Starfleet Academy just pulled off the kind of deep-cut, emotional move that only Star Trek can: it closed out its fifth episode, “Series Acclimation Mil," not with recycled DS9 audio, but with a private, decades-old Avery Brooks recording that turned Benjamin Sisko’s “cameo” into something intimate and deliberately mythic. Co-writer Tawny Newsome explained Sisko's brief dialogue at the end of the episode in an interview with TrekMovie.com. She said:
"It is not from Deep Space Nine. That is a private recording that belonged to Mr. Brooks [from his self-published 2006 spoken word album Here], that he very graciously allowed us to use. 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."
Newsome continued by saying:
"[Newsome starts to tear up a little] 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."
That one quote from Newsome’s interview unlocks the whole story behind Sisko’s “return” to Starfleet Academy. The “Series Acclimation Mil” episode has already been framed by the creatives as a love letter to Deep Space Nine, with SAM’s journey to understand the Emissary paralleling Sisko’s own path and culminating in a moment that feels like he’s speaking from the Celestial Temple itself.
Cirroc Lofton’s involvement in securing and suggesting the track from Brooks’ album Here is another layer of meta-text: Jake Sisko once again becomes the bridge between his father and the audience, both in-story and in real life.
From a fan perspective, this is exactly the kind of compromise that respects both Avery Brooks and DS9’s ending. Using an existing, personal recording, only with his explicit permission, honors his boundaries while still letting Sisko’s voice canonically reach into the 32nd century.
It also undercuts the more cynical takes that Starfleet Academy “lifted” his performance without involvement; the creative team clearly bent over backwards to make sure this felt like collaboration, not exploitation, and you can feel that care in the way the moment plays.
For DS9 fans who have spent over 25 years living with the series finale, “What You Leave Behind,” this isn’t just a nostalgia jolt; it’s a rare, genuine acknowledgment that Sisko’s story, and Brooks’ legacy, still matter enough for people to move heaven and earth to get them right.
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