Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: Deep Space Nine, star trek, Starfleet Academy

Starfleet Academy: DS9's Lofton on Jake Sisko Return, Brooks & More

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Cirroc Lofton discusses returning as Jake Sisko for Starfleet Academy, talking with Brooks and Newsome, and more.

Few actors ever get to revisit their iconic roles after being away for decades, but it's becoming more commonplace, especially in the realm of Star Trek. One actor, who's always embraced the franchise but hasn't had the opportunity, is Cirroc Lofton, who got cast as Jake Sisko in one of his earliest on-screen roles on Deep Space Nine, appearing in all 173 episodes of all seven seasons from 1993 to 1999. His character is unique, not only playing the son of the series lead, Avery Brooks' Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko, but the character also lacked any ambition to enlist in Starfleet like his young peers from The Next Generation with Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher and DS9's Aron Eisenberg's Nog. Embracing his role as a writer, Jake carried on his own legacy, and we find more about that in the Starfleet Academy episode "Series Acclimation Mil," which focused on the mystery behind his father's disappearance at the DS9 finale following his ascension as Emissary of the Prophets. Lofton, who has appeared in Trek fan projects and hosts the podcast The 7th Rule, spoke to TrekMovie.com about reprising Jake after nearly 27 years since DS9's end in 1999, consulting with Brooks about the episode before accepting, working with writer Tawny Newsome, who played Professor Illa Dax.

Starfleet Academy: Cirroc Lofton on Jake Sisko's Moment in DS9 Tribute Episode

When it came to returning to his iconic role, "Most of the prep work was conversations with Avery that I probably will not discuss. But there was getting his permission and his blessing, essentially," Lofton said. "And that was the biggest thing for me, because obviously, this is an homage to him. And I wanted him to like it. I want him to be satisfied with it, first and foremost. At least that was my mission going into it. It's almost like I'm performing for an audience of one. And that was my mindset."

As far as working with Newsome, who co-wrote the episode with Kirsten Beyer, "The amount of back and forth I had [with Tawny] was great, because it was a collaborative effort. It was like, Where would we be comfortable talking about these things? How do we talk about them? I got a chance to be a part of designing the wardrobe, so that was like an opportunity for me to have kind of a 'hands-on' of what we're going to see on screen. And so, yeah, my mindset was: huge opportunity, new show, and a chance to tell Avery, 'I love you.'"

Lofton recalled how Brooks wasn't pleased with how his fate was left vague since he was recently married to Cassidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), and Jake, he still wanted in his life. "It is known that [Avery] wasn't happy with the way the character kind of ended his on-screen journey. He was adamant that Sisko would be dedicated to raising his family and watching his son Jake grow up," he said. "And having gotten married and having a kid on the way, those were those kind of the loose tail ends that he didn't want to see just go up in smoke with this death of Sisko. So I believe him being insistent on saying, 'I'll be back. I will return' was in there to say: No, he didn't abandon his family. No, he didn't let anybody down. He's going to make sure that he's going to watch Jake and his family grow up."

The Starfleet Academy episode, he explains, allowed clarification on Sisko's nature, "And so we revisit that with this episode. And we kind of acknowledge that he doesn't leave, that he is there. We don't specifically say when, where, how, and to what extent, and how often. But Jake is saying that he never left. He was there. He felt his presence. He had moments with him. And I think that's important to kind of honor how Avery wanted Sisko to be remembered." For more on Lofton working with SAM actor Kerrice Brooks, the younger cast, Easter Eggs, and more, check out the entire interview. New episodes of Starfleet Academy stream on Paramount+ every Thursday through March 12th.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!