Starfleet Academy EPs describe episode 5 as a meaningful love letter to Deep Space Nine

Executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau say episode 5 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is "essentially a love letter" to Deep Space Nine, and the series premieres January 15, 2026 on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy arrives with two episodes on January 15, 2026 on Paramount+. At a press junket, executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau spoke about balancing new viewers and longtime fans. They said the show includes many Easter eggs to Star Trek canon and that episode 5 is "essentially a love letter" to Deep Space Nine. Writer and co-producer Tawny Newsome, a longtime DS9 fan, co-wrote episode 5 with Kirsten Beyer. Key details: - Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau described episode 5 as "essentially a love letter" to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. - Starfleet Academy is set in the late 32nd century and includes multiple references to earlier Star Trek characters and places. - The first trailer showed cadet SAM approaching a screen with a photo of Captain Benjamin Sisko and a caption referencing "The Fate of Benjamin Sisko, Emissary of the Prophets." - Tawny Newsome is credited as a co-producer and co-writer on episode 5 and is noted as a longtime Deep Space Nine fan. Summary: Producers say the episode is intended to work both as a meaningful reference for longtime Deep Space Nine viewers and as an accessible introduction for those unfamiliar with DS9. Starfleet Academy premieres on Paramount+ on January 15, 2026, and episode 5 is included later in the season.