Star Trek: 10 Most Shocking Returns
7. Jake Sisko (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy may remain a painful title for some of us to hear in 2026. A show that debuted, aired one season, and was announced to be ending with its upcoming second season was more than disheartening; it was upsetting. Whether it was everyone's favourite iteration of the franchise or not, it was already making strides to bring all previous Star Treks into the same sphere.
We have discussed the now infamous Wall Of Heroes several times on TrekCulture, including breaking down every name. While these inclusions were a treat for long-term fans of Star Trek, actually seeing Cirroc Lofton standing in the same space as Kerrice Brooks took things to a new level.
Jake Sisko's last on-screen appearance was in 1999, closing out What You Leave Behind alongside Nana Visitor's Colonel Kira Nerys. Almost thirty years had passed before SAM calls up the holographic recording from the Sisko Museum in Series Acclimation Mil. Had there been only a single scene featuring Jake, we, the audience, would probably have been satisfied, yet the episode decided to take things one step further.
While the exact logic of the second scene is up for debate, watching Jake and SAM interact over the copy of Anslem was beautifully written, acted, and directed. They bond over the Prophets, over Jake losing his father at such a young age, and about the struggles of being an emissary alone.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has always been this writer's favourite version of Star Trek, even if the viewing figures had never quite reached The Next Generation's levels. Seeing it receive such a respectful honour, featuring the perfect character to do so, was an easy highlight of this sadly truncated show.