Episode three of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy feels lighter and far more playful, energized by an escalating prank war. The previous chapter introduced siblings Ocam Sadal of Starfleet Academy and Tarima Sadal of the War College, ending with diplomatic tensions eased through Caleb’s intervention.

That fragile calm fuels episode three, where rivalry mutates into strategy, and games quietly test ambition, loyalty, and leadership under pressure.

The day begins with Darem Reymi sending a message to his parents. He describes his unwavering commitment to training, rising before the sun and retiring last to the quiet hum of the academy. One could almost hear the disciplined rhythm of his life, until Caleb, half-asleep and annoyed by the noise, hurls a piece of cloth at him. Dedication, it seems, does not grant immunity from shared living spaces.

Stepping outside, Darem encounters Genesis Lyth. She is already well ahead in her morning drills, moving with a fluid efficiency that makes his own efforts seem sluggish. The unspoken spark of rivalry ignites instantly. A shared glance and the subtle lift of an eyebrow say all that words cannot: a contest is on, and neither intends to yield.

During the morning military practice, Commander Lura Thok oversees the students with a gleeful but merciless eye. Every push-up and obstacle is a test of endurance, and her reminders of mortality, playful in tone but chilling in implication, keep hearts racing. 

At the prospect of joining the Khaleka team,Darem and Genesis vie for captaincy with the fervor of gladiators. Meanwhile, Caleb, ever the lone wolf, declines, citing his preference for personal achievement over collective conquest.

At the same time, rivalries multiply like shadows in the sun. The War College students, including Tarima Sadal, observe with arrogance as Caleb scales the rope faster than any of them, shattering egos. Their retribution is immediate: a ball smacks Caleb squarely in the face. The shared training space between academies escalates tension; this is not just personal rivalry, but institutional friction. Just as fists nearly fly, Luna Krok intervenes, her voice calm but firm. Blood is deferred; she alone may grant permission.

While the Starfleet Academy cadets were changing out of their training clothes, an entirely unexpected attack struck. Most cadets, wrapped only in towels or clad in underwear, were suddenly transported across the SS Athena. 

Some landed in classrooms, others in decorative ponds, and a few even plopped directly into someone’s breakfast. Chaos reigned. Laughter from the War College cadets filled the halls, followed by an announcement: they had done it, they admitted it, and they would continue because they could. Nonetheless, fury spread among the Starfleet Academy cadets as quickly as the prank took place.

Nahla, who had been quietly watching a promotional trailer highlighting the academy’s commitment to cadets’ physical, mental, and spiritual training, was interrupted by Luna Krok. Krok stressed the importance of a formal response and said that Nahla should obtain a formal apology from Chancellor Kelric, Chancellor of the War College. Nahla, frustrated, initially argued that the cadets should not need to be taught how to fight their own battles. Yet, under Krok’s firm persuasion, she agreed to hear them out.

The cadets spilled their grievances the moment Nahla entered. The humiliation had been exquisite and wrong, and they wanted revenge. Nahla, always with a flair for the unusual, produced a Venus flytrap as the countermeasure. She handed it to Darem Reymi, whose face said it all: disbelief. 

When he criticized the plan, the Venus flytrap, with an infuriatingly squeaky mimicry, repeated every word. Kragg reminded them that history was a repeating prank; the Starfleet Academy had done the same years ago. Nahla frowned thoughtfully: originality was evidently a scarce commodity in their opponents, and this might be their key to a successful prank siege.

Genesis Lyth pleaded with Caleb to join the Khaleka team, desperate to secure the captaincy. Her ambition outweighed all courtesy. After a moment of hesitation, Caleb yielded, reluctantly agreeing to join her team, much to Genesis’s relief and quiet triumph.

In the next scene, Luna Krok explained the rules of Khaleka: two teams, each with a mascot guarding a target. The goal was simple: fight across the field and hit the opposing team’s target. Trials would be grueling, with scores from a series of drills determining the top eight cadets who would make the team. As Krok laid out instructions, Professor Reno made a surprise appearance as one of the coaches, adding to the tension.

SAM chimed in, describing the game as a fun version of laser tag. She was proven wrong quite soon as dust and smoke swirled across the game ground as the cadets played, while Luna Krok gave tactical instructions. The tension was amplified by the rivalry between Darem Reymi and Genesis Lyth was fierce, neck and neck, each striving for the highest score and captaincy.

As Kragg and Caleb descended the stairs, Caleb spotted Tarima Sadal playing basketball alone. He asked Kragg to distract the War College cadets with his “amazing humor,” which surprisingly worked, especially on Kyle, the blonde bully. Meanwhile, Caleb’s conversation with Tarima did not go as hoped. Tarima, blunt but polite, clarified that she did not share his romantic interest and reminded him to mind his own business. The tension escalated when Caleb criticized her choice of academy and why she did not tell him so in the ending of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 2. 

Later, it was revealed that Darem and Genesis tied in points for captaincy, leading to a shootout to determine the captain. Darem won, sneaking in a comment about “Daddy issues” that left Genesis simultaneously angry and betrayed. His friends lifted him on a chair in celebration, while the War College cadets watched.

Darem’s celebration was cut short when the War College played a parody of the Starfleet Academy’s promotional video across the campus. Embarrassing clips highlighted the cadets’ supposed physical, mental, and spiritual shortcomings while playing Khaleka.

In the next scene, Nahla visited Chancellor Kelric in his office. She showed no decorum, directly confronting him about aiding and abetting the War College cadets’ pranks. Kelric admitted it openly, claiming his students would continue. Nahla countered with a plea for empathy, emphasizing that these cadets came from far and wide and deserved peace at the academy.

Through Darem Reymi’s persuasion, the Starfleet Academy cadets decided to strike back at the War College cadets with an impromptu Khaleka game. The plan, however, quickly went awry. The War College cadets dominated every round, leaving the Starfleet Academy students frustrated and demoralized.

 The turning point came when Darem was expelled from a round, and Genesis Lyth seized control, ignoring his strategy and securing the first point. Darem realized, crushingly, that leadership might not be his strongest suit. Just as the momentum began to shift, Luna Krok, accompanied by Instructor Jett Reno, arrived and ordered the cadets to report to their respective chancellors.

 Darem, who had stormed out of the game room earlier, was still grappling with his realization. Seeing that he had not gotten any reply from his parents yet, he approached Reno to confirm whether the messages he had sent to his parents had been properly delivered. Seeing that all messages had been sent with no replies, Reno empathized and remarked, wryly, that he was not the first teenager with such parental issues. She reminded him kindly that those who truly want to be there for someone, always are.

The point was driven home moments later as Luna Krok, who turned out to be Reno’s lover, entered her office. The two women’s banter, Krok aghast that Reno had not prepped dinner, Reno noting she had left a starship across the galaxy for Krok, illustrated the lengths they went to for those they cared for. Reno then hinted at Genesis’s quiet support, and Darem added quickly that he knows where she is getting at and quickly makes amends to Genesis. 

Meanwhile, back in her office, Nahla delivered a peculiar lecture on “growth” and “empathy,” peppered with oddities like Chancellor Kelric’s eye biometrics. The cadets could barely contain themselves, so Nahla increased their volunteer hours as punishment. As they left, Genesis had a hunch: Nahla’s strange speech had been a coded guide for getting revenge on the War College cadets.

The plan began in earnest. Ocam replicated the opponent team’s mascot, providing Caleb with a perfect disguise to infiltrate the War College. Caleb had to disable the security system, which required Kelric’s retinal scan. Darem “accidentally” bumped into Kelric on the campus grounds, apologizing for the Khaleka game while discreetly collecting the DNA sample needed. 

Kragg used the sample to create a nearly perfect replica of Kelric’s eyeball. SAM, in charge of deploying a modified Venus flytrap spray, executed her part enthusiastically, while Genesis ensured the Venus was suitably aggressive for their prank. Things nearly unraveled when Tarima Sadal caught Caleb in the act. She confessed her feelings for him but insisted she needed to win the prank war, triggering an alarm. Darem, assigned to laboratory duty, intervened just in time, ensuring Caleb escaped.

By morning, War College students and instructors emerged to find enormous Venus flytraps erupting in their dorms. To the fury of the War College bullies, Chancellor Kelric accepted defeat gracefully, acknowledging the efforts of Starfleet Academy, hinting that they learned from the best. It was revealed that Nahla had subtly guided the Starfleet cadets all along, giving hints through lectures and subtle nudges, without tarnishing her image as a righteous chancellor. Caleb, recognizing the cleverness, called her out, realizing she had been one of the legendary cadets behind the original prank on the War College.

The episode closed where it began: Darem recorded a message for his parents, reflecting on his growth. He acknowledged that while he had the potential for greatness, leadership was not his strength. Humbly, he yielded the captaincy to Genesis, the rightful leader.

‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’: Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything About the Upcoming Sci-Fi Series

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