TREK HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2026 NEW YORK COMIC CON: NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CELEBRATION AT STAR TREK UNIVERSE PANEL

Hailing frequencies open, New York City! Star Trek has returned to New York Comic Con, and this year’s Star Trek Universe panel did not disappoint. Trek fans beaming down to the Javits Center in Manhattan were treated to a star-studded panel, major announcements for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season two, and a special 60th anniversary celebration featuring a conversation with William Shatner.

STARFLEET ACADEMY: NEW FACES, NEW STORIES, AND SEASON TWO RELEASE DATE

The Star Trek Universe panel kicked off with an exclusive conversation about the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Panelists included series star Holly Hunter (Nahla Ake); fellow cast members Sandro Rosta (Caleb Mir), Bella Shepard (Tarima Sadal), Karim Diané (Jay-Den Kraag), and Robert Picardo (The Doctor); and co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau. 

The panel, moderated by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, started off with a bang as Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau shared an NYCC-exclusive first look at Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s second and final season, and announced a premiere date of March 2027 on Paramount+ (USA). It was also revealed that BAFTA and Golden Globe winner Bill Nighy (Living, About Time) and Critics Choice Award nominee Rosemarie DeWitt (Untamed, The Staircase) will guest star in the upcoming season. Nighy will play Nahla’s estranged father, Nyk Ake, and DeWitt will play Tarima’s mother, Laytha Sadal, the First Lady of Betazed.

Photo credits : Michael Gibson/Paramount+, Aliona Adrianova, Jeff Vespa

Bill Nighy

Rosemarie DeWitt

Season two of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy follows our cadets into their second year aboard the USS Athena. There, their ideals of leadership, friendship, romance, and morality are put to the test as they navigate budding rivalries, shaky diplomatic negotiations, a fiercely competitive schoolwide tournament, and the arrival of a mysterious new cadet named Keats — played by London-based actor Ruaridh Aldington — whose existence raises questions that could have consequences far beyond the classroom.

Ruaridh Aldington as Keats in season 2, episode 1 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Jackie Brown/Paramount+

STAR TREK 60: SHATNER AND STILLER REUNITE FOR EXCLUSIVE CHAT

As Star Trek continues celebrating its 60th anniversary, the panel continued with a special presentation of clips and a conversation with William Shatner, the legendary actor behind Captain James T. Kirk, moderated by actor and filmmaker Ben Stiller. Stiller, a lifelong Star Trek fan who has often spoke about the impact it has had on him and his career, has worked with Shatner multiple times over the years, including Shatner making a cameo alongside Stiller in 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story; and Stiller appearing in The Truth Is In the Stars, a 2017 documentary hosted and executive produced by Shatner. Together, they discussed memorable behind-the-scenes moments and stories from some of Kirk’s most iconic moments on screen over the past 60 years. 

photo credit : Matt Harker

Over the course of the Star Trek Universe event, the packed room of devoted Trekkies at NYCC were delighted by exclusive reveals, exciting announcements and memorable celebrations of the franchise’s rich history, creating an experience for the audience as fun and unforgettable as the Big Apple itself. Live long and prosper, NYCC!