Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Actors On Originating New Alien Species

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 3 - "Vitus Reflux"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's Bella Shepard and George Hawkins discuss what it's like to play new aliens in Star Trek. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 3 pits two alpha cadets, Shepard's Genesis Lythe and Hawkins' Darem Reymi, against each other.

Genesis Lythe is the first Dar-Sha in Star Trek, and she's joined by Darem Reymi, who is the first Khionian in Star Trek. Genesis and Darem are part of the first class of Starfleet Academy cadets to study in San Francisco on Earth in 120 years, and both need to become Captains to impress the high expectations of their parents.

At Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's press junket, ScreenRant's Liam Crowley asked Bella Shepard what it's like to originate a Star Trek species, and Shepard explained that it's "kind of scary," although she recognizes her "incredible privilege" to create Genesis Lythe and portray the first Dar-Sha. Read Bella's quote below:

Liam Crowley: How does it feel to originate a species?

Bella Shepard: It's kind of scary, honestly, because I don't really have a map telling me where to go, where to take it, or what to draw from. But it's also an incredible privilege to be able to create this character. And I basically get to start from the ground up with her and her culture. So I love it.

Watch ScreenRant's interview with Zoë Steiner, Karim Diané, and Bella Shepard from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy below:

ScreenRant's Liam Crowley posed a similar question to George Hawkins about originating a Star Trek species, and Hawkins elaborates on what a "blessing" his role as the first Khionian in Star Trek is. Read George's quote below:

Liam Crowley: Leonard Nimoy, Doug Jones, Carol Kane, and now George Hawkins, people who have originated species in Star Trek. How does that feel? What does that responsibility feel like, and where are you going to take this character going forward?

George Hawkins: You know what, man? I can't think about that. Thank you so much. That means a lot. But it's just, you just want to be truthful to the character that you're playing. Yes, they represent something, they represent something exterior, but that's not my job. And I'm very happy that it's not my job to deal with that or control that. I think I've got the blessing of an incredible story, incredible character, incredible scripts to work [from] and dive deep into and to commit to. And that's all you can really ask for. And the result is out of my control, but it's such a blessing. I'm aware of it. I really am.

Genesis Lythe and Darem Reymi combined their talents to save the USS Athena from Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti) in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's series premiere. Darem revealed his true Khionian form to Genesis, and she rescued Reymi after he performed a space walk without an E/V suit, relying on his natural immunity to protect him from the vacuum of space.

Darem Reymi and Genesis Lythe are joined by their fellow cadet, SAM (Kerrice Brooks), who plays the third new alien in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. SAM is short for Series Acclimation Mil, and she is a Kasqian, which is a photonic race of sentient holograms not unlike The Doctor (Robert Picardo).

Genesis and Darem go head-to-head in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 3, with both cadets desperate to prove they're the best of the best and future Captain material. Genesis also occasionally has to swat away Darem's alpha jock bravado. Meanwhile, both Darem and Genesis harbor issues with their demanding parents.

Bella Shepard and George Hawkins, along with Kerrice Brooks, appreciate how they are in rarified air in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. They joined an elite list of actors who created new Star Trek alien species from scratch, which includes Leonard Nimoy, Doug Jones, and Carol Kane.