Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti on Nahla and Nus Braka’s Rivalry

Episode 6 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy sends the cadets on their first official away mission, which goes terribly wrong when a cannibalistic race intercepts them. With the cadets held hostage on the remains of a fallen starship, Nahla Ake must call on her nemesis Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) to try to get them back.

The deal unravels: a War College comrade is killed, SAM (Kerrice Brooks) begins glitching, and Tarima (Zoe Steiner) falls into a coma after saving her friends. Holly Hunter says Nahla’s physicality—flopping into chairs, perching on tables—grew organically from reading the part and exploring the sets, an approach that opened new possibilities for the character.

Turning the tables on their antagonism added another layer to the relationship. Giamatti called the betrayal an exciting turn the script supported, and Hunter said Nahla needed to be truly, utterly double-crossed for the moment to land.

star trek, starfleet academy, holly hunter, paul giamatti, nahla ake, nus braka, away mission, cannibalistic race, sam, tarima