicing resentment over how his people were neglected prior to the Burn. His skepticism only deepens after Aké inadvertently strikes a nerve, reinforcing long-held grievances. Those feelings are further compounded when he discovers his daughter growing a little too close to Caleb – a young man he views as a criminal who never should have been accepted into the Academy program in the first place.
As mentioned at the outset, “Beta Test” foregoes dynamism for diplomacy. There’s a lot of talking, and the action is virtually non-existent. You won’t find crabby clones, space battles, or holodeck murder mysteries here. Instead, this is an episode that has something to say, and it takes its time saying it. The Caleb and Tarima storyline, while laying necessary groundwork for the season ahead, often plays like an overly pretty episode of Riverdale, complete with groan-worthy teenage dialogue and heightened emotions. But, that doesn’t mean this a bad episode.
Radiating themes of trust, tension, and the importance of tearing down walls in order to achieve something greater, “Beta Test” may be a little heavy-handed at times, but it remains firmly aligned with the ideals Roddenberry was trying to communicate all those years ago. The episode understands that progress is rarely born from explosions, but from uncomfortable conversations and mutual vulnerability.
While much of the core cast takes a backseat this time around, it’s rewarding to see more pieces of the Caleb Mir puzzle fall into place. There are also genuinely funny moments scattered throughout, along with Easter eggs that lovingly nod to fan-favorite series like Lower Decks (man, I miss that show) and Prodigy. Oh, and did I mention Robert Picardo engages in an operatic duet? It’s definitely a highlight!
So while “Beta Test” may not be the most exciting episode of Star Trek ever to grace the small screen, it serves as a timely reminder of what the franchise has always been about. Star Trek isn’t just about running and gunning through the final frontier – it’s about cooperation, empathy, and the belief that understanding one another is worth the effort. In that sense, “Beta Test” offers a glimpse of what the world could look like if we all simply tried to get along and looked out for one another. And, if you ask me, that’s about as Star Trek as it gets.
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