Starfleet Academy Episode 5 Brings Back A Major Star Trek Character After 26 Years
Contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," Season 1, Episode 5
"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" honors those who have boldly gone where no one has gone before, and it uses that history to help shape current cadets. This is especially true of Sam (an acronym for Series Acclimation Mil), played by Kerrice Brooks. Sam is a holographic Starfleet cadet who is also an emissary for her home planet, Kasq. In Season 1, Episode 5, her makers task her with attending a class about confronting the unexplainable, and that task leads to the return of a character we haven't seen in 26 years.
As Sam struggles with her identity as an emissary, she starts learning about the life of Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), a decorated Starfleet captain and the Emissary of the Prophets of Bajor. His life is well-documented in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," but there are plenty of questions that surround who he was and what exactly happened to him after a confrontation with a Pah-wraith at the Fire Caves in the series finale.
Sam's search for answers leads her to Benjamin's son, Jake Sisko, who is still played by Cirroc Lofton all these years later. He appears as she opens a book he authored, which allows this episode's plot to weave in Jake's narrative with Benjamin's. Their father-son relationship is one of the strongest ever seen in the "Star Trek" franchise, and Jake's appearance in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" offers viewers some closure.
Jake Sisko's Starfleet Academy appearance sheds some light on his relationship with his father
While Benjamin and Jake Sisko share a strong bond, they don't always see eye to eye. This is highlighted by Jake's decision to become a writer rather than join Starfleet. Benjamin isn't exactly thrilled by this, but he eventually comes around to the idea. Likewise, Jake isn't always a fan of his father's job, but "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" confirms what we always knew in regards to how Jake really feels about his father's role.
Sam encounters a holographic version of Jake at the Benjamin Sisko Museum, and they reunite as Sam opens his book "Anslem," which is the Bajoran word for father. He questions his father's role as an emissary, but he also comes to the realization that this role was a part of who he was, much like how writing is a part of who Jake is. At times it seemed like he was putting the prophets ahead of Jake, but he points out that Benjamin wasn't afraid to exercise free will, especially when it came to safeguarding his family.
It's a watershed moment for a son who felt abandoned after the prophets called him home following the fight at the Fire Caves. Benjamin does tell his wife that they will see him again in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," but the older Jake appearing in "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" makes no reference to a reappearance, even in dreams. It's tough for fans who want to see Benjamin miraculously appear, but it's also a touching moment for Jake who proves how much he respected his father's work, even using his writing to share that legacy.