SDCC ‘26: STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY season 2 adds Ruaridh Aldington in final-season cast announcement

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has added a new face to its final season. According to Variety, newcomer Ruaridh Aldington has joined the Paramount+ series as a season regular for its upcoming — and last — season, with the news breaking during the Star Trek 60th anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

Aldington will play Keats, a young alien with a mysterious backstory. The character is introduced when cadets make the risky decision to bring him back to Starfleet Academy after encountering him on an away mission, only to discover he’s a wanted man whose life is in danger. The casting was revealed on stage by co-star Karim Diané, who plays fan-favorite cadet Jay-Den Kraag on the series.

Season 2 will pick up in the aftermath of “The Burn,” following a new class of cadets navigating Starfleet Academy under the guidance of returning series lead Commander Chancellor Nahla Ake, played by Holly Hunter. Sandro Rosta returns as Caleb Mir, continuing his arc as the embodiment of Ake’s attempt to correct a past mistake, while Paul Giamatti is expected back as antagonist Nus Braka. Aldington joins a returning ensemble that includes Hunter, Rosta, Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, Robert Picardo, and Zoë Steiner. He’s a London-based actor whose recent credits include the 2024 supernatural thriller Drained and the indie thriller Dirty Boy.

Behind the camera, Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners, executive producing alongside Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa, and John Weber. Violo, who created the series, wrote the Season 2 premiere, which was directed by Kurtzman.

The season marks the end of the road for the series: Paramount confirmed earlier this year that Season 2 will be Starfleet Academy’s last. A release date has not yet been announced. The series is produced by CBS Studios alongside Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.