Spoilers Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 1x05 – “Series Acclimation Mil”

[Detached Nacelle]

I think it's a testament to the casting that he actually looks believably like Avery Brooks' son as he's gotten older.

(Oh I've just becomes a commodore)

 

[eschaton]

I think it's a testament to the casting that he actually looks believably like Avery Brooks' son as he's gotten older.

(Oh I've just becomes a commodore)

Yep. Lofton looks eerily like Brooks, though converging on the bald head with facisl hair helps. Honestly, even bulking up, because Sisko was hardly skinny by the later seasons.

Jake still sounds like Jake, of course. Which is important, as this story is about his voice, as much as Ben's legacy.

 

[Rahul]

I find the praise here for Cirroc Lofton's Jake and Tawny Newsome's Dax acting a little bit surprising.

Because they acted like they would fit perfectly in with DS9, a show from the 90s. Whereas all the kids & even the "elders" (Nahla Ake, the Doctor, ...) are acting in a hypercharged, Marvel-inspired fast paced modern show.

Don't get me wrong - on its own I also prefer the calmer, more subdued acting style. But in this show the two stuck out as if they were imported from a different genre.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Cirroc Lofton, he really gain some wt.

He was the best part of the episode. He just grew up. Hes not over weight. Hes just an adult now.

 

[Akiraprise]

7/10

The DS9 plot was good. The bar stuff, meh. The ridiculously drunkl hologram that can pop in between people and locations at her discretion, really? What is the limit to this power? How was she affected by a holographic orb? I dunno... Ake needs to stop flopping on to every piece of furniture, and wear some shoes. Glitter barf was funny. Dax and Jake were cool.

 

[Lord Garth]

Spoiler

We all had that burning question for over a quarter of a century now: did Sisko return from the Celestial Temple? Was he there to watch his new baby grow up? The key to this is Jake. In reality, this tribute was less about Ben Sisko and more about JAKE Sisko, and I think that was the best way to go. You can't talk about Ben as a father without Jake being part of that conversation. It is literally impossible. The bond between them was so clearly visible on screen in every scene they were together on DS9, but people sometimes forget about the Jake side of the equation. But here, with just those two scenes with Jake, we get a LOT. Not only did he have a measure of peace and serenity, but he was living a full, happy life. In many ways, this was the exact opposite of "THE VISITOR", which even though it is one of the two greatest episodes in the entire franchise, is a sad story, despite it being realistic in the sense of loss and grief. Here, we get a happy story, and I don't think Benjamin could be unhappy with that outcome, even though he wasn't there physically. This is where I feel "THE VISITOR" and this part of the episode were quite similar... they dealt with loss and grief. Just in different ways. And that spoke to me.

I am by no means a person of faith. But there are times when I can feel my grandparents are still around me. It's impossible for me to prove it because they are gone... physically. But the essence of who they were, the values they taught me, the love they gave me... it's a part of my core being. I use all that I got from them to live and do right by my family and others. THAT is what the hologram of Jake was telling us, and I got every word of it because I KNOW it and I FEEL it. Jake was the legacy of Ben Sisko, just like I am the legacy of my grandparents and my mom. So the answer to the question: did Ben Sisko return from the Celestial Temple? The answer is simple: it doesn't matter. He was still around because of how Jake lived, so a part of him never actually left. And that scene just made me cry.

And speaking of Ben always being around: I know exactly why Jake never published his book, Anslem. It was his personal connection to his father, and was another way to keep his spirit alive. He knew he would one day be gone, but he wanted his father to keep living in some way. So what does he do? He gives it to a Dax (whichever one was host at the time Jake did so) because he knew Dax would be living for centuries more after he was gone. And I think that was part of why he felt that measure of peace... he knew that a part of his father would keep going even after he was long gone. I understand that feeling because I have... an item that is very much the essence of who my grandmother was, and I know exactly who I will be giving it to after I die. Dax was the PERFECT choice to be given that book... Curzon was Ben's mentor, Jadzia was his friend, and Ezri was one Ben mentored during that final season. I thought that was very fitting.

I was quite surprised that Jake appeared here, and I was also quite surprised to hear Avery Brooks' voice again at the end! I was floored! After some looking, I find out what he said was basically some poetry he did years ago, and he gave the studio permission to use it. But that works for me, particularly since WHAT he said was so beautiful. I was already starting to tear up while he spoke, but then "Thank you, Avery" appears on screen, and the DS9 theme plays over the credits... I was crying again.

I cannot emphasize enough how much DEEP SPACE NINE and Benjamin Sisko means to me, so as a lifetime Niner... I was pleased by this.

There were, however, several glaring errors. First, the image of Sisko's lineage had Jenna Sisko as the 'non-corporeal' person, which is completely false. Sarah was the human that was inhabited by the Prophet and was Benjamin's mother, so she would be considered the 'non-corporeal being'. Second, they spelled Kasidy Yates' name wrong... Kasidy has one 's', not two in her name. Third, why was Ben and Kasidy's baby not shown on the chart? You don't want to explore what happened to their baby, fine... but if you go the route of having a huge graphic that shows their family tree, at least acknowledge the baby's existence. And do some basic research, like who Sarah was and Kasidy's spelling. (Seriously, all of those things are not difficult to do... BOTH Penny Johnson and Deborah Lacey were credited on screen with their character's names during the first act of episodes they appeared in. And the beginning of season 7 and multiple episodes of the final arc had Sarah. And Kasidy is pregnant in the finale and the end of the episode before it, "THE DOGS OF WAR". It feels like some AI generated graphic where no one bothered to double check it.) And fourth, why wasn't Benjamin's sister, Judith, and his two brothers shown?

The use of Sam as the focal point of this episode was a good choice. To be honest, I have found her grating in the series thus far. Kind of annoying, and I know it is rather by design since she was a hologram that was just created only a few months prior to the pilot, but Sam just comes across as rather annoying. This episode does help her character quite a bit... at least, after the theme. Before the theme, it was simply and utterly terrible. I was actually very, VERY worried this was going to be a terrible episode based on that beginning: the elementary school level icons over the screen, glitter barf, the background music, etc. (That is definitely something that I am not enjoying about this show, the background music. It just doesn't work for me AT ALL.) I was NOT enjoying the beginning whatsoever.

However, her journey of self-discovery through learning about Sisko was done well. The use of a storybook for telling Sisko's tale when she was talking to her friends was an interesting touch, and I liked it... it gave Benjamin's story an almost mythic quality. I also appreciate that the writers understood Ben by keeping true to something that is rarely said: when Benjamin Sisko loves, he loves unreservedly. His family, his duty, his friends, food, baseball... it's one of the reasons why he is so exceptional among all the leaders in the franchise. I'm glad it was said here, because that is him in a nutshell. And it allowed him to do amazing things across those 7 years we saw him on screen. Him being rather trapped in his role as Emissary, and her feeling the same... great parallels. I like how she essentially did a Sisko and told her Makers off. She will fulfill her role, but she will do it HER way, just as Ben Sisko did.

Spoiler

There is something that I have not seen anybody consider about him not returning. He remembers his appearances throughout Jake's life in the alternate future in "THE VISITOR". He knows it had a very aderse affect on Jake (after he was forced to leave DS9 and was on Earth, for years Jake was actually living a good life: he was married and he was a published author... until Ben appeared in his living room again), and was doing exactly what Ben was doing from Wolf 359 to the end of the pilot... he was stuck in that moment of Jennifer's death. He did not really move on with his life.

More than anything, Ben would want Jake to live a happy, full life. To help assure this, he did not appear physically to him because he knew how that could do the exact opposite. Look at how serene and at peace the hologram of Jake was. He was able to let go. Jake did not exist in that final shot of DS9, as his father did for years after Jennifer's death.

In a way, Ben did for Jake what the Prophets did for him in "EMISSARY". Sometimes the best way to love someone is to let them go. And that was clearly a good decision, as we see based on the Jake hologram.

Even though I don't agree with the choices they went with in this episode, you make a good case for this being the opposite of "The Visitor". I hadn't thought about it like that. And you give a pretty good justification for why Sisko didn't return.

After talking with my wife, who also loves DS9 and Sisko, she makes a valid point... that graphic with all those errors cheapens him a bit. You do a tribute to something, the facts should be accurate... particularly since it's a museum.

Yeah. Leaving out the baby was a pretty glaring mistake. If this was research and they didn't watch anything, I think another form of research they could've used, if they didn't have time to go through everything, would've been to consult Ira Steven Behr. Or, since the people in charge of the graphics presumably didn't comb through everything, the writers should've sent that information to them and proofread it.

OTOH, to play Devil's Advocate, Kassidy ending up not having the baby after all means that technically Sisko didn't abandon a baby. So, it can work, looking at it like that too.

 

[Turtletrekker]

That family tree was filled with errors, including no Judith Sisko and naming Sisko's adopted mother as the one who hosted the non-corporeal being.

 

[Tuskin38]

Because they acted like they would fit perfectly in with DS9, a show from the 90s. Whereas all the kids & even the "elders" (Nahla Ake, the Doctor, ...) are acting in a hypercharged, Marvel-inspired fast paced modern show.

I disagree with The Doctor, I don't find him acting very different from Voyager.

And Jake did use a couple terms I don't think he would have said in DS9, felt like casual 20th/21st century talk.

Nothing of this show reminds me of anything Marvel.

How was she affected by a holographic orb?

Where was it said she was? Plus considering how 'magical' the prophets are, I wouldn't put it past them if it did happen.

Ake needs to stop flopping on to every piece of furniture, and wear some shoes.

Nah, that would remove a core part of her character that I enjoy.

 

[Firebird]

That family tree was filled with errors, including no Judith Sisko and naming Sisko's adopted mother as the one who hosted the non-corporeal being.

With as many egregious errors as there were, I’m hoping there’s an in-universe justification the art department had here. Like much of the truth of the Sisko line was intentionally obfuscated to protect his family, or something to that effect. Otherwise, that’s some seriously shoddy work for something they’d know viewers would pick apart.

But, that didn’t wreck my appreciation for the episode in the slightest. There was so much good on screen that I can easily overlook it.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

People ask for their names to be omitted from databases for privacy reasons. My thought is the child was born in the wormhole and remained with him. Outside of linear time, a birthdate can't be known.

 

[Qonundrum]

Cirroc Lofton, he really gain some wt.

"wt"?

 

[Nerys Myk]

That was before the Federation was even a thing...

And???

The SAM/Sisko/Jake/Tawny stuff was great.

The bar & the Kekric plot were not good. Fish d!ck? Boooo!

Still gave it an 8 for the strength of the A plot, which was wonderful.

I actually thought she said "fish stick".

And that makes me even madder that we still don't know what Sarah Sisko's real surname was since she evidently never wanted to be part of that marriage.

What difference does knowing her last name make? What an odd thing to get mad about.

And it showed how a power fan can effectively Mary Sue her way into her favorite series.

That's not what a Mary Sue is.

 

[Fateor]

Circumstantial. The prophets have been shown to not care at all about the wants and needs of mortals. They may well have needed a willing vessel for their reckoning so they could operate at full power and not need to fend off the free will of the entity they inhabit but didn't need all their tricks to operate a meat puppet that would conceive their chosen one.

You're conflating the Prophets with the Pah-Wraiths.

The Prophet initially took her body without asking her and Kira was only willing after the fact. It was fortunate that Kira's faith and willingness made it consensual. But there is no guarantee that if Kira had asked the prophet to leave her body that it would have done so.

There's nothing in the episode suggesting any of that.

Again, Sarah abandoned Ben. Why would she not stay and help raise him if the Prophet had shown her who Ben would become? And you can argue that maybe Sarah was meant to leave so Joseph could marry Judith. However, given that Judith is the only mother that Sisko remembers, why didn't the Prophet just possess her from the start?

And you can expect all you want, but the evidence we actually have is that a Prophet possessed a woman against her will, forced her to have a relationship with a man and then forced her to have a baby.

General reminder that the Prophets can show people the future.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

That's not what a Mary Sue is.

Not precisely, but Illa Dax was in some way the hero of the story, helping SAM complete her intellectual journey.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Not precisely, but Illa Dax was in some way the hero of the story, helping SAM complete her intellectual journey.

She was a guide or mentor. Or....wait for it....teacher.

 

[TRON JA307020]

Even though I don't agree with the choices they went with in this episode, you make a good case for this being the opposite of "The Visitor". I hadn't thought about it like that. And you give a pretty good justification for why Sisko didn't return.


Yeah. Leaving out the baby was a pretty glaring mistake. If this was research and they didn't watch anything, I think another form of research they could've used, if they didn't have time to go through everything, would've been to consult Ira Steven Behr. Or, since the people in charge of the graphics presumably didn't comb through everything, the writers should've sent that information to them and proofread it.

OTOH, to play Devil's Advocate, Kassidy ending up not having the baby after all means that technically Sisko didn't abandon a baby. So, it can work, looking at it like that too.

It's possible that since 800 years have past some records were lost or just plain errors were made. But on the other hand 24th and 25th century computers and artificial intelligence were flawless so its hard to believe so much was missed. The burn might explain it but the burn only affected dilithium and starship speed not other tech.

 

[tenmei]

And it showed how a power fan can effectively Mary Sue her way into her favorite series.

A "power fan" who is also a franchise veteran who's been in three Trek shows over the past three years. It's no different than actors returning in different roles in different shows, the only difference is she's a self confessed Trek fam

 

[Enterprise1701]

What difference does knowing her last name make? What an odd thing to get mad about.

Don't reply to me if you have no idea what's going on.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

A "power fan" who is also a franchise veteran who's been in three Trek shows over the past three years. It's no different than actors returning in different roles in different shows, the only difference is she's a self confessed Trek fam

Tawny Newsome has proudly said she is a fan of the series. She created an episode based around her fandom. She created a character for herself that had obvious characters traits in common with revered figures of the series. The character holds key artifacts for the main character's journey. "Mary sue" is constellation of traits referencing a phenomenon of people whose characters and selves are not well separated. While there is no precise fit, I would hope people would laugh rather than be pendantic.

 

[fireproof78]

Tawny Newsome has proudly said she is a fan of the series. She created an episode based around her fandom. She created a character for herself that had obvious characters traits in common with revered figures of the series. The character holds key artifacts for the main character's journey. "Mary sue" is constellation of traits referencing a phenomenon of people whose characters and selves are not well separated. While there is no precise fit, I would hope people would laugh rather than be pendantic.

If the joke is funny I might laugh