Despite how you may feel about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as a whole, the latest episode featured a touching storyline that long-time fans of Deep Space Nine will surely appreciate. Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil," follows holographic student Sam, an Emissary for Kasq, on a journey of self-discovery that also explores one of Star Trek's deeper mysteries: what happened to Captain Benjamin Sisko after the events of Deep Space Nine.
Sam takes it upon herself to investigate the fate of Sisko, who is technically listed by Starfleet as Missing in Action since his body was never discovered during the mission on Bajor. The episode, according to executive producer Noga Landau, is a love letter to Deep Space Nine and retired actor Avery Brooks, who played the beloved Captain Sisko.
Although Brooks doesn't actually make a physical appearance as Captain Benjamin Sisko in Starfleet Academy, the final moments of the episode feature a beautiful voiceover cameo from the legendary actor. Following her heartwarming moment with Cirroc Lofton's Jake Sisko, the episode ends with the following line spoken by Avery Brooks's Benjamin Sisko:
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.
While the Starfleet Academy episode doesn't fully resolve Sisko's ambiguous fate, it does at least acknowledge the mystery and honor his legacy, celebrate his leadership, and reinforce his status as an Emissary. So how did Starfleet Academy pull off this surprise voiceover cameo?
As it turns out, Avery Brooks did not actually return to record the lines for Starfleet Academy, nor were the lines created using AI. Rather, the line is an excerpt pulled from Brooks's spoken word album, Here.
"That is a private recording that belonged to Mr. Brooks that he very graciously allowed us to use," explained series writer Tawny Newsome (via Trek Movie). "And I still get chills thinking about how it came to be, because I was very anxious asking him for anything. Because this man has given so much of his artistry, his life and himself to this franchise. And I was very conscious of not wanting to ask him for another thing. But we needed some sign at the end that he had heard [SAM]. And he very graciously allowed us to have this. And then the full force of thanks to the studio, to Noga and Alex, Aaron Baiers, they all moved heaven and earth to make it happen. I couldn’t be more grateful."
In a separate interview with Screen Rant, executive producer Noga Landau explained how Cirroc Lofton also played a pivotal role in securing Brooks's approval. In fact, it was Lofton's idea to use a recording of Brooks's voice.
"So we knew from the beginning that the best way to honor Sisko and honor Mr. Brooks himself was with his blessing and with his involvement, whatever he wanted that to be," said Newsome. "So, through Cirroc’s help, through his relationship with Mr. Brooks, it was actually Cirroc's idea to use this recording that I'll let him talk about. But we knew from jump. We were like, ‘We need him to be on board and him to know that this is a celebration and an homage to him.’"
Cirroc Lofton explained: "I just had the idea that it would be great to use this album that he recorded. He recorded this album called “Here...”, and it's a jazz album, beautiful. I listened to it on a regular basis, and I thought, ‘Can we find a way to get this in the episode?’ And so, Tawny and I got together. I handed her the CD that I had, and I said, Go…"
Newsome added that Cirroc deserves an executive producer credit for the episode "because we had to do a lot to get it done."
If you're a fan of Deep Space Nine and haven't yet seen the episode, I definitely suggest checking it out. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is currently streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes released weekly on Thursdays.