Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 5 cast and characters - Here's who brought the Paramount+ series to life

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, an exclusive live-action series developed by Paramount+, premiered on January 15 this year. The first two episodes were released simultaneously with additional episodes to debut every Thursday throughout March 2026.

The first season will include 10 episodes in total. The story of this series is set in the 32nd Century, following the events of Star Trek: Discovery, where there has been a recent reestablishment of Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. As for the cadet training, it takes place mostly aboard the USS Athena.

Among the standout episodes of the series is episode 5, which pays tribute to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It illuminates SAM’s emotional and philosophical development while introducing major references to the lore of Deep Space Nine.

These references include Sisko's (Benjamin Sisko) disappearance as the Emissary of the Prophets and the family legacy of the Sisko family, along with the history of the Dax symbiote.

Let's explore the cast and characters of this episode below.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5: A look at the main cast and characters

Fans who love references from the Star Trek universe might be curious about the main cast and characters in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 as well. So, here's a look at the key figures of this chapter:

Kerrice Brooks as SAM: The main figure we see in episode 5 of this Star Trek series is none other than SAM. She gets pulled into a mystery that seems tied to Starfleet and to her special role as an emissary, so what starts as curiosity turns into something much more personal.

As SAM's new quest begins, she also starts questioning how she's living right now. She doubts whether she must continue to live like this or whether she has the ability to find her own path instead of just following what's preplanned for her.

Another detail that makes SAM different from others in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 is that she's actually photonic rather than biological. This means that she cannot eat food, but has other notable abilities.

Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake: She can be seen mentoring the cadets, which means Captain Nahla Ake also has a big responsibility in the episode.

Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta), Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), Darem Reymi (George Hawkins), and Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard) support SAM’s investigation, with several scenes highlighting their camaraderie.

Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner) and her brother Ocam (Romeo Carere) also participate in cadet-centered activities. Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) and The Doctor (Robert Picardo) also appear as key figures in episode 5.

Tawny Newsome plays Professor Illa Dax who teaches a class titled “Confronting the Unexplainable,” serving as a mentor to SAM and helping her through different situations she finds confusing. As the newest host of the Dax symbiont, Illa’s role is considered monumental because it marks the first time a Dax host has been introduced into the main timeline since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended.

Chancellor Kelrec (Raoul Bhaneja) also has some type of pre-existing relationship with Ake that suggests there could be other previous connections between them. And Stephen Colbert continues his role providing the voice of the Digital Dean.

Also Read: Why did Star Trek: The Next Generation end after Season 7? Details explored

Special voices and appearances in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy also has some special voices and appearances to make the viewers' experience even better.

The photoelectric beings that exist as the Maker(s), who are responsible for creating SAM, are voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor. This adds to the internal struggle that SAM is feeling about who she is and what her obligations are to everyone else.

Cirroc Lofton returns to Deep Space Nine as Jake through a holographic recorded voice and a vision, making this the first time that a principal cast member of Deep Space Nine has returned in live action since 1999 when the original series ended.

Then Avery Brooks provides Benjamin Sisko's voice through old audio recordings. The voiceover in episode 5 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is taken from Benjamin Sisko's 2006 album. A still picture of Benjamin Sisko is used to accompany the audio recording and is shown at the end of the episode with the words "Thank You, Avery".

There are several minor characters in the episode including a bartender played by Darius Rose, a computer voice at the museum by Diedrie Henry, a music teacher, a leader of the club, and several other small characters.

Stream Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Paramount+ now.

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Also Read: Which Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes got banned and why? Reason explored

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