After 60 Years, Star Trek's New Captain Makes History

Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake is introduced as captain of the Athena and chancellor of Starfleet Academy, and is described as human and Lanthanite, marking the first main-character Starfleet captain in the central lineage who is not fully human.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces Holly Hunter’s Nahla Ake as captain of the Athena and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. This entry continues a direct line of main character captains that began with James T. Kirk in 1963 and runs through 2026. The article notes previous main captains including Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway, Jonathan Archer, Michael Burnham, Carol Freeman, and Christopher Pike. Ake’s part-alien biology and advanced age are highlighted as distinguishing features within that succession. Key details: - Nahla Ake is presented as human and Lanthanite and serves as the lead captain character in Starfleet Academy. - The article frames Ake as the first main-character captain in the central lineage who is not fully human. - Lanthanites are described as a relatively new species in Star Trek canon; they resemble humans and are said to have been present on Earth for thousands of years, with unclear origins. - Ake is reported to be over 400 years old at the series start, which the article says would make her the oldest of the franchise’s main captains. - The article contrasts this with Star Trek: Prodigy, where non-human characters temporarily led the Protostar (Dal) and an ensign, Gwyndala, briefly acted as captain, but those roles are not presented as main-character, official captaincies. Summary: Ake’s introduction breaks a six-decade pattern of main captains portrayed as fully human and expands the kinds of backgrounds shown among lead Starfleet officers. Undetermined at this time.