The fifth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy serves as a powerful tribute to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, providing emotional resolution for a major character’s story while focusing on a new cadet’s personal journey. Titled “Series Acclimation Mil”, the episode centers on the holographic cadet Sam as she investigates the legendary fate of Captain Benjamin Sisko, a story that has been a mystery since Deep Space Nine ended in 1999. The episode, which premiered on February 5, 2026, skillfully connects the past and present of the Star Trek universe.
The episode delivers a heartfelt homage that includes the return of original cast members, new insights from behind the scenes, and a final, poignant message from the actor who brought Captain Sisko to life. It uses the franchise’s rich history not just for nostalgia, but to drive the growth of its newest character.
How the Episode Honors Captain Sisko and Deep Space Nine
The core of the episode follows Cadet Sam, who is pressured by her creators to enroll in a class called “Confronting the Unexplainable” to better understand organic lifeforms. Her investigation leads her to the enduring mystery of Captain Benjamin Sisko’s fate. Sisko, the commanding officer of Deep Space Nine, disappeared in the show’s 1999 series finale, “What You Leave Behind”, after defeating his enemy Gul Dukat in the Fire Caves of Bajor. He joined the non-linear beings known as the Prophets in the Celestial Temple, promising his wife he would return one day but never specifying when.
“Series Acclimation Mil” explores this legacy. Sam visits a virtual Benjamin Sisko Museum, where she sees artifacts like his baseball, his Niners cap, and a Willie Mays baseball card. She learns about him not just as the Emissary of the Bajoran Prophets, but as a father, a husband, a chef, and a man who loved baseball. The episode deliberately does not provide a concrete answer to what happened to Sisko after his disappearance, respecting the ambiguity of the original finale. Instead, it focuses on the powerful legacy he left behind.
Major Cameos and Returns from Deep Space Nine
The episode features significant returns from the Deep Space Nine cast, the first for some in live-action since the series ended 27 years ago.
The most prominent return is Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko, Benjamin Sisko’s son. Lofton appears as a holographic recording and in a vision, offering Sam guidance about his father. He shares that the lessons he learned from his dad about family and integrity helped him when he became a father himself. According to writers, Lofton was instrumental behind the scenes, acting as a liaison to Avery Brooks and contributing ideas that earned him what one writer called “an unofficial producer credit”.
Another key connection is the introduction of Professor Illa Dax, played by episode co-writer Tawny Newsome. The character is the 32nd-century host of the Dax symbiont, a Trill joined entity that was once the mentor and close friend of Benjamin Sisko (as the host Jadzia Dax) on Deep Space Nine. This makes the Dax symbiont over 1,200 years old, one of the oldest known in Trill history. Her reveal to Sam is a major moment, directly linking the new academy to Sisko’s past.
The most emotional moment comes at the episode’s end with a voiceover from Avery Brooks himself. The audio is not a new recording or an AI creation, but a clip from Brooks’ 2006 jazz and spoken word album, Here. The producers, with help from Cirroc Lofton, reached out to the retired actor for his blessing to use the recording. The selected clip features Brooks saying:
“Divine laws are simpler than human ones, which is why it takes a lifetime to be able to understand them; only love can understand them. Only love can interpret these words as they were meant to be interpreted.”
The episode concludes with a title card that reads, “Thank you, Avery”. This tribute confirms that while Brooks has retired from acting and will not reprise the role of Sisko on screen, his legacy is honored with deep respect.
Cadet Sam’s Journey and the Episode’s Modern Style
While steeped in Deep Space Nine lore, the episode is fundamentally about Cadet Sam’s coming-of-age story. Sam is a photonic being, a hologram created by the people of Kasq to serve as an emissary and study organic life. Her makers demand she uncover the “secret” of organic experience, believing Sisko’s life holds the key.
The episode is presented from Sam’s unique perspective, using a vibrant, youthful style. It features onscreen graphics, text bubbles, and moments where Sam breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. This stylistic choice reflects her character and makes her journey of self-discovery the central focus.
Her investigation leads her to relatable college experiences, including a trip to a cadet bar. With help from her friend Caleb, she modifies her program to consume alcohol, leading to a humorous and chaotic sequence of her getting drunk for the first time. Through these experiences and her research into Sisko, she learns a crucial lesson: she must define her own destiny, just as Sisko did.
She ultimately tells her creators she will report on organic life when she is ready, asserting her independence. The episode frames her final narrated message as a report addressed directly to Benjamin Sisko, thanking him for showing her how to be an emissary in her own way.
Why This Episode Matters to Deep Space Nine Fans
For many years, fans of Deep Space Nine felt the series and its iconic captain did not receive the same level of recognition in modern Star Trek as The Next Generation or Voyager. Co-writer Tawny Newsome has stated she was “frothing at the mouth” about ensuring this episode corrected that oversight and served as a proper homage.
The episode also thoughtfully addresses a point of discussion among fans regarding the 1999 finale. In “What You Leave Behind,” Sisko leaves behind his son Jake and his pregnant wife, Kasidy. Actor Avery Brooks, at the time, requested a line be added assuring that Sisko would return someday, wanting to avoid a trope of a Black father abandoning his family. This new episode honors that intention. Jake Sisko tells Sam that while he cannot prove it scientifically, he believes his father was present for all the important moments he missed. It reaffirms Sisko’s legacy as a devoted family man.
The episode is filled with deep-cut references for dedicated fans. The cadet bar Sam visits is the same one where a young Ben Sisko once got into a fight with a Vulcan. The episode features a reading from a Bajoran children’s book about Sisko and even mentions Anslem, the novel Jake was writing in the classic Deep Space Nine episode “The Visitor”. The end credits roll to the full theme music from the early seasons of Deep Space Nine, a rare and moving callback.
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