Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 3 Recap: War College vs Starfleet Academy
- Barbara
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Starfleet Academy’s in full swing. The cadets are beginning their training. This episode opens with Caleb, Darem and Ocam sleeping peacefully in their reasonably semi-organized dorm room. Lots to unpack and literally put away in this first scene. Darem narrates a recorded personal message to his parents and the start of the episode. Like how they actually state the star date in each epi so far.
Fully Charged and Ready for a New Day
Star Date 868858.7: Darem’s personal message to his parents is a little misleading, but he gives them an update on how he’s doing at the academy. He wakes and begins his morning routine. WHOA! The other guys remain asleep until Caleb wakes and unceremoniously lets him know it.
Darem leaves the room fully ready to start his day, and is surprised to find Genesis passing him in the hall. She has a more stringent morning routine and has been awake and motivated long before he woke. Darem has a desire to be first in everything, now he definitely has a new challenge.
PT Class
Physical Training Class combines the Starfleet Academy cadets with their counterparts from the War College. They have an android instructor flying around vigorously encouraging them. Of course Commander Thok is there instilling her style of motivation. Genesis and Darem continue their competition to be The Best. Kraag and Ocam are getting Commander Thok’s stern attention, whether they want it or not. Ocam seems to be enjoying it, Kraag, not so much.
Can see Tarima with her War College team working out. She’s a bit out of sync, but determined. The Starfleet Academy and War College cadets compete because they can’t help it. Who will win?
Caleb’s a pro in rope climbing, and has no problem beating the War College’s elite. He’s a bit distracted by Tarima’s presence, but Commander Thok keeps him focused. Thok gives her cadets her version of a motivational speech. There are references to “death” in much of it. She tells them of the Calica Team tryouts and demands they sign up. Darem is one of the first to do so. Genesis and SAM also signed up. Darem is amazed at Genesis’ resilience. She attributes it all to her being an admiral’s daughter. Ocam is a wonderful addition, and adds his comedic joy to the group. Darem and Genesis are challenging each other again, this time for the captain’s spot on the Calica Team.
Calica Team Challenge Accepted Maybe
Kraag asks Caleb why he didn’t sign up for the Calica Team. He knows why he didn’t sign up, but believes Caleb should have. Caleb says he’s a lone survivor and wants to stay that way. He’s not a team guy. SAM comes over and asks why they both didn’t sign up. Caleb gives her a reasonable answer for him. He’s allergic to organized sports. One of the War College cadets hits Caleb with a ball as he walks away. He comes F2F with the Vulcan on that team, who challenges him, and basically calls him a coward. Caleb takes the bait and doesn’t back down. His Starfleet Academy friends back him up. The Vulcan War College cadet has zero respect for Starfleet Academy and calls it an experiment that won’t succeed. Ocam adds to the elevated tempers in the room by attempting to scare the War College cadets with Kraag. Commander Thok intervenes and clears the room. One two-parter question-What is the Calica Team, and Why Does One Want To Be On It?
Co-Ed Locker Room Reveals and Teleportation Caper
Another interesting scene takes place in the co-ed locker room. Genesis asks Darem how he got a gnarly scar on his ribs. He explains it had to do with him and someone’s sisters and cousin, and polycule underwater hookups. Their convo is interrupted by cadets suddenly getting transported out of the locker room. Caleb reappears in the temporal mechanics classroom, and there’s an unexpected show when his towel falls off revealing a lot. Professor Jett Reno is not amused. The cadets in the locker room are teleported to different locations all over the academy. The shocker is it was done by War College cadets. Two of the Vulcan cadets appear onscreen owning it and Enjoying It!
Starfleet Academy Promo and 5-Alarm PR Dumpster Fire Alert
In a later scene, we see Chancellor/Captain Nahla Ake reviewing the Starfleet Academy Promo. She remarks about the digital dean of students’ voiceover in the promo to Commander Thok. It is kinda sappy, but does highlight the academy’s strengths. Number One ignores the promo question and tells the Chancellor about the potential PR dumpster fire about to happen. The Chancellor calms her and says their line of work involves a lot of alarming situations. Number One warns of the War College cadets shenanning as experienced when she was once a War College grad. Chancellor Ake asks for advice. Number One tells her to demand a formal apology from Commander to stop things from getting out of hand. Nahla disagrees. Number One counters with the fact that there are others seeing Starfleet Academy as an experiment waiting to fail.
Their conversation devolves into a trust issue and Chancellor Ake’s ability to resolve problems. She loves kid pranks, and thinks that’s how they learn, especially after they survived “The Burn”. Number One adamantly tries to get her point across to Captain/Chancellor Ake. She believes in her and tells why she chose to work for her and not Commander Kelric. She tells her the three things that motivated her. What are they? It doesn’t help her case, but one thing does. Chancellor Ake will address the whole school about the current competitive escapades going too far.
Starfleet Academy Cadets Meltdown and Honor
The half-naked, transported Starfleet Academy cadets meltdown about the transportation incident as they talk about it with the Chancellor. They share their ideas for retribution. Chancellor Ake tries to calm them, and lets them know how she wants to combat this. A droid brings her a Vitus Reflux flower, an empathy flower/fungus. She wants to plant it. The cadets definitely aren’t going for this. Darem is frustrated by the whole idea until he witnesses the fungus’ ability. The cadets have already researched the War College cadets prank and found it is a replay from way back. Chancellor Ake points out that they have already found their opponents’ vulnerability, a lack of imagination. She gets them to plant the fungus. They actually find it calming, and are working together.
Calica Team Tryouts
Genesis asks everyone if they are ready for Calica tryouts. Kraag still refuses to compete, and has chosen another class to avoid it. She respects his decision. Caleb is a different story, and Genesis tells him she signed him up. Caleb refuses to join, and she asks him for help. She wants to be captain and needs the best players. Her choices are limited. She tempts him with more possible encounters with Tarima. He decides to join. Too easy.
Commander Thok tells the cadets Calica is about Strategy, Skill, and Teamwork. It’s more than a game, more like a battle, real-world combat. She tells them about the main objective. They are all dressed in their team’s uniforms. She tells them what to expect in the tryouts. The top eight high scorers make the team. She emphatically tells them about the intensity needed to win. Professor Reno arrives just in time to dial down the intensity. She’s also their coach. Commander Thok and Professor Reno give them details of the game. Ocam learns why you don’t interrupt during this time. The tryouts begin and Commander Thok is in her element. Genesis and Darem compete against each other forgetting about their teammates. Caleb finds out why being late is not an option. What is the mascot? Is the game really more like laser tag fun? What is a Calica game phaser? The visual effects are fantastic.
Kraag’s Got Jokes While Caleb and Tarima Talk
Kraag has a sense of humor. Another thing you don’t usually see in Klingons. He uses it to distract the other War College cadets while Caleb gets a chance to talk to Tarima. He asks her why she joined the War College. He thought they had something happening between them. Tarima dodges his questions. Her dialing up her emotions inhibitor says something different. She continues to avoid getting closer and the effect he has on her. Caleb sees it and confronts her about it. Tarima sidesteps that question and shows off her hidden basketball talent as she confidently walks away.
Calica Training Intensifies and Team Captain’s Chosen
Commander congratulates the cadets that made it through with the highest scores. Professor Reno congratulates Ocam for becoming the mascot. Two cadets tied for the captain position. Professor Reno tells them Commander Thok’s way of settling the tie, and opted for a more reasonable method. They have a side-by-side shootout. Genesis and Darem are cheered on by their teammates. He does something to distract Genesis. What is it? Darem is loving the glory.
Someone hacked into the Starfleet Academy system and displayed the cadets during their worst moments of Calica Training to everyone. The War College cadets laugh out loud. Caleb tells his fellow Starfleet Academy cadets to calm down, while Darem confronts the War College cadets. He wants to meet them in the atrium after curfew. No one wants to join Darem to challenge their War College bullies. Genesis shares some wisdom and walks away. Darem follows and tells her he wins at all costs. Is the Atrium Challenge On?
Ake and Kelric Meet Again
Chancellor Ake meets with Commander Kelric at the War College. They have tea in his quarters. He really loves tea. He is so specific about his tea preparation. Chancellor Ake is just the opposite in every way to him. She gets right to the point and accuses his cadets of using an instructor's authorization to access the Starfleet Academy’s system. She accuses him of aiding and abetting his kids in the humiliation of her academy students. She analyzed the metadata. Kelric is not concerned.
He says someone has to teach them that life and war are coming at them from all sides. She tells them to put himself in their shoes. She gives Kelric a chance to change his ways, but he refuses. She leaves him in a confused state.
One question: What kind of shoes is Chancellor Ake wearing, or is she wearing any?
Atrium Meetup Between Rivals
Rules explained, agreed upon, challenge begins. Tarima and Caleb glower at each other. Their future love language is intense. Ocam arrives as the academy mascot, and Genesis arrives later. Darem gives his team a game plan. The two team mascots begin trash talking. Game Starts! Darem is taken out first, then Genesis, both go to the penalty box. The whole team eventually ends up there quickly! Game 1 goes to the War College cadets.
Game 2 Begins, and Caleb takes out Tarima after smiling at each other. Caleb is getting the team some good shots, but is taken out, too. The whole team is in the penalty box AGAIN. Darem asks if they’re even trying.
Game 3: SAM tries as Ocam begs for help, but the game still goes to the War College. The score is 3-0.
Genesis calls for a timeout before playing for the matchpoint. Darem asks what she’s doing. Genesis confronts him demanding he give them some strategy to use or stand down. He angrily challenges her. He asks if she’s the captain, and she doesn’t say. Darem storms off and gets the team to continue playing. Darem hits the Vulcan captain, and directs his teammates to get physical as he sits in the penalty box. Genesis comes up with a new plan. She uses their training making it difficult to see. The War College cadets shoot at SAM, because she’s the only one they can see in the smoke. She’s permeable, so the shots don’t register, but the Starfleet Team could locate them from their shots. The War College team is taken out and Genesis gets their mascot. Starfleet Academy gets a point. The score was 3-1.
The entire War College Team is in the penalty box for the first time, along with Darem. The War College Captain tells him his team found a strategy that works, replacing him. Darem relinquishes his role as captain to Genesis. He tells her it’s hers, and leaves. Commander Thok and Professor Reno come in totally upset. Thok tells them all to report to their chancellors immediately. Professor Reno leaves quickly with an excuse to do a lot of paperwork.
Report to the Chancellor’s Office, Her Real Message and a Little Wisdom
The Starfleet Team minus Dareem meets with Chancellor Ake in her office. She can’t believe none of them paid any attention to her and her patience and empathy suggested strategies. Caleb is distracted by his pseudo-Mom’s pajamas. She finally loses her cool and yells at them to show some growth. She locks down the campus with biometric security. She puts them on 30 hours of disciplinary menial labor tasks per person. Caleb tries to challenge that and gets it upped to 35 hours. She wants them to end the war between them and the War College once and for all. Dismissed. Chancellor Ake kicks them out of her office.
They pass a crew member walking in the hallway with their blossoming Vitus Fungi Plants. The plants are whispering. Genesis is inspired and comes up with an idea. She decides to prank the War College. It’s gonna be so epic songs will be written about it. They will use what Chancellor Ake taught them, patience and empathy. They will show her some growth. Ocam glumly says they will be doing disciplinary labor for life.
In thermal mechanics, Professor Reno tells Darem his PADD (Personal Access Display Device) is healthy as a newborn, and it shouldn’t be malfunctioning. He says he’s not receiving incoming messages. His parents aren’t responding to his messages. Professor Reno tells him that any message he has to chase down does not deserve to be read by him. She recognizes he has parental problems. She gives him some wise advice, people either show up for you or they don’t. As if on cue, Commander Thok comes to talk with Professor Reno. She is upset because they can’t have turducken for dinner due to Reno not prepping the replicator. Reno apologizes. Darem realizes his instructors are in a personal relationship. Reno promises Thok dinner out, and she walks away a little less upset.
Reno continues dispensing wisdom to Darem. She tells him how she and Commander Thok got together, and says that’s an example of someone showing for you. She asks if he has someone like that. Hint, hint…..
Let’s Be Epic
Genesis and the team enlist Kraag in their efforts to prank the War College cadets. They are about to leave when Darem shows up. Darem shares his Mom and Dad issues with Genesis. He apologizes to her about how he treated her. Kraag and Caleb overhear him and comment. Genesis stops Darem from retaliating. He acknowledges she’s the leader. She asks him to join them, and also asks for the truth about the knife wound to his ribs. What was his response?
The take off. They strategize and prepare things for their prank which involves Caleb dressing as the War College mascot. He refuses but relents.
Caleb gets to the War College dressed in the costume. The only person who notices something different about the mascot is Tarima. He gets to the Kelric’s office to disable the security system. They need the chancellor’s cornea to get in. How do they do this?
Kraag takes action in his task. Caleb hacks, SAM does her part. Who catches Caleb as he tries to escape?
Tarima chooses this time to talk about her feelings for him.
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