Avery Brooks’ unseen presence in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy didn’t stop at a single voice cameo; it extended to a quiet, emotional moment where he personally “handed the reins” to the new DS9 torchbearer Kerrice Brooks.
In an Instagram post, co-writer Tawny Newsome makes it clear that bringing back Benjamin Sisko in Starfleet Academy’s DS9 tribute episode only happened with Avery Brooks’ direct blessing. She wrote:
"Avery Brooks didn’t just lend his voice. The minute we started down this path, we knew we couldn’t do it without Avery’s blessing. Cirroc [Lofton] kept him in the loop throughout the process to make sure he was happy with every step of this tribute. It wouldn’t have been right to do it otherwise. We all may have broken our NDA but I’d absolutely f*****g do it again (allegedly, and/or this is satire, etc)."
Newsome even joked about everyone involved who "may have broken" their non-disclosure agreement to make it happen, which underscores how determined the team was to get Sisko’s return right for both Brooks and the fans. Newsome continued by writing:
"Second to last slide is Kerrice on the phone with Mr. Brooks. He called Cirroc one night after we wrapped and asked to speak to us. There’s too much to say about that call. But what I can tell you is Mr. Brooks is forever the best father figure in the galaxy. He congratulated us, encouraged us, and handed Kerrice the reins."
Newsome didn't share every detail of that conversation, but she did reveal the emotional core of it. That single line, “handed Kerrice the reins,” is the kind of quiet passing of the torch DS9 fans have been hoping to see as the franchise moves into a new era.
In Starfleet Academy, Brooks’ legacy is carried by Cirroc Lofton’s Jake Sisko on screen and by Kerrice Brooks’ SAM, a new emissary figure wrestling with faith, grief, and destiny in ways that echo Sisko’s own journey.
By sharing that this blessing happened off-camera, Newsome reassures longtime DS9 viewers that this tribute isn’t just a writers’ room idea or a nostalgia play; it’s something that Brooks himself saw, approved, and actively encouraged. In other words, the man who defined Sisko didn’t just return as a voice at the end of an episode.
He also showed up as the franchise’s guiding father figure, personally welcoming the next generation into the story and, in Newsome’s words, handing them the reins.
Have you seen Starfleet Academy's tribute to Deep Space Nine and Avery Brooks? Share your thoughts and comments with us about the episode on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is now streaming on Paramount+.