After last month’s surprising news that Oscar winner Holly Hunter has signed up to be one of the leading stars in the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series, today CBS Studios has announced another big name beaming to the 32nd century — Emmy-winner and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti.
 
A known Star Trek fan, Giamatti will be joining Starfleet Academy in a recurring role, set to be the first season’s main antagonist and villain. The news was broken today by The Hollywood Reporter, who describes Giamatti’s role as “a man with an ominous past with a connection to one of the show’s cadets.”
 
Giamatti expressed his love for the Star Trek universe in a 2019 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, sharing his desire to play a Klingon — but today’s news has no information on the character beyond the vague description shared above.
 

 
“Sometimes you’re lucky enough to discover that one of the greatest actors alive is also a huge Star Trek fan, and meeting Paul was one of those miraculous moments for us,” said Trek franchise boss Alex Kurtzman and Academy showrunner Noga Landau in a statement released today. “The sheer delight with which he dove in on Starfleet Academy is only surpassed by the gratitude we feel about him joining our incredible cast.”