Star Trek: DS9’s Jake Sisko Joining Starfleet Was Never Going To Happen

Summary Jake Sisko's choice to become a writer over joining Starfleet Academy was a deliberate and refreshing departure from fandom expectations.

Nog's surprising path to becoming a Starfleet officer subverted viewer expectations and added depth to DS9's storytelling.

By exploring Jake's career as a writer, DS9 was able to delve into new aspects of life in the Federation, enriching the show's narrative.

There was never a serious chance of Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) joining Starfleet Academy in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and an episode from season 2 proves it. As the young son of the widowed Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), Jake Sisko was set up as DS9's answer to Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, Jake took a very different path to Wesley in DS9, choosing a career as a writer and journalist over a place at Starfleet Academy. During DS9's Dominion War arc, Jake's career gave Star Trek the opportunity to explore new aspects of life in the Federation.

One of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's smartest decisions was to put Nog (Aron Eisenberg) on the path to becoming a Starfleet officer instead of Jake. It subverted audience expectations of both DS9's Ferengi characters and the character of Jake Sisko. DS9 put a full-stop on the question of Jake Sisko applying to Starfleet Academy in the season 2 episode "Shadowplay", written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Robert Hewitt Wolfe explained why Jake's decision about Starfleet Academy fit perfectly into the three plots that comprise season 2's "Shadowplay":

"They're all about the unreality of appearances. Everyone would think Jake would want to be a Starfleet guy, but he doesn't. You'd think Bareil was on the station to see Kira, but the truth is that Quark lured him there. And then there's the girl, who seems real, but isn't."

1:52 Related Rene Auberjonois’ Star Trek: Enterprise Appearance Contained A Massive DS9 Callback Best known as Constable Odo, René Auberjonois appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that called back to an Odo-centric episode of DS9.

DS9’s Jake Sisko In Starfleet Was Never A Serious Consideration

There's a matter-of-fact way to how Jake Sisko's Starfleet Academy aspirations - or lack thereof - are dealt with in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This suggests that there was never an intention to redo Wesley Crusher's Starfleet journey. In fact, the character outline for Jake Sisko in DS9's 1992 writer's bible makes no mention of Jake wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. In fact, it references the death of Jennifer Sisko (Felecia M. Bell) and how it's inspired Jake to dream "of going to live on Earth" because "he knows that his mom would still be alive if they did not live in space".

This is in sharp contrast to Wesley Crusher who, despite the tragic death of his father Lt. Commander Jack Crusher, still wanted to pursue a career in Starfleet. Jake's disinterest in Starfleet is sensitively handled in "Shadowplay", as he gets a job working with Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) who encourages the young man to speak to his father. Jake's discussion with his father is beautifully understated, and never becomes emotionally overwrought. The whole issue is touchingly resolved by Sisko asking his son to "Find something you love, then do it the best you can."

Chief O'Brien reveals to Jake that he gave up a potential career as a talented cello player to join Starfleet, a nod to his cello playing in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jake Sisko In Starfleet Could Never Have Bettered Wesley Crusher’s Star Trek: TNG Arc

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Jake Sisko joining Starfleet Academy would only have been a carbon copy of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wesley Crusher arc. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine never wanted to repeat TNG's past glories, and always pushed the franchise in new directions. If Jake had joined Starfleet Academy two things would have happened; either he would have grown disillusioned like Wesley in "Journey's End", or he would have become an exceptional officer like his father. Neither of these potential stories are dramatically interesting, so it's a relief that DS9 chose to make Jake a writer instead.

By making Jake Sisko a writer, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could explore the place of literature and journalism in the Federation, something that had rarely been explored before. Indeed, the loss of one Star Trek kid from Starfleet Academy allowed another to fly. Nog's Starfleet career told the story of what happens when, unlike Jake or Wesley, nobody expects you to succeed. This meant that the reward of Nog's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine story was far richer than it would have been if Jake Sisko had followed his expected path.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are streaming now on Paramount+.