Paul Giamatti Backs Holly Hunter’s Unconventional Captain’s Chair Stance

Holly Hunter’s choice to sit informally in the captain’s chair on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has drawn criticism, but fellow cast members have come to her defense. Paul Giamatti, who plays space pirate Nus Braka, told The D-Con Chamber podcast that when he first saw her sit that way on the bridge set he "just thought it was great.

I’m sure there’s people who were outraged." He added, "I’m an old Star Trek fan, and I thought, ‘That’s great.’ What a great thing that somebody is just gonna be that comfortable in there, and it’s a different kind of command stuff, you know." Giamatti’s character, Nus Braka, is described as the hybrid offspring of a Klingon and a Tellarite, a "Klingarite" who operates as a space pirate in the aftermath of The Burn.

He first appears having masterminded the robbery of a Federation shuttle and the murder of its pilot, is tried by Chancellor Nahla Ake alongside accomplice Anisha Mir (Tatiana Maslany), and later escapes prison to lead the Venari Ral in strikes against the still-rebuilding Federation.

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