If you've seen Starfleet Academy season 1 Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil," and you're a fan of a certain classic-era Star Trek show, then you probably had a few moments where your heart sang with joy. If you haven't seen the episode, and you're among the cautious droves keeping one eye on the show in case it "gets good," it got good a while ago. Still, this particular episode will excite long-serving Star Trek fans.
Starfleet Academy was immediately packed with Star Trek Easter eggs. Although the show slowed down with these references after the double-episode premiere, they've still been present throughout the show's run so far. As one of the projects airing to celebrate the franchise's 60th anniversary this year, this level of fan service is understandable. However, Episode 5 takes things to a whole new level in this respect.
FULL spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1, Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil"
Cirroc Lofton's return as Jake Sisko is a huge moment for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans
"Series Acclimation Mil" makes no secret of the fact that it's a stealth Deep Space Nine sequel. Centuries after the disappearance of Avery Brooks' Captain Benjamin Sisko, Kerrice Brooks — who is not related to Avery — takes on the challenge of trying to figure out what happened to the Starfleet legend. Although she predictably fails in this task, she does come across a hologram of the captain's late son, Jake. Played by Cirroc Lofton throughout DS9, Jake was a very important character in the classic-era Star Trek show.
Although he has appeared in a handful of Star Trek fan films since DS9 ended in 1999, Lofton's return to play Jake in Starfleet Academy is the first official instance of him doing so in almost 30 years. Because the Paramount+ show is set in the 32nd century, Jake is long gone by the time of SAM's investigation. Still, finding out via a photonic recording of Lofton's character what his life was like after DS9 is a really big twist. Hearing about how he has processed the loss of his father is both heartbreaking and enlightening.
A Starfleet Academy cameo from Captain Sisko himself is what Star Trek fans really wanted
Star Trek's modern shows have not neglected characters and storylines from the franchise's classic era, but Deep Space Nine remains one of the lesser-referenced projects in recent years. "Series Acclimation Mil" fixes all that by being incredibly DS9-centric. Although it's really cool to see Jake back on the small screen after so long, he's still playing second fiddle to his absent father in Starfleet Academy.
Even the unexpected return of the Dax Trill symbiant was mega cool, but it still felt like this comeback was included to fill the gaping hole that would only have been filled by Captain Sisko. Avery Brooks' retirement from acting shortly after Deep Space Nine is likely a big factor in his absence from "Series Acclimation Mil," but the perfect ending to his character's arc is probably the biggest reason why he didn't show up. Why mess with such a well-written exit?
Captain Sisko's absence from Starfleet Academy reinforces what we already knew
As mentioned above, a number of reasons combine to explain why Avery Brooks didn't reprise his Star Trek role in Starfleet Academy. Any kind of character comeback in the modern era is often described as nostaglia-driven fan service, but that can be seen as a good thing if the storyline that accommodates their return is worthwhile. For Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard, for example, it made sense that we would see him again in Star Trek: Picard.
For Sisko, there has been no reasonable explanation for him to return. For him to do so would almost definitely harm the character's final scenes in Deep Space Nine. If an episode were ever going to provide a perfect opening for his comeback, it was "Series Acclimation Mil," and its 60-minute run time expired without it ever happening. Out of respect, his face didn't even appear on-screen. So, if this purpose-built Starfleet Academy installment decided not to make it happen, I think it's safe to say that the demand for Sisko's Star Trek comeback will always remain unfulfilled.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season 1 will end on Paramount+ when the finale premieres on March 12, 2026.