Q&A: Oded Fehr on 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' blending best of past, present & future

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Adm. Charles Vance has had a lot to deal with in his tenure with the United Federation of Planets: time away from his wife and daughter; meeting the crew of Discovery, which illegally time traveled from the 23^rd to 32^nd century; and the dilithium explosion known as “The Burn.”

But in the new Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” he’s facing perhaps his greatest challenge yet: college kids.

Set more than 100 years after that fateful day when the element propelling warp drive burst, killed innumerable people, fractured the Federation and canceled interstellar travel, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” puts the focus on the next generation (pun intended) who, as Vance says, inherited a broken world they did create but have to clean up.

“Building a future for these kids is the mission now,” Vance said.

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In an interview this week, Oded Fehr, who plays Vance, said, “I think the wonderful thing about this show is that it’s a ‘Star Trek’ show, and it has all the ‘Star Trek’ themes and all the ‘Star Trek’ history behind it, and the characters and all of that. But the show is a little bit like that feeling that you get when you walk onto a college campus. There's something there that, every time you start looking around, you see all these kids with all their optimism and excitement and discovery of new things; the optimism towards the future that feels like it's all open and all options are open.

“I think the show is a little bit that. I think ‘Starfleet Academy’ is a little lighter; it's a little younger; it's a little kind of first love, emotions, jealousy, anger – all the little things that you go through – and all of that with this chancellor who understands that that's what it takes to allow these kids to grow, and allow them to have that freedom to explore and to discover themselves and discover the world.

“I think this show encompasses all of it, as well as the fact that it's just stunning and beautiful and very ‘Star Treky’ in the sense that, on the one hand, it is the future and the technology is a lot more kind of advanced; but on the other hand, they're walking around with what looks like kind of iPads because it is a school and you hold back some of the technology for the students!”

Holly Hunter as Chancellor Nahla Ake in “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.” (Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+)

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In “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” Vance has recommissioned said space school and left its students in the hands of quirky former captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter). She resigned her post 15 years prior when, following the criminal sentencing of Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), informant Anisha Mir (Tatiana Maslany) is sent to a work camp and separated from her young son, Caleb. When the boy escapes and is lost, Nahla quits in shame for making a “horrible, catastrophic decision.”

Top: Paul Giamatti as villain Nus Braka. (Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+); middle: Tatiana Maslany as Anisha and Solen Morales as young Caleb in “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.” (Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+); above: Sandro Rosta as Caleb Mir in season 1 of “Starfleet Academy.” (Photo credit: Nino Munoz/Paramount+).

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Vance convinces Nahla to accept the chancellor post by telling her Caleb (Sandro Rosta) was found. Although he is in prison for using unlawful methods to try and find Anisha, Caleb can commute his time by joining Starfleet.

Nahla reconnects with an equally uninterested Caleb, letting him know his mother is out of prison, missing, and that, “This is the only way” they can redeem the past and be reunited. “We go … together.”

Of course, the two are challenged along the way by Nus Braka and a rogues’ gallery.

“Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” is streaming on Paramount+. Episodes 1-3 are now available, with new chapters debuting each Thursday.

Oded Fehr shared more in this edited Q&A.

BTS: I’ve really enjoyed all of the Paramount+ “Star Trek” series. They've all offered some sort of pleasant surprise for me – more than I expected, in a lot of ways. “Starfleet Academy” is keeping up with that trend, I'm happy to say.

Of course, we saw your character first on “Star Trek: Discovery.” Tell me a little bit about how Vance came to be – how he came to you, and how he came to life.

Oded Fehr: I have been a “Star Trek” fan since the first generation. I grew up between Israel and Germany, and in Israel, they didn't have the television network, and we only had the one. It was nationally funded. Didn't have much money. So, we saw in the ’70s the original show from the ’60s, and I loved it.

You know, growing up in a country with a lot of conflict, seeing a show that was so optimistic, and inclusive, and a time of peace and equality – and striving for peace and equality – was so wonderful for me and so inspiring for me.

And then, as a teenager, “The Next Generation” came to be, and I was just huge fan of “The Next Generation.” So, “Star Trek” has been a big part of my life.

I was offered to do an arc on “Star Trek: Discovery” – and at the same time was offered to do another arc on another show. I was kind of like, “Which one do you want to do?” There was no question. “Star Trek.” I have to. And it just grew. It never went away. We shot through COVID; just kept going. This character kept going.

And huge blessing; I love it. I feel it's one of those things. I was very blessed for my first job to be “The Mummy,” and that became such a hallmark big show. And I've done a few other hallmark big shows, but “Star Trek,” to me, is a very personal hallmark. I feel like, especially in our times, we all need more “Star Trek” in our lives. We all need a little bit more of that optimism. So, for me, it's really such a wonderful pleasure and a huge compliment to be invited back to “Starfleet Academy.”

Oded Fehr as Adm.Vance in “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” now streaming on Paramount+. (Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+)

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BTS: You mentioned “The Mummy,” and I see a similarity in the sense that, just like in “The Mummy” and that character, when we first saw Vance I was unsure of his motives. I was unsure if he would be a good guy, a bad guy, what was his end game. What was the dialog initially with the writers, and what was the intent as far as what his motives were going to be?

Oded Fehr: We talked about it that this character is a guy who, his circumstances are such that he just has to all the time make the best of bad decisions – but they are all bad decisions; and he always is dreaming of coming back and bringing Starfleet back to a time that's like the time before “The Burn.” But until Discovery arrives, he’s never able to do it, and it's just constant survival mode.

So, it's a very hard, tough life. And here it comes, this other ship that is really doing things that are illegally time traveling, and come with a lot of optimism and hope and promise that he doesn't believe they can deliver – but to a certain extent, has no choice but to trust them.

And then I think that character of Michael Burnham (the brilliant Sonequa Martin-Green) changes his perspective on life, and the ability to a little bit let go of the reins, and a little bit find a little bit of trust and optimism, and maybe there's magic out there. Maybe there is the ability for things to turn around and go in the right direction.

And I think he brings that with him to Starfleet Academy. He brings that optimism and that kind of hope. And the fact that he is able to get Nahla to become the chancellor and to start this new school, I think that's his biggest and most important achievement in his lifetime.

BTS: You've been involved in some very big projects: “The Mummy,” “Resident Evil”; you've done a lot of voiceover work; you've tackled the Bible recently (with “House of David”) . But “Star Trek,” as you mentioned, is its own sort of world – its own sort of universe. I'm sure by now you've come to realize everything that comes with that – from the fans, to the expectations, to it being one of the biggest franchises in the world. Every time I've spoken with somebody from one of these series, they've said they had a moment where they had to take stock of things and just be, like, “Wow, this is Star Trek. I can't believe what's happening around me. I can't believe what I'm doing here.” I'm wondering if there was a particular moment, if there was a scene, if there was somebody that you worked with, or if and when you had that sort of, “Wow, this is really ‘Star Trek,’ ” and you felt the magnitude of being a part of this universe?

Oded Fehr: I think it happens almost all the time. As I said, for me, growing up on this, every time you walk on the set you feel a little bit like, “Well, I'm going into my own imagination of what it would be like to be in this as a child watching the show.”

The show is the star. The show is the one that takes all of our attention, and we just get to play within that show.

I remember on “Star Trek: Discovery” seeing the ship's plaque with all the names on it, but there's names of crew members, or names of past actors. There's a bunch of Easter eggs everywhere, and it's all very exciting and humbling for all of us.

I always tell the story about walking in and seeing the sets for “Discovery” for the first time, and seeing Discovery’s bridge. I was on the phone with my wife, and I'm saying, “Oh, my god, babe, look – the bridge. The bridge is incredible. It's so much more beautiful in real life, and so awe-inspiring.” And she goes, “A bridge … to where?” It's a nautical term. Bridge. The bridge. The ship's bridge! (laughs) It took her a while to get the “Star Trek” thing. You have to grow up on it for it to be as moving as it is for me.

From left: Zoe Steiner as Tarima, Sandro Rosta as Caleb, Bella Shepard as Genesis, George Hawkins as Daren, Kerrice Brooks as Sam and Karim Diane as Jay-Den on “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.” (Photo credit: Nino Munoz/Paramount+)