The upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series has been filming since August and we have had several announcements related to the cast, but there is one more before we wrap up the year. The latest to join is Rebecca Quin, well known to fans of professional wresting as world champion Becky Lynch.
The Academy adds a champion
Today Irish-American wrestler and actress Rebecca Quin announced she had joined the cast of Starfleet Academy in a post on social media, also shared by the Paramount+ account with the message “Welcome to Starfleet Academy.” She introduced her announcement saying, “when you are already champion of the world, there is only one place to go next and that’s to the stars.” Watch announcement below…
View this post on Instagram
Smackdown on the bridge
Quin even offered a little detail on her role saying she plays “part of the bridge crew,” along with the caption ” not your average Starfleet officer.” The titular Starfleet Academy is the focus of the show, with the Academy itself built on the largest stage in North America at Pinewood Studios in Toronto. The new show is set at the reopened academy in San Francisco on Earth in the 32nd century. However it has previously been confirmed that the show will also feature starships with new designs being developed for the series. It is also noteworthy that series star Holly Hunter is officially described as the “captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy.” So, it’s quite possible we will be seeing Hunter in the captains chair like a traditional Star Trek show. And it appears that Quin’s character will be there too. It’s unknown if Quin will be playing an alien but she would be a good fit for the security officer, in case any heels come on board need to be dealt with.
Quin joins an extensive cast led by Oscar-winner Holly Hunter. Oscar-nominee Paul Giamatti plays the main villain for the first season in a recurring role and Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany also has an unnamed recurring role. There are several legacy Trek actors in the cast including Voyager’s Robert Picardo as well as Discovery stars reprising their roles: Tig Notaro (Jett Reno), Oded Fehr (Admiral Vance) and Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly). They are all joined by the young actors playing cadets: Sandro Rosta, Kerrice Brooks, Bella Shepard, George Hawkins, Karim Diané and Zoë Steiner.
Academy cast and producers at Star Trek Stage at Pinewood Studios (Paramount+)
“The Man” joins Starfleet
Quin, born in Ireland in 1987, has an extensive career in professional wrestling as “Becky Lynch” for over two decades, taking on the nickname “The Man” in 2018. Her first WWE championship came in 2016 and she has held that and other championship titles several times since. Sports Illustrated ranked her as the Woman’s Wrestler of the Year in both 2018 and 2019 and just last month SI ranked her as the 20th Greatest WWE Wrestler of All Time. She is the first WWE wrestler to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine (in 2019) and in 2020 she was ranked as the highest paid woman wrestler by Forbes. She has continued wrestling including participating in WrestleMania XL in April of this year (see photo below). Also this year she released the NYT best-selling autobiography Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl.
Starfleet Academy will not be Quin’s first time acting. Her first role was in the 2018 film The Marine 6: Close Quarters. She played herself in an episode of the Showtime drama Billions (see below). And last year she played Cyndi Lauper in an episode of the NBC sitcom Young Rock, a show about wrestler and box office star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who got his acting career started on Star Trek: Voyager.
Production on the first season of Starfleet Academy is expected to continue into early 2025. Paramount has not yet set a release date but co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman has indicated it may not arrive until 2026.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com.
Not familiar with her work at all. It’s hard to comment at this stage about the show as well because we just don’t have a lot of info about the actual plot. We know only of some of the talent and they seem capable. Ultimately it will be the storylines that keep people coming back for more though.
Curiouser& Curiouser.
To put it simply you need two things to become the star she is in the WWE- wrestling talent and acting skills. She’s one of the few on the roster I’m 100% sure can slot straight into a regular acting gig, she’s flawless in her execution of promos and interviews (which are mostly all scripted these days).
I’m glad to see at least the acknowledgment that wrestling is just a soap opera, not a sport. Downtown Abbey in tights for bros. I doubt the Venn diagram of Star Trek fans to WWE is a massive crossover… : |
Hopefully she’s not as batty as Gina from Star Wars and scuttles an entire series (though, to be fair, Disney had a hand in that also; they could have just let it go)
It is a sport.
It isn’t, since it’s scripted and not a real competition. It’s acting and it requires athleticism, but is most definitely not a sport.
The athleticism is real, the sport is not. It’s a live action stunt performance with a plot. It’s damned impressive, genuinely dangerous, but the wins and losses have more to do with ratings than merit.
Most wrestling fans these days (myself included) have no problem admitting that wrestling is fake in regard to who wins, loses, and how much of the injuries or beatings are real. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, those would be fighting words (literally), but the fact that it’s scripted is widely accepted by the base. But, there’s no question it takes skill and they do put a lot of wear and tear on their bodies. I wouldn’t say it’s a sport in regard to the competition side of it, but almost everyone on the roster are still athletes in my book. Average people can’t do half of what they do – and then there’s the acting element on top of all that.
Uh… wut?
Don’t worry, she’s got legitimate acting chops. Wrestling is a choreographed stage show, and the best wrestlers aren’t just the best athletes, they’re the best performers, and she’s excellent.
It worked for Dwayne Johnson so….
But he needed work (as evidenced by Voyager and several of his early exploits) because heading to Hollywood wasn’t a given back then. But now, they all know it’s a possibility. The more apt comparison would be Dave Bautista.
Dave’s a perfect example. His appearances in Blade Runner and Glass Onion are super impressive. He’s also great in Dune and Guardians but those were roles made for The Animal, so it’s not quite as good an example of his acting chops. :)
I’m willing to give her a chance, of course. I just hope she’s a better actor than Gina Carano, who is terrible.
This is amazing news! Becky Lynch is joining the show!!!! I think people will be extra excited now.
I just have one question, who is Becky Lynch? She’s a wrestler you moron. Well I’m glad she’s coming aboard! Welcome to the Trek family! :)
Doesn’t Trek have a tradition of this?
Didn’t The Rock take on Seven in Voyager?
Um yeah. I just didn’t know who she was because I don’t watch wrestling. She’s probably famous if you are a fan.
Come to think of it I don’t think I knew who the Rock was at the time either but I probably heard the name at least.
Star Trek: Voyager: Season 6, Episode 15 “Tsunkatse”
No I’m talking about back then! I know the episode but I wasn’t familiar with the Rock at the time when it aired. I just remembered hearing his name.
I think it was probably relatively early in his career and before he fully went into Hollywood.
Ok, so, I was already writing a spec script that specified that “The Rock” was going to be president of the United States when that Voyager episode came out. That’s how long ago I knew! :)
I wasn’t even a real wrestling fan, I just knew he was pretty awesome.
Early in his acting career, yes. In WWE, he was already a star and top of the company. “Tsunkatse” first aired in 2000. I had already graduated high school, and in high school, every kid knew “what the rock was cooking”.
There have been four professional wrestlers who have been guests on Star Trek (though I don’t know that they were all “active” at the time,)
I wouldn’t really call it a tradition but there is certainly precidence.
The first ever transition I can remember from wrestling to hollywood was Hulk Hogan.
I haven’t watched wrrrrestling since I was 12. I’ll take your word for it.
Descendant of the most important person in Starfleet history…..Miles O’Brien
Well, she’s got the Vulcan salute down pat.
Incoming posts from the approximately 16 individuals who regularly contribute to this forum expressing their concerns that the new Star Trek series is adversely affecting their childhood memories.
can we close down one particular hailing frequency?
she’s gonna be a klingon thats my prediction