Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode "Series Acclimation Mil." Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
Star Trek just premiered its biggest tribute to Deep Space Nine since that Lower Decks episode, and it's fitting that a former cast member of the animated comedy was responsible for it. I was thrilled to see Starfleet Academy pay homage to Benjamin Sisko and actor Avery Brooks on the 2026 TV schedule, but wondered while watching if there was a reason why the series couldn't definitively say if Sisko returned or not.
Fortunately, Tawny Newsome had an answer, as I spoke to her and actor Cirroc Lofton, who reprised his role as Jake Sisko for "Series Acclimation Mil." When I asked about the episode not giving us a "definitive ruling" on Sisko's fate after Deep Space Nine, she corrected me and said the challenge was more figuring out how to fit what the character said in DS9 into what the franchise has done so far:
Avery Brooks told us where it goes. He told us at the end of Deep Space Nine, he said, I will come back, and that was so important for us to honor. Now, because other shows have, you know, we've created, we've they've architected part of the world. There's scaffolding in place for later in the timeline, and the fact that he hasn't been mentioned creates a quandary, right? Why has no one mentioned any sightings of him? Why has no one talked about this?
The episode's message touches on the concept of faith, which is a hard concept to grasp for SAM, a photonic being who needs to prove her worth as an emissary to her homeworld of Kasq. SAM feels if she can get to the truth of what happened to Sisko and what became of him after the records stopped, she can also justify her own meaning as an emissary.
Thanks to tons of research and a surprise visit from a hologram of Jake Sisko, SAM ultimately discovers that, much like Sisko, she needs to make decisions and trust herself rather than the purpose she's tied to. In doing so, she can succeed at her primary objective for Kasq, which is to see if Photonics can re-integrate with carbon-based life forms once again on a large scale without fear of enslavement and forced servitude.
Tawny Newsome continued by sharing her big vision for the episode, which was to honor Deep Space Nine while still finding a way to point out we've had a ton of Star Trek content ignore it entirely:
So this needle we had to thread was, how can we honor what Mr. Brooks said he was gonna do, what Mr. Sisko said he was going to do? How do we honor that while also explaining the fact that we as a franchise haven't talked about him at all? And I think we did.
While other stars have either appeared or, like Scott Bakula, have discussed the possibility of returning in the new era of Star Trek, Brooks has consistently distanced himself from the franchise since completing Deep Space Nine. Cirroc Lofton confirmed to CinemaBlend that he had Brooks' blessing to take part in the episode, whilst noting it was important to get given their friendship, which has continued long after the show ended.
Brooks does not appear in the episode, but an audio clip from the actor plays at the end. While new to Star Trek, Tawny Newsome confirmed to CinemaBlend that the audio bit was from a spoken-word album he recorded many years prior. Perhaps a credit to why many consider Sisko one of Star Trek's best characters, Brooks' words always feel timeless, no matter the context.
The latest Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode was part of the reason I've praised the series so much, seeing the potential in how its young cast living centuries into the future can educate new viewers on lore that came before it. It also opens the door to longtime fans to see some of their favorite species or storylines revisited, while still creating plenty of new lore and new avenues to expand on.
Those looking to check out Star Trek: Starfleet Academy can catch new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+. This week's episode was a gem for fans new and old, so be sure to check it out.
