A review of the season finale of Starfleet Academy, "Rubincon" — with spoilers — coming up just as soon as I literally waste all of your breath...
Alan Sepinwall
When Starfleet Academy began, I was both intrigued and concerned by the idea of a YA Star Trek show. Doing new things with the franchise after 60 years was welcome, Holly Hunter was Holly Hunter, and parts of the early episodes I watched worked very well — the Jay-Den and Sam spotlights especially. But at other times, the genre mash-up was clumsily executed, I found Caleb insufferable, and I was startled to realize that Paul Giamatti at the loudest end of his range might get to be a little much after a while.
But by this season-concluding two-parter, the new series has really come into its own, trending towards the top end of the franchise's streaming era, in the neighborhood of Lower Decks and the first couple of Strange New Worlds seasons.