The latest episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is being hailed as one of the best this season after paying tribute to legendary actor Avery Brooks and his Deep Space Nine character Benjamin Sisko. While Brooks didn't actually appear in the episode itself, it did feature a brief cameo from his on-screen son, Cirroc Lofton, who played Jake Sisko in the classic series.
Following the episode's premiere on Paramount+, Lofton penned a heartfelt message on social media, thanking the creators of Starfleet Academy "for honoring the legacy of Captain Benjamin Sisko."
Thank you Starfleet Academy for honoring the legacy of Captain Benjamin Sisko. Avery Brooks will always be my hero! Thank you to everyone who made this moment happen… especially Tawny Newsome❤️ This is for all the fans who have watched and loved Deep Space 9 over the years…
Lofton's appearance as Jake Sisko in Starfleet Academy is central to the storyline of Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil," which follows cadet SAM as she investigates the mystery and legacy of Captain Benjamin Sisko. Lofton appears as an adult version of Jake Sisko in hologram form and provides guidance and self-belief to SAM, who is struggling with her own role as an emissary for Kasq.
Although Brooks doesn't appear on screen as Benjamin Sisko, the episode ends with a narrative voiceover from the former Captain. According to show creators, it was actually Lofton's idea to use a recording of Brooks's voice.
"So we knew from the beginning that the best way to honor Sisko and honor Mr. Brooks himself was with his blessing and with his involvement, whatever he wanted that to be," explained series writer Tawny Newsome. "So, through Cirroc’s help, through his relationship with Mr. Brooks, it was actually Cirroc's idea to use this recording that I'll let him talk about. But we knew from jump. We were like, ‘We need him to be on board and him to know that this is a celebration and an homage to him.’"
"I just had the idea that it would be great to use this album that he recorded," added Cirroc Lofton. "He recorded this album called “Here...”, and it's a jazz album, beautiful. I listened to it on a regular basis, and I thought, ‘Can we find a way to get this in the episode?’ And so, Tawny and I got together. I handed her the CD that I had, and I said, Go…"
According to Newsome, the producers had to get Avery Brooks's permission to license the track, so they had to "sneakily" tell the retired actor how it was going to be used.
"And so there may have been a little like telling Mr. Brooks what the content of the episode was going to be," revealed Newsome. "Cirroc deserves an executive producer credit for this episode, because we had to do a lot to get it done."
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is currently streaming on Paramount+. New episodes are released weekly on Thursdays.