Star Trek: DS9 actor was 'amazing' to work with on Starfleet Academy
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy 's powerful Deep Space Nine tribute works as well as it does because Kerrice Brooks had an "amazing" scene partner in Cirroc Lofton. In a recent interview, Brooks reveals how the DS9 star stepped back into the role of Jake Sisko with zero "rust," became the big brother she didn't know she needed, and turned their episode into something that felt almost spiritual.
Starfleet Academy 's fifth episode brings Brooks' cadetturnedEmissary SAM face to face with Jake Sisko, marking Lofton's first time playing the character since Deep Space Nine ended in 1999. The hour doubles as a love letter to DS9 , with Jake's presence helping bridge the franchise's past and future as SAM navigates her role as the emissary to the holographic Kasqians.
Brooks admits she initially didn't grasp just how historic this comeback was, only later reacting with, "Holy s**t. I didn't really realize that," Brooks said via ScreenRant . For longtime DS9 fans, seeing Lofton stand beside a new generation of Starfleet cadets instantly signaled that Starfleet Academy was serious about honoring Sisko's corner of the franchise.
'He wasn't rusty at all'
Given that it's been nearly three decades since DS9 wrapped, even the interviewer couldn't resist teasing Brooks about whether Lofton might be rusty stepping back into Jake's shoes. She doesn't hesitate to shut that down: "Oh s**t, no, he actually wasn't. 'Was he rusty?' I mean, he wasn't rusty at all. Cirroc was everything. Shout out to Cirroc. He made me step up my game in a lot of ways. I can't say he was rusty."
Brooks points to one punishing day on set, where they fired through around five scenes and she hit a wall on the final one, hoping they wouldn't reach it but of course filming did. "I will say there was one [time] where we shot like five scenes a day, and I just did not know that one by heart, because it was the last scene," Brooks explained. "I was hoping to God we did not get to it, but we ended up getting to it, and so we were in it together, but I felt really taken care of by him."
The 'big brother' SAM, and Kerrice, needed
For Brooks, the connection with Lofton went far beyond simply sharing the screen with a Trek veteran. "Yo, he was amazing," Brooks said in the same interview . "I felt like he was literally the big brother that I needed as SAM, but also as Kerrice. Bro, he was amazing. It's crazy. I don't know if he's really ventured out [into acting after DS9] too, too much. He told me a little bit about his life. I feel like it's been pretty private, but I think [acting is] a muscle memory."
Brooks continued by saying:
"And watching him on that podium give that speech, and he doesn't necessarily know he's giving it to me, he's giving it to the audience, without being dramatic, with the f*****g spotlight behind him. It was like watching an angel. It really is muscle memory."
That "big brother" energy proved crucial for an episode that puts SAM in a vulnerable, mythic position as an emissary figure, echoing the burden once carried by Captain Benjamin Sisko . Having Jake on hand as a compassionate, grounded presence enriches the storytelling while also giving Brooks a partner who made her feel supported as she shouldered some very big Star Trek themes.
A gift that means 'sister'
Their connection didn't end when the cameras stopped rolling. Brooks reveals a small but meaningful gift Lofton gave her that symbolized how deeply he'd embraced her as part of the DS9 family. "And then he gave me [a scarf] for an interview," Brooks said during the same sit-down .
"He gave me this, and it means 'sister,' I think, in the Ethiopian culture, which he is, and it's meant so much to me. He's just so giving, so selfless. He's funny as f**k. He's funny as s**t, like there was no way I could have done that without him. I like to be honest, there was no way I could have done that without him."
It's a gesture that layers a real-world cultural bond over their in-universe relationship, tying Lofton's heritage directly into the way he chose to welcome Brooks into the fold. For a show so rooted in legacy and lineage, that personal symbol of sisterhood fits right alongside Starfleet Academy 's on-screen story of torches being passed.
An 'amazing' partner for a pivotal Trek story
Looking back, Brooks' reactions can be summed up by one recurring theme: awe. "He's so special, I don't know why," she admits at one point in the interview , laughing at how hard it is to put her admiration for Lofton into neat, actorly language. "It's gotta be so specific, yeah," she adds when asked about the particular alchemy he brought to their scenes, as though she's still trying to pin down exactly what made the collaboration feel so rare.
Between the scarf that means "sister," the angelic podium speech, and the "big brother" who made her step up her game, Starfleet Academy didn't just give Brooks a DS9 tribute episode; it gave her an unforgettable partnership with one of the franchise's most quietly beloved stars. Starfleet Academy 's DS9 homage works in the end because it pairs SAM's comingofage journey with an actor who feels like family, both on and off screen, proving that Jake Sisko still has more to give to Star Trek 's future
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This article was originally published on www.redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Star Trek: DS9 actor was 'amazing' to work with on Starfleet Academy .
