Published Feb 9, 2026, 6:01 AM EST
John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 4,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises.
Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 5 - "Series Acclimation Mil"Cirroc Lofton played Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy for the first time since 1999, and it was a moment that just wasn't possible the first time an adult Jake Sisko was seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Written by Kirsten Beyer and Tawny Newsome, and directed by Larry Teng, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 was a loving tribute to the legacy of Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko.
Jake Sisko played a pivotal role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5. Appearing before Series Acclimation Mil (Kerrice Brooks), Jake explained his truth about Captain Sisko as a man and as the Emissary of the Prophets of Bajor. Speaking for his father, Jake gave SAM the assurance she needed that she is enough for her own mission as the Emissary of her people, the Kasqians.
Cirroc Lofton's comeback as Jake Sisko was long desired by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans, and by the actor himself. Lofton was in impeccable form playing a 53-year-old Jake Sisko from 2408. Cirroc reprising Jake was worth the 27-year wait after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended, and it was something that couldn't have happened when an adult Jake Sisko first appeared on DS9 31 years ago.
Tony Todd Played Older Jake Sisko In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “The Visitor”
Tony Todd portrayed the older Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4's classic episode, "The Visitor." When Captain Sisko is believed dead, Jake discovers his father is trapped in subspace. Altering the trajectory of his life, Jake spent the next fifty years attempting to rescue his dad, ultimately succeeding by sacrificing his own life.
Melanie, the young student who seeks out Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Visitor, was played by Rachel Robinson, the daughter of Garak actor Andrew Robinson.
Cirroc Lofton was 17 when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Visitor" was produced in 1995. No amount of prosthetics or CGI enhancement would have made the boyish Cirroc convincing as an adult Jake, never mind an elderly Jake in his 70s. The late Tony Todd, who also played Worf's (Michael Dorn) brother Kurn, did a heroic job playing the adult Jake opposite Avery Brooks' Captain Sisko.
Still, one wonders how much more powerful "The Visitor" might have been had Cirroc Lofton been able to portray Jake as an adult, especially given Lofton's real-life father-son relationship with Avery Brooks. Cirroc's bond with Mr. Brooks was a crucial component in making Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5.
Seeing Cirroc Lofton as adult Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 shows how Benjamin's son has matured into a wise and compassionate man who heartwarmingly resembles his father, Captain Sisko, in ways Tony Todd simply could not. Lofton as adult Jake Sisko tacitly answers the 'What If Cirroc played adult Jake in "The Visitor"?' question that has lingered since 1995.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Was The Right Project For Cirroc Lofton’s Jake Sisko Comeback
Cirroc Lofton's comeback as Jake Sisko was worth waiting 27 years for, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy was the right project for his return. With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine superfan Tawny Newsome co-writing the episode, and advocating for its DS9 tribute to be done properly and respectfully as a co-producer, the circumstances for Cirroc to reprise Jake were ideal.
Every time a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character like Nana Visitor's Colonel Kira Nerys, Armin Shimerman as Quark, and Alexander Siddig as an alternate timeline Dr. Julian Bashir returned in Star Trek: Lower Decks, DS9 fans rejoiced. Yet DS9 loyalists also wondered when Cirroc Lofton would play Jake Sisko again. So did Lofton, who was asked this question constantly at Star Trek conventions and on his own podcast, The 7th Rule.
Had the opportunity arisen for Cirroc Lofton to voice an animated Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Lower Decks or Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans would have celebrated. Lofton's comeback as Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy becomes even more special, not only because the episode was a tribute to Captain Sisko, but because Cirroc becomes the first original DS9 actor to return in live-action.
Michael Dorn returned as Worf in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but the Klingon is more closely associated with Star Trek: The Next Generation than for his four seasons on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy brings Cirroc Lofton's version of adult Jake Sisko into official Star Trek canon. Lofton's definitive comeback as Jake Sisko fulfills a wish that has lasted not only for 27 years, but also offers a glimpse of what it would have been like if Cirroc had been able to play the adult Jake in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Visitor."
English (US) ·