Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil," surprised me by how heavily it used Deep Space Nine as the foundation on which it built its story. While there have been a few references to the classic-era show in recent years, it's largely one of the more neglected projects within the franchise. As it turns out, Star Trek was waiting until now to make one massive homage to Deep Space Nine.
With five more episodes still to go after "Series Acclimation Mil," Episode 5 marks the halfway point of season 1. Other than Episode 3, "Vitus Reflux," which was thoroughly underwhelming, I've been pleasantly surprised by how good Starfleet Academy has been so far. Although Episode 5 struggles to live up to its immediate predecessor, it does boast several moments that honor Star Trek's past while also looking to the future. That said, the elements that directly acknowledge Deep Space Nine are far superior.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil"
Making SAM the episode's main character didn't always work
Kerrice Brooks' Starfleet Academy character was interesting from the very beginning, although I've never been able to fully tell if the character is supposed to be as annoying as she comes across. The concept of her being an emissary from the photonic society on Kasq in an attempt to find out more about organic life is really interesting, and I loved learning more about this part of her story. Seeing the Kasqians exist as beings of pure photonic energy wasn't something I expected, but it was logical. After all, why would the Kasqians want to look like the beings that essentially treated them as slaves for centuries?
On the other hand, using SAM's emmisary status to frame her as a Starfleet Academy equivalent of Avery Brooks' (no relation) Deep Space Nine character, Captain Benjamin Sisko, was a little bit misguided. Learning more about SAM was interesting; doing so via such an iconic Star Trek storyline was weird. While I've mostly moved past being annoyed by SAM, I found myself back to wishing her scenes away when she was "drunk" during the bar scenes. Dressing those sequences up as research into Sisko's life was, to put it mildly, a stretch.
The B-story in "Series Acclimation Mil" wasn't up to scratch
I'm not one of the haters of Holly Hunter's Captain Ake. I think she's compelling, and a great spin on how a Starfleet captain could come across in Star Trek's 32nd century. That said, her arc with War College Chancellor Zeeren Kelrec (Raoul Bhaneja) felt like little more than a fluff piece in context. While Episode 5's primary plot was exploring one of the biggest mysteries in Star Trek history, Hunter's character was relegated to a storyline that meant almost nothing by comparison. It would have worked in other episodes, and it may pay off as season 1 progresses, but it felt like bad filler in "Series Acclimation Mil."
What makes this failure even more frustrating is how well Starfleet Academy generally fuses the old with the new. The scenes with Captain Ake feel far more akin to classic Star Trek shows, whereas the cadet-centric moments tend to be when Starfleet Academy flexes its originality to a new audience. Maybe because SAM's search for Sisko was already a blend of these two elements, the writers didn't know what to do with Captain Ake and company. If so, this lack of direction really showed.
Starfleet Academy's Deep Space Nine tribute episode was largely handled well
Captain Sisko's ending in Deep Space Nine is largely accepted as one of the most satisfying conclusions to a Star Trek character arc. That said, certain elements of it are still hotly debated among Trekkies, due to the relative ambiguity of what actually happened to him. Brooks' retirement from acting shortly after Deep Space Nine ended has contributed to the lack of his return to the role, as well as the lack of need for him to do so. When "Series Acclimation Mil" started teasing a hard answer to the mystery of Sisko's fate, I must admit I was pretty worried.
Thankfully, Starfleet Academy offers no solid answers in this respect, but Episode 5 does allow Star Trek to celebrate Sisko's beloved character and other elements of the show in which he starred. The unexpected return of Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko, Captain Sisko's son, was a huge highlight in this respect. Similarly, Tawny Newsome's newest host of the Dax Trill symbiont is an inspired way for the legend of Captain Sisko to live on in the 32nd century.
As mentioned earlier, the only real weak link in this Deep Space Nine homage was using SAM so heavily as a present-day counterpart to Captain Sisko. She is a fun character in her own right, but comparing her so solidly to Sisko sets her up for failure and him up to be improperly represented. It's tough to say exactly how else Star Trek: Starfleet Academy could have pulled this episode off, but maybe even delaying the general importance of SAM until a later episode would have offered huge advantages.
Episode Rating: B-
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 is streaming now on Paramount+. The finale will drop on March 12, 2026.