Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's emotionally-loaded Deep Space Nine tribute episode lacked a physical apperance from Avery Brooks' Captain Benjamin Sisko. That said, the installment does end with a voice recording from the man himself. It didn't particularly fire off any recognition circuits in my brain, but I didn't immediately discount the possibility that the monologue was simply remastered audio taken from Deep Space Nine to add an especially unexpected moment as the episode drew to a close.
That said, I've heard classic-era Star Trek audio used in the modern era plenty of times, and it never sounds quite as high-fidelity as Brooks' speech did at the end of Starfleet Academy's "Series Acclimation Mil." After doing some digging, I discovered the true origin of the beloved actor's heartfelt comeback.
Where Avery Brooks' Starfleet Academy speech comes from
No, don't worry, your memory isn't playing tricks on you. If you've seen Deep Space Nine countless times and still can't figure out where Brooks' monologue comes from at the end of "Series Acclimation Mil," you can keep your Top Fan badge. It's not even unused audio from the show. It's something entirely different.
"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."Avery Brooks in Starfleet Academy
As reported by Redshirts Always Die, Starfleet Academy co-showrunner Noga Landau confirmed the origin of the recording. "With Avery's very generous permission, we were able to use a piece of spoken-word poetry that he recorded himself." Landau made it clear that the recording was not made specifically for Starfleet Academy, but was instead already part of Brooks' body of work. The co-showrunner actually leaked the presence of this recording in January 2026, before the episode aired.
So, was that Avery Brooks or Captain Sisko?
Sisko is easily Brooks' seminal role, so it's impossible not to hear him speak and have the Starfleet legend come to mind. However, because his Starfleet Academy speech wasn't performed with its ultimate purpose in mind, it's hard to really argue that it's definitely Sisko speaking at the end of "Series Acclimation Mil." The Paramount+ subtitles credit the dialogue to Sisko, but I'm not so sure.
Granted, the poem does seem especially poignant to the arc of Brooks' character, especially the religion-inspired, intentionally ambiguous ending that Sisko enjoyed.
Still, I think it's oddly fitting that a character whose fate has caused such debate through the years has arguably returned to start a similar argument. Personally, I'm fine believing that it is Sisko, somehow cryptically communicating with Trekkies from wherever he ended up after Deep Space Nine. I'm also okay with just accepting that Brooks will never fully reprise his Star Trek role, and that his Starfleet Academy speech was a creative way for the beloved actor to get this point across as kindly as possible.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are streaming now on Paramount+