Come, Let's Away
Cadets from Starfleet Academy and the War College go on a joint mission, but they get attacked by a race of cannibals, so Starfleet leaders turn to an unlikely source for help.
Warning: Spoilers below
Caleb and Tarima
The episode starts with Caleb and Tarima moving past the Starfleet and War College issues and expanding their relationship. While spending time together, the pair are transported to Tarima’s Betazoid mindspace. She reveals this is a safe space to which she normally goes. However, when they are there, his old robotic teddy bear appears. He touches it and it reveals a lot of his past to her. This leads to a fight as he feels his personal space has been violated.
John Medland/Paramount+
The argument gets interrupted as all cadets are called to a joint training mission. The Academy and War College cadets will work together in teams to restore power to a derelict ship that was destroyed in The Burn. It’s clear there’s a little more riding on this joint mission than bragging rights between the two schools.
Training Mission
Caleb is on the away team with SAM and Jay-Den, but they are joined by some War College cadets including the Vulcan, B’Avi who initiated the prank war and Kyle, the human who seems to be very friendly with Jay-Den despite being on opposite sides of the rivalry. Caleb and B’Avi argue about a children’s comic book that tells the tale of the ship they are boarding (B’Avi loves it but Caleb calls it Starfleet propaganda).
John Medland/Paramount+
Meanwhile there are best going on about how each cadet and how each team responds. Caleb helps Chancellor Ake win her bet with Thok by restoring life support in less than two minutes. Unfortunately, once the systems are online, the ship registers some weird readings. A dampening field then surrounds the ship and a race of Furies board the ship and take the away team hostage. It’s quickly revealed these aliens are cannibals and they are making demands or else they will turn the away team into snacks.
Making a Break
The cadets try to make a break for it and it appears like the War College professor who accompanied them on the away mission was going to lead them to safety. Unfortunately, the only way for the cadets to escape is for the professor to sacrifice himself. He does and the cadets manage to break free and seal themselves in the ship’s bridge. SAM tries to reboot the computer while Jay-Den attends to a wounded Kyle. Meanwhile, Caleb and B’Avi are struggling to deal with the fact that a decorated officer turned professor just gave his own life to save theirs.
John Medland/Paramount+
Admiral Vance is trying to figure out the best way to respond. The Furies have a history of eating their hostages even after getting payment. So, the Admiral tells Chancellor Ake he has a plan that she’s going to hate. He’s reaching out to Nus Braka, the pirate who landed Caleb’s mother in prison and who tried to take over the ship in the first episode, for help.
Enemy of My Enemy
Ake doesn’t want to turn to Braka for help. Unfortunately, when the body of the War College professor is ejected into space, or at least what’s left of it, she relents. Braka arrives on the Athena and it’s clear he isn’t going to play well with others. He demands Starfleet stop supplying dilithium to a particular world he wants to price gouge. Vance signs off to see if he can get it done. Meanwhile Braka is demanding respect from Ake if she wants the key to beat the Furies.
John Medland/Paramount+
Meanwhile, cadets still on the Athena, like Genesis and Darem, are working to figure out how to track the Furies’ ship. While this is happening, Tarima’s telepathic connection with Caleb reconnects. She tells Ake and Kelric about this connection and Kelric decides to use it to pass along new information on how to get past the dampening field. Tarima has to send Caleb and B’Avi on a mission together as she can only communicate with Caleb but the mission requires a plan for a War College cadet.
Springing the Trap
Ake finally snaps and gives Braka a piece of her mind. He leaves her ship but not before letting slip, the Furies are part bat. Ake decides to use this to her advantage by calling in another ship with sonar equipment. As this is happening, Caleb and B’Avi get the drives activated. Unfortunately, when it seems like things are going to work out, Darem intercepts a message from Braka to the Furies saying Starfleet took the bait and “Bon Appetit!" That’s when everything falls apart.
John Medland/Paramount+
Braka and his pirates attack the other Starfleet ship and steal some tech. Meanwhile, the Furies break through into the bridge and launch an attack. SAM is a hologram, so she can’t die, but they are able to disable her. Kyle is further injured and B’Avi is killed. That’s when Tarima takes Caleb to her mindspace again. She has pulled out her inhibitor chip and warns him that he won’t like what she does next but he’ll be safe. Then she lets out a super-Betazoid scream that kills all the Furies and protects both Starfleet and War College cadets.
Fallout
The cadets and both schools are licking their wounds. A War College instructor and cadet are both now dead. Kyle is injured. Tarima nearly bled out from removing her inhibitor chip. She’s stabilized and taken back to Betazed for recovery. Everyone is hurt either physically, mentally or emotionally. Admiral Vance alerts Ake that Braka is now public enemy number one and tries to take the blame, but Ake won’t let him.
John Medland/Paramount+
Meanwhile, Braka sends a message to Ake. He explains that he hates her because she thinks she’s better than him and thinks her way of life is better than his. He had to do whatever he could to survive and doesn’t like how official types look down on him. He promises he’ll see Ake again and has more for her, ending their interaction on an ominous note as he is clearly being set up as the season’s big bad.
What’s Next?
The cadets suffered their first real setback. In almost every other instance, things have worked out well for them. Their interactions with Betazed led to the planet rejoining the federation. Caleb defeated Braka. Starfleet Academy won the prank war with the War College. SAM was able to push back against her creators due to her study of Sisko. But this one led to real loss. B’Avi is dead. Tarima is seriously hurt. And everyone’s pride is wounded. Plus, there’s a pirate presence lurking that already led to tough life for Caleb up to this point. Every Star Trek season needs a moment where the heroes lose. A lot of the time, it’s the best episode because it sets them up for future gain. This may not be the best episode, but it was still a good one.
Check out Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2026
Add comment
Comments