“I'm the bad guy”: Paul Giamatti shares major update on his villainous role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The Star Trek universe is growing bigger with the addition of another television series – Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. The upcoming Paramount+ drama marks the 12th show in the sci-fi franchise.

The new series picks up after the events of Star Trek: Discovery, where a catastrophic event has wreaked havoc, after which a new generation of cadets seek training to become officers. Paul Giamatti has been confirmed to play an antagonist in the show.

The actor has now shared an update about his character in an interview with Collider. While the name of the character has not been unveiled yet, Paul opened up about his villainous arc, revealing he is someone who enjoys being a bad guy:

“He takes great pleasure in being the villain. He likes it. And it's very much a part of his thing that he's all ‘Oh yeah, I'm the bad guy.’”

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Paul Giamatti talks about his character in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Paul Giamatti’s character is said to have a dark past in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. He is somehow connected to one of the cadets training to become officers in the 32nd century. In his interview, Giamatti added that he has always been a Star Trek fan and kind of manifested being a part of the new show:

“I'm not gonna say I'm a superfan or anything, but from the time I was a child, I've been a big Star Trek fan. I haven't watched all the iterations, but I've watched a lot of it, and I do really kind of love it.”

The release date for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has not been announced yet. However, the show will premiere on Paramount+ in either 2025 or 2026. The series takes place in the 32nd century when a disaster hits the universe.

As the Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets recover from the devastation, the Starfleet Academy is opened for new cadets after over a century. The first season of the show has concluded filming and is now in the post-production stage. Meanwhile, a second season has already been confirmed by Paramount+.

Paul Giamatti is an Emmy-winning actor who has several other television and film credits to his name. He has been seen in shows like Billions, John Adams, and Lodge 49. On the big screen, he has starred in movies like The Holdovers, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and 12 Years a Slave.

Apart from Giamatti, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy stars Holly Hunter, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Zoë Steiner, Bella Shepard, Karim Diané, Tig Notaro, Robert Picardo, and Sandro Rosta in pivotal roles. The series is being created by Gaia Violo.

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