The young crew of the Starship Enterprise in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) achieved a heroic feat that a different group of Starfleet Academy cadets inStar Trek: Deep Space Ninefailed to do.Star Trek(2009) rebooted Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and thecast ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesas their youthful incarnations in the alternate Kelvin Timeline. Assembling as a group of cadets at Starfleet Academy, Kirk and his fellow cadets are called upon to command the USS Enterprise against theRomulan time traveler Nero(Eric Bana).
Starfleet Academy often took center stage inStar Trek’s Prime Timelineduring the 1990sStar Trek: The Next Generation24th century era.TNGintroduced Nova Squadron, a group ofelite Starfleet Academy cadetswho covered up the death of their classmate.Star Trek: Deep Space Ninedebuted a different crop of elite cadets called Red Squad. One incarnation of Red Squad participated in an attempted coup to place Earth under Starfleet military rule. InStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 6, episode 22, “Valiant,“another Red Squad class went behind enemy lines during the Dominion War.
The Enterprise’s Starfleet Academy Cadets Did Good
One of the novelties ofStar Trek(2009) is that James T. Kirk and most of the crew of the USS Enterprise are Starfleet Academy cadets, with Spock holding the rank of Commander. When Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) is captured by Nero, the Enterprise crew receives field promotions, and Kirk rockets up the ranks to becomeCaptain of the Enterprise. Yetdespite their inexperience, Kirk’s heroic instincts and the elite skillset of the Enterprise crew prove to be enough to defeat Nero. The cadets are rewarded by being fully instated by Starfleet to permanently command the Starship Enterprise.
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Red Squad(created a decade beforeStar Trek(2009) hit movie theaters) attempted to make a name for themselves in a similar fashion, but failed. When Captain Ramirez is killed, Red Squad takes command of the USS Valiant to fulfill their mission without Starfleet’s authorization. Captain Tim Watters (Paul Popowich) takes Red Squad’s status as elite cadets too far in their attempt to prove they have the right stuff. In the end,Watters led Red Squad to a tragic end with nearly all hands lost.
Something James T. Kirk inStar Trek(2009) andRed Squad inStar Trek: Deep Space Ninehad in common isa degree of arrogance and conviction that they’re doing the right thing.However, their outcomes were wildly different. Ultimately, Kirk and the Starship Enterprise crew were trying to save Earth from the destruction Nero inflicted on Vulcan. Kirk and Spock, in particular, had to learn to trust each other and evoke the same belief in their crew for the Starship Enterprise to work together and emerge victorious.
Red Squad was instilled with a mistaken belief that they could do no wrong.
Red Squad had more of a nebulous motivation to prove why they were elite cadets. Lacking a defined goal (i.e save Earth), Captain Watters was driven by hubris, and Red Squad was instilled with a mistaken belief that they could do no wrong. Red Squad was given special treatment at Starfleet Academy, and it bred a problematic egotism. Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise were in over their heads inStar Trek(2009) but proved they were the best of Starfleet, while Red Squad showed they were the opposite inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
