Star Trek Just Made Deep Space Nine’s Sisko Key To Its Entire New Series

Deep Space Nine is undoubtedly one of the best Star Trek TV shows ever made. In large part, that’s because it was also unlike anything we’d seen before; previous Star Trek shows were about boldly going where no one had gone before, but this series was centered on a space station, meaning we got to dig deep into just a handful of different races and cultures. The Bajorans, the Cardassians, and the Dominion all became iconic parts of the Star Trek tapestry, while individual characters gained so much depth from a more soap-opera style of writing.

Avery Brooks’ Benjamin Sisko played a central role. He was a sort of “audience surrogate,” a human who’d traveled into an alien sector of space and had to familiarize himself with the ways and cultures of the races he encountered. He also had a phenomenal arc of his own, transformed from mere Starfleet captain to Messianic figure, giving him something of a “Chosen One” vibe that worked incredibly well. But now, 27 years after Deep Space Nine ended, Star Trek has made Sisko important yet again.

Benjamin Sisko Plays a Key Role in Starfleet Academy

There’s a sense in which the newest Star Trek TV series, Starfleet Academy, is really a 60th anniversary celebration of the franchise’s history. The very idea of Starfleet Academy is 60 years old, after all, and the first two episodes are steeped with Star Trek Easter eggs and references – including a mural revealing the fates of characters from various shows and movies. Episode 2 also features a key quote that’s actually from Benjamin Sisko himself:

“Running may help for a little while, but sooner or later the pain catches up with you, and the only way to get rid of it is to stand your ground and face it.”

As noted by Jörg Hillebrand (a fan who also served as a researcher on Star Trek: Picard Season 3), this is from the Deep Space Nine episode “Way of the Warrior.” In context, he was speaking to Worf, who was considering resigning his commission from Starfleet at the time. It’s also an important quote in the context of Starfleet Academy, because the show’s main character Caleb Mir is himself being tempted to run away from the Academy at this point in time. Sisko’s words are echoing forward into the 32nd century, offering sage advice for this troubled student.

Deep Space Nine is Vitally Important to Starfleet Academy

The newest Star Trek series is unlike anything we’ve seen before in this franchise, aimed at young adults and with a much stronger romantic subplot. And yet, for all that’s the case, Starfleet Academy owes more to Deep Space Nine than it does to any other Trek series. It’s based in a single location too, with a focus on interpersonal dynamics rather than an “alien-of-the-week” kind of story. Starfleet Academy is best seen as a successor to Deep Space Nine, albeit thematically and stylistically very different.

That perhaps explains why the show has so many Deep Space Nine callbacks. Commander Lura Thok is half-Klingon and half-Jem’Hadar, and she’s clearly been raised to honor both warrior traditions. We’ve already headed to Bajor itself, where Chancellor Nahla Ake was running a nursery after her (temporary) departure from Starfleet. It feels as though Starfleet Academy understands the debt it owes to Deep Space Nine, and is determined to pay due respect.

This quote is the most significant homage to date, though, because there’s a sense in which it speaks to so many major characters’ arcs. Caleb isn’t the only one tempted to run away, after all; the Chancellor herself had quit Starfleet out of heartache because it had failed to live up to her ideals, and it took Caleb coming up on her radar to lead her to return. In Starfleet Academy episode 2, the entire Betazoid race had to decide whether to return to the Federation or remain in hiding, secreted away in their own sector of space behind a psychic wall.

This Sisko quote is no mere Easter egg, then. It’s essentially the main theme of Starfleet Academy; that there are times of fear or trauma where it is so tempting to retreat, and where you must instead choose to stand. No doubt all the main characters will face their own version of this at one point or another as the series continues.

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