Starfleet Academy Trailer Teases The Fate Of A Beloved (And Lost) Star Trek Character

Is the future of "Star Trek" suddenly in flux? For the longest time, "Discovery" was the pioneer in terms of shepherding this franchise into its next phase on Paramount+ streaming, but the series finally came to an end last year. Ditto for "Lower Decks," the animated show that helped broaden the horizons of the property into another medium entirely (although, of course, "The Animated Series" was the one to first break that ground) before its own cancellation in 2024. Now, after the planned fifth and final season of "Strange New Worlds" in the years ahead, this void will leave the entire IP in a state of uncertainty moving forward. But could that be where "Starfleet Academy" comes in?

The upcoming "Star Trek" series isn't due to arrive until 2026, but we've now received our first official look at it thanks to a new trailer released during the 2025 San Diego Comic Con ... and it sure seems to be all about the idea of how to carry on the Starfleet torch. Set concurrently with the final season(s) of "Discovery," in the distant future of the 32nd Century, "Starfleet Academy" focuses on humanity's attempts to rebuild the flagship organization and train the next generation of space-faring officers. But that's not the only aspect that caught our eye.

We can expect plenty of connections to "Discovery," largely in the form of returning characters Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), but the footage also includes several overt references to other "Trek" shows of yore. The appearance of a much more rugged-looking Robert Picardo as the holographic Doctor from "Voyager" is a nice touch, but it appears that the new series will also reach even further into the past and pay homage to one of the best and most beloved characters of all: Avery Brooks' Benjamin Sisko. Like "Deep Space Nine" itself, this feels like a big swing and bold choice to showcase in a trailer ... and, given the ambiguous ending surrounding the former Captain and Emissary, we're hoping this amounts to more than just a simple tease.

Few individuals in "Star Trek" have cast a longer shadow than Benjamin Sisko, the reluctant leader who went on to play a massive role in winning the Dominion War and ultimately became a quasi-religious figure to the local population of Bajor as their Emissary of the Prophets. The finale of "Deep Space Nine" ended with the beloved captain seemingly dying in a blaze of glory ... though, in actuality, he was ushered away to the otherworldly "Celestial Temple" as a reward for fulfilling his spiritual purpose. Ever since, what actually happened to Sisko has remained a topic of great interest — both among fans and, as it turns out, in-universe among the characters of the "Star Trek" franchise as well.

The "Starfleet Academy" trailer includes one tantalizing shot where young cadet Sam (Kerrice Brooks) gazes in reverence at what looks like a museum installment dedicated to the good Captain. "Did he die in the fire caves of Bajor?" and "Did he live on in the Celestial Temple?" are two potential questions asked rhetorically on the plaque, offering up no easy answers to what's been hanging over the head of the property since "Deep Space Nine" ended back in 1999. Could the series be setting up an actual resolution to Sisko's fate? Could this be a sneaky way to make a backdoor sequel to the show, much in the same way the brilliant "Star Trek" documentary "What We Leave Behind" suggested?

That's extremely doubtful, but this marks the first time the franchise has attempted to address this loose plot thread ... canonically, at least. A handful of non-canon novels sought to provide an answer to this, most prominently the book "Unity" that came as part of a "Deep Space Nine" relaunch series to mark the show's 10th anniversary. The recent comic book series "Godshock" also revolves around the return of Sisko and even has him teaming up with an assortment of "Trek" characters like Beverly Crusher, Tom Paris, Data, and more. For now, we'll have to wait and see what (if anything) "Starfleet Academy" does to explore this topic when it arrives on Paramount+ sometime in early 2026.