2. Jake Sisko
Jake Sisko's involvement may not be as big as his father's, but it may have greater emotional weight on the screen. SAM meets him in the Sisko Museum through a holographic interface. Cirroc Lofton returns to play Jake for the first time since DS9 ended, making his appearance feel like a real continuation of the character instead than just a cameo.
Later, when SAM reads from Jake's unpublished book, Anslem, she imagines him again, using his words to process both his grief and his growth after Benjamin's disappearance.
This is where Jake's execution shines: we now have confirmation that he built a successful life despite, and in some ways because of, his father's disappearance. This gives him closure that DS9 never provided. His amazing and fascinating scenes drive home the episode's themes of memory, legacy, and how newer generations carry on their parents' stories.
There was more buzz over the Sisko mystery than Jake's return, so it's a surprise for DS9 fans to see Lofton as an older, wiser Jake. Jake's appearance evokes DS9's heartfelt father–son bond in “The Visitor.”