Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Star Holly Hunter Reveals Why Chancellor Ake Always Sits Like That [Exclusive]

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" is introducing none other than Holly Hunter to the sci-fi franchise. The latest entry in the ever-growing list of "Star Trek" series features the Oscar winner as Nahla Ake, the captain of the USS Athena who also serves as the chancellor of the titular academy. With Hunter at the helm, the YA-flavored "Starfleet Academy" punches way above its weight class – and one of the many ways she makes the character of Ake her own is the free-spirited vibe she infuses the long-living chancellor with. Just seeing how she lounges on chairs and flat surfaces is enough to inform the viewer that Ake is no ordinary Starfleet officer. 

When speaking with Hunter about "Starfleet Academy" during a press day for the show, /Film's Jacob Hall asked about the way she ended up figuring out how Chancellor Ake should sit. Hunter revealed that instinct had a lot to do with her process:

 "I think from the beginning, that was just like an impulse that I had. I don't know. It guided me kind of, I don't know, intuitively in some ways without thought. I just went, 'Oh, I really want to do this. I just really want to express this. I want to feel like liquid. I want it to be without a spine.'"

From Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) rigid posture and Vulcan salute to the legendary leg-over-the-chair "Riker Maneuver" that William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) uses to sit down, many "Star Trek" characters have become known for their very specific body language. The Riker Maneuver alone is so famous that it led to Frakes inserting a related joke into "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" season 3. Because of this, the way a character as prominent as Chancellor Ake moves is important; fans take note. 

When crafting the character, Hunter was in a particularly nice spot since Ake is part Lanthanite — a largely mysterious and long-lived humanoid species. Since the only other Lanthanite character in the franchise is the eccentric Pelia (Carol Kane) from "Strange New Worlds," Hunter was able to create Ake's movements without being beholden to decades of existing Lanthanite traits. As she described the process of bringing Ake to life to Jacob Hall: 

"She's half-Lanthanite, and what does that even mean? Yes, I can live to be possibly 2,500 years, maybe 3,000 years old. And there was a real freedom of creation that I had with that, because Lanthanites have not been really just ... They haven't been explored in 'Star Trek.' So, it's unknown. So, that was part of the ... There were many reasons why I decided to explore that movement with her, but definitely, it led me to really cool places."

"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" season 1 will begin streaming on Paramount+ on January 15, 2026.