Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Is Stephen Colbert playing a role in the upcoming Paramount+ series? Details revealed 

Stephen Colbert, a renowned figure in late-night TV, has put his name down to be among the characters in the much-awaited Paramount+ series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

The comedian and writer will give his voice to the character called “Digital Dean of Students,” announced at the New York Comic Con 2025. This digital character will be part of the series, whose first two episodes are scheduled to launch on January 15, 2026, followed by the weekly release of the rest of the episodes only on Paramount+.

This announcement is a significant change for Colbert, mainly because his late-night talk show is going to end in May 2026. He will be heard in Starfleet Academy portraying an innovative and creative character, combining Star Trek’s long-standing tradition of exploring the future with Colbert’s recognizable voice and humor.

The franchise's fans can expect his character to make announcements and wittily participate in the cadets' training, thereby giving a different vibe to the Starfleet training ground.

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Stephen Colbert’s role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Stephen Colbert will portray the role of the Digital Dean of Students in the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. It will be different in the sense that he will lend his voice to a digital character and will make the announcements to the students.

Stephen Colbert humorously apologized for his absence at the convention in person by saying that his costume for Mugato, a reference to the universe of Star Trek, was not adequately decorated. He joked:

“Folks, I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in person today, but I’m a perfectionist, and I just didn’t have enough bunting for my Mugato cosplay. However, nothing could stop me from sharing this exciting news; I’m honored to announce that my beautiful voice will be joining Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as the Digital Dean of Students, where I’ll get to announce things like, ‘Attention Ensign Krebs, your Talaxian fur fly has exited the replicator and is now mating with itself. Please report to Science Lab 1 immediately. Children are watching.’”

Colbert added:

“I’m thrilled to join this universe that I’ve loved for so long, and unlike my on-camera castmates, I’m thrilled to join it without having to spend four hours in hair and makeup everyday. I’ll see you when Starfleet Academy premieres. Until then, enjoy the Con. Live long… and do your thing.”

The digital version of his character gives Colbert the chance to be part of the project without the huge physical preparation that is usually needed for on-screen acting roles. This meta casting choice uses his special voice talents and comedic background to the full to help set the tone and atmosphere of the Starfleet Academy.

The series is produced by CBS Studios, with Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau as showrunners. It mixes new talent with actors like Holly Hunter and Robert Picardo, set in the very distant future, thus ensuring that the Star Trek universe will go in new directions.

Colbert’s pairing with the series is a source of interest and curiosity for Star Trek and late-night audiences, as he will connect the two worlds of entertainment.

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What is Star Trek: Starfleet Academy about?

The setting of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is the 32nd century, a long way into the future that was first seen in Star Trek: Discovery, where the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet get to recover from a disastrous event.

The story of the new series revolves around the very first class of Starfleet cadets for over a hundred years, who grow up and get their training as officers on the starship USS Athena, which serves as their training ground and is also part of the Academy campus located in San Francisco.

The plot of the show revolves around the cadets' personal growth, friendships, rivalries, and first loves, all this while they are training under the best instructors Starfleet has. A new enemy who is mysterious and powerful threatens their advancement around the Academy and the Federation, and this leads the cadets to confront difficulties that are new to them and that will challenge their determination and cooperation.

The very essence of this combination of dramatic coming-of-age stories and high-stakes space adventures is the trademark of the Star Trek franchise.

The characters are played by Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, and Bella Shepard, who are the cadets. In the meantime, Holly Hunter is a veteran actor who plays the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, and Zoë Steiner, Tig Notaro, and Oded Fehr are among others.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is going to have a rich assortment of drama, comedy, and sci-fi that will cater to the tastes of both the audience that has been following the franchise for a long time and those who are just getting acquainted with it.

It is backed by the executive producer Alex Kurtzman, and is planned to be available solely on Paramount+ from January 15, 2026, when the first episode will be released, followed by subsequent ones every week until mid-March.