Star Trek characters are renowned for their tendency to cross over between series, whether for a brief cameo or a significant guest appearance. The new series, Starfleet Academy, continues this tradition by integrating familiar faces such as Star Trek: Discovery's Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) and Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), as well as Star Trek: Voyager's The Doctor (Robert Picardo), into its main cast. The show's fifth episode extends this even further by bringing back Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) for the first time in 27 years. Jake's return serves as a magnificent, long-awaited, and overdue tribute to his legendary father, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), with a subtle detail about the grown-up Jake striking a bittersweet emotional chord.

Cadet Sam (Kerrice Brooks), despite her outward buoyancy, grapples with her identity and preordained purpose. As the first sentient hologram to join Starfleet, her people, the Kasqians, created her to be a liaison between inorganic and organic life. Seeking guidance, Sam delves into the histories of emissaries, finding herself particularly drawn to Benjamin Sisko. Benjamin, the emissary for the Bajoran gods, vanished shortly after the Dominion War concluded. Over 800 years later, he is revered as a religious icon by the Bajorans, while Starfleet classifies his case as cold. Professor Illa Dax (Tawny Newsome), Benjamin's close friend and the guardian of Jake's unpublished book about his father, notices Sam's genuine curiosity and lends Jake's writings to her student.

Through reading Jake's insights and engaging in direct conversation with a middle-aged Jake (facilitated by advanced sci-fi technology), Sam gains both the confidence she needs and an intimate understanding of Benjamin Sisko as a multifaceted human being. He is depicted as a grieving widower, a beloved parent, a reluctant spiritual leader, an ethical officer often forced into moral conflict, and a baseball-loving man from New Orleans.

Over three decades, significant character growth can occur, and Starfleet Academy subtly suggests Jake's journey through his costume design, specifically the single gold ring he wears. Cirroc Lofton himself confirmed this adornment is Bajoran jewelry during a special episode of "The 7th Rule," the Star Trek podcast he co-hosts. Lofton explained that the inclusion of this recognizable symbol, tied to Bajor's devout faith, was part of the creative process: "Part of the creative process was creating the look for what Jake would look like. So we agreed on a Bajoran earring because maybe he would have decided to get into Bajoran studies, and pay homage to how his father has now become this big icon. So I believe he would have adopted some of that into his persona."

Unlike characters from other Star Trek series, the crew of Deep Space Nine has not been canonically explored much beyond delightful tidbits in Star Trek: Lower Decks. Starfleet Academy, through Jake and Illa, addresses some of these lingering questions and provides a stunningly tender affirmation of Avery Brooks' impact. Benjamin Sisko stands as a courageous, empathetic, exquisitely nuanced, and revolutionary genre icon, commanding Deep Space Nine's seven seasons as the franchise's first Black lead and captain. He also co-anchors one of television's single greatest parent-child relationships.

Benjamin and Jake's mature, vulnerable, and mutually nurturing dynamic breathes life into the series' emotional core. The heartbroken family enters an uncertain future side by side, drawing strength from each other and tentatively forging a new home together—a small harbor built for two. While Jake's future deeds might be inseparable from his father's legacy, Starfleet Academy does not address the mystery of Benjamin's disappearance at the expense of his beloved son.

Rather than portraying him as a surly teenager, Jake enters and exits Deep Space Nine as an evolving character on his own journey of self-discovery. He was an adolescent boy adjusting his dreams, navigating self-doubt and loneliness, and even smuggling information to the resistance during the galaxy-wide Dominion War. After a 27-year absence from our screens, Jake has flourished into a warm, wise, and content man. He has completed his book, become a parent, and now guides Sam with the same tender care his father demonstrated. His intimate connection to the Bajoran religion makes perfect sense. It is especially wonderful to see Lofton reprise his role with such intentionality, going beyond simple nostalgia bait. He was heavily involved in the episode's direction, collaborating on Jake's unseen years and the Bajoran earring, creating clothing inspired by Lofton's Ethiopian heritage, and even incorporating a sample from Brooks' spoken word album in lieu of the retired actor's own appearance. Lofton's detailed involvement is a gift that gently pays homage to the actors' lasting friendship and their characters' shared, enduring legacy.