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Series Acclimation Mil
| Series: | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy |
|---|---|
| Medium: | Live Action Television Episode |
| Episode Number: | 105 |
| Production Number: | 105 |
| Original Air Date: | |
| Directed By: | Larry Teng |
| Written By: | Kirsten Beyer, and Tawny Newsome |
What begins as an academic deep-dive into an 800-year-old mystery surrounding the Emissary becomes a beautiful, tear-jerking love letter to the Sisko family and an absolute joy for any Deep Space Nine fan.
| Casting Type | Actor | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Special Guest Star | Cirroc Lofton | Jake Sisko |
| Special Guest Star | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Maker |
| Recurring | Raoul Bhaneja | Commander Kelrec |
| Guest Star | Tawny Newsome | Illa Dax |
| Guest Star | Alexander Eling | B'Avi |
| Guest Star | Dale Whibley | Kyle Jokovich |
| Voice (Archive Audio) | Avery Brooks | Benjamin Sisko |
SAM's makers (credited only as "Maker" and represented by the massive guest star Chiwetel Ejiofor) want SAM to enroll in a particular class at the Academy called "Confronting the Unexplainable." They don't seem to understand when SAM explains that she is unable to join the class so late in the semester.
SAM attempts to enroll anyway, but the teacher, Illa (who is at least part Cardassian), tells her that it is unfortunately too late. Looking at the topics around the room, SAM is immediately drawn to one about the mystery of what happened to Captain Sisko. She is drawn to it because it refers to him as the Emissary—which is exactly how her own people refer to her, as she was sent to help them understand "Organics."
She tells Illa that she's going to solve the mystery, to which Illa sarcastically replies, "If you solve this, you can teach the class."
What follows is a fascinating episode where SAM tries to learn as much as she can about the life and legacy of a man who lived 800 years earlier. We find out there is a Sisko Museum in New Orleans (I have to wonder, is it located where his father's restaurant once stood?). We even get to "visit" the museum alongside SAM, as there is a holographic remote-visiting option she can use while still physically at the Academy.
While at the museum, she attempts to speak to the Orb of the Emissary. Since it's just a hologram, I imagine it doesn't actually do anything, but it leads her to pull up a recording of a speech Jake Sisko gave years after Ben's "death."
She enlists the help of her classmates in this research, getting them to try New Orleans food (which made me so hungry for some good Cajun food!). They discover that while a bar Sisko used to visit near the Academy is long gone (a great reference to "Take Me Out to the Holosuite"), there is a new bar standing in that exact same spot.
The team heads to the bar to try and connect with this piece of the past. Caleb figures out how to alter SAM's programming so she can experience what it's like to get drunk, which SAM quickly overdoes by ordering way too many shots of liquor.
The Makers return, rebuking SAM for failing to get into the seminar and threatening to recall her. Distraught, SAM returns to Illa, upset that she hasn't been able to solve the mystery.
Illa asks what SAM has learned in her attempts. After SAM describes everything she now knows about Sisko, Illa remarks, "So... a lot... you learned a lot."
Illa then lets SAM see a very special possession of hers: Jake Sisko's unpublished novel, Anslem (a beautiful callback to the classic Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor"). SAM had discovered the novel during her research but had no idea a physical copy still existed.
While reading the novel, SAM imagines having a conversation with Jake about his dad. When she comes out of the daydream, she hands the book back to Illa and thanks her. But then, SAM questions Illa about a detail she had mentioned earlier that wasn't in any of her research: Illa had shared an anecdote about Sisko growing tomatoes in his quarters. Illa reveals that she's only part Cardassian; she is also part Trill (complete with Trill spots). She tells SAM to enroll in her class next semester, noting that it will be listed under her full name: Illa Dax.
SAM: "How did you know that Sisko grew tomatoes? I couldn't find that in any of the records. Are those Trill markings? Wait a minute. Illa isn't a surname, is it?"
Illa: "You're a good detective. I expect to see you in my class next year. Find it in the course catalogue under my full name: Illa Dax."
SAM: "Wait. You're Dax? Like the Dax? As in 'mentor to Sisko' Dax?"
Illa: "Wow. I should have known you'd do your research. Benjamin would have liked you. He loved people who got into trouble for the right reasons."
The episode ends with SAM talking to the sky (through the big window at the back of the atrium), addressing her words directly to Ben Sisko. Overhead, there is a very faint silhouette of Sisko in the clouds.
We then hear a clip of Avery Brooks' voice, taken from a recording on his 2006 poetry album, Here.
"Divine laws are simpler than Human ones, which is why it takes a lifetime to be able to understand them; only love can understand them. Only love can interpret these words as they were meant to be interpreted."
As we go to the credits, we get a very touching "Thank you Avery" title card, and then, instead of the normal end-credits song, we hear the Deep Space Nine theme.
Okay, Starfleet Academy—that’s two excellent episodes in a row (with the previous three being solid as well). "Series Acclimation Mil" was absolutely beautiful and brought me to tears in the best possible way.
Judging by the title, you’d assume the episode was solely about SAM, the Academy's photonic student. While it certainly centers on her perspective, the heart of the episode is truly about the legacy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—specifically, Captain Benjamin Sisko and Jake Sisko.
When Cirroc Lofton first appeared in hologram form, my breath caught. When he showed up later in SAM's daydream sequence, I outright cried. Every single moment of Lofton's screen time was moving and beautiful.
The episode was co-written by Tawny Newsome, who fans already know and love as Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks. She also guest-stars, portraying Illa Dax. Her appearance carries a strong implication that we might see her again in Season 2 and potentially beyond.
As a fan, I noticed a few strange mistakes and omissions on the museum set pieces. At first, it bugged me (and a lot of people online). But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense: we are talking about 800 years in the future, so naturally, historical records might be skewed. That said, some of the errors were surprisingly massive—like listing the wrong mother as being inhabited by the Prophets, or completely omitting Ben and Kassidy's child from the family tree.
I know some folks online were bothered by the episode's drastic shift in format. Told entirely from SAM’s perspective, it featured teenage-girl squiggles as on-screen graphics and occasional fourth-wall breaks. It definitely gave off heavy Clarissa Explains It All, Lizzie McGuire, or Malcolm in the Middle vibes. While it was a bit odd at first, I personally had no problem with the framing. Star Trek has successfully tackled single-character perspectives before—"Data's Day" (TNG) and "Dear Doctor" (ENT) spring immediately to mind. Plus, the on-screen graphics make total sense for a photonic being. Her daydreams would naturally manifest in a very physical way; she essentially operates with a reality distortion lens, which makes that final daydream sequence so much more believable.
There were a couple of side plots to navigate as well. First, there was the gloriously absurd B-plot involving Chancellor Kelrec attempting to heat the ocean for an incoming alien delegation, culminating in a hilariously disastrous practice diplomatic dinner. While the scenes themselves were undeniably funny, they honestly felt jarring and out of place here. The episode explicitly establishes that this is SAM's story, told entirely from her perspective, so cutting away to a B-plot where she isn't even present and has nothing to do with her story completely breaks that framing device. The distraction from her deeply emotional journey wasn't quite worth the brief runtime it got, and I think this comedic relief would have worked much better in a different episode.
On the other hand, I absolutely have to mention the budding romance between Jay-Den and Kyle. I ship this wonderful gay relationship, and they were just so genuinely cute together. As SAM says when she drunkenly pops between them, "I love love." The bar scene also featured a fantastic cameo by drag queen Jackie Cox as the bartender—a brilliant way to incorporate real-world representation into the episode. Unlike the diplomatic dinner, this felt like a perfect, sweet counterbalance to the heavier historical weight of SAM's main storyline, and it was directly tied to her adventure as the group went to the bar to experience Academy life the way Ben did.
This episode just kept getting to me. Seeing Jake made me cry. Hearing Avery Brooks' voice made me cry. The "Thank you Avery" dedication made me cry. And when the end credits rolled, replacing the usual music with the main theme from the early seasons of Deep Space Nine, I completely broke down.
This is exactly the right type of nostalgia. Too often, franchise call-backs feel like nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, which can get incredibly tiresome. But this episode tied back to Deep Space Nine in a deeply meaningful way that was a pure joy to watch. To me, this isn't just fantastic Star Trek—it’s fantastic television. This is an Admiral Tier episode for the second week in a row. Dang, Starfleet Academy, you are really pulling out all the stops.
HD3 Episode Rank:
Admiral
(S Tier)