‘Starfleet Academy’ Stops the Furies From Becoming ‘Star Trek’s New Borg

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away.” Throughout Star Trek‘s history, many memorable villains have appeared, but the Borg remain the most frightening. While other enemy races have existed, none have been as visually and audibly intimidating. Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 6, seemed to introduce a new species that could potentially replace the Borg as the primary cybernetic threat, giving the franchise a chance to move beyond them. However, the new Paramount+ show quickly abandoned that idea.

The Borg, first appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation, have become a constant threat throughout the series. They’re terrifying enemies because they lack emotion and relentlessly pursue perfection through total control, though they’ve sometimes surprisingly helped the heroes. The franchise has repeatedly attempted to introduce new villains to replace the Borg, but none have been as truly frightening. Starfleet Academy came the closest to filling that role, but quickly abandoned its villainous path.

The Furies in ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Episode 6 Explained


Paramount+

The Furies first appeared in the 1996 Star Trek: Invasion! book series, which isn’t considered official Star Trek canon. However, Starfleet Academy seems to have only loosely based their version of the Furies on the one from Invasion!, making some changes. For dedicated fans, seeing the Furies in the episode “Come, Let’s Away” is a subtle nod to that older story. But, thankfully, you don’t need to know anything about Invasion! to understand or enjoy the episode. It works perfectly well on its own, without any prior knowledge of the Furies’ origins.

In the Star Trek novels, Starfleet learns a great deal about the Furies – a frightening race from another universe that tries to take over the Alpha Quadrant in the 23rd and 24th centuries. Because the Furies haven’t appeared in any Star Trek shows or movies prior to the events at Starfleet Academy, it’s likely the Federation has only recently discovered them. While the story “Come, Let’s Away” doesn’t definitively say the Furies come from the same alternate dimension as the book versions, their ability to appear and disappear as they move hints that they might.

The Starfleet Academy episode reveals what little Starfleet knows about the Furies: they are human-alien hybrids. They possess advanced technology, including cloaking devices and the ability to block communications and transporters. The episode strongly suggests the Furies are cannibals, consuming those they capture. When Starfleet cadets are taken hostage and the Furies demand a ransom, Admiral Vance (played by Holly Hunter) cautions Captain Ake that the Furies have a history of killing hostages even after their demands are met. Dialogue also indicates previous encounters between the Federation and the Furies.

‘Starfleet Academy’ Completely Wasted the Furies in Their Canonical ‘Star Trek’ Debut


Paramount+

A strong first impression is crucial for any Star Trek villain. We need to immediately grasp how dangerous they are, what drives them, and how tough they’ll be to overcome. The show did this brilliantly in the 1989 episode “Q Who,” introducing the Borg and instantly establishing them as compelling and formidable foes. Similarly, the Starfleet Academy series initially positioned the Furies as worthy successors to the Borg, making them the central villains in the episode “Come, Let’s Away.”

The episode quickly sidelined the Furies when it was revealed they were just tools used by Paul Giamatti’s character, Nus Braka. While they remained frightening, this reveal diminished their impact, portraying them as hired help instead of the masterminds. Making them seem like simple enforcers for Braka made the Furies appear less intelligent and more like mindless beasts. Though it was good to see Giamatti’s character return and his plan was well-executed, the writers of Starfleet Academy would have been better off saving the Furies to use as independent villains in a future episode. As a distraction, the Furies were too complex and believable – they were almost too good at misleading us.

There Is Still Time for ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ to Fix Its Big Furies Mistake


Paramount+

The unsettling, flesh-eating alien hybrids seen in Star Trek represent some of the franchise’s best character design. It would be a huge missed opportunity to only use them once, as happened in the episode “Come, Let’s Away.” Luckily, with four episodes remaining in Starfleet Academy Season 1, there’s still a chance the Furies can return and deliver their unique brand of suspense. Hopefully, next time they won’t just be background elements for another villain’s story.

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Even though the first season of Starfleet Academy might end without the Furies returning, Paramount+ has already begun filming a second season. I believe Nus Braka will continue to be the primary villain as long as Captain Ake is a central character, but there will definitely be opportunities for the Furies to reappear and establish themselves as the natural successors to the Borg. There’s still a lot to discover about them, and I’m hoping Star Trek: Starfleet Academy provides some answers and doesn’t leave the storyline unresolved.

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2026-02-12 15:39