Star Trek boss breaks down beautiful "love letter" to ‘90s series and its beloved star in new spin-off

Star Trek boss Alex Kurtzman has opened up about the latest episode of Starfleet Academy honouring '90s series Deep Space Nine.

Episode 5 of the new spin-off saw Sam (Series Acclimation Mil) endeavour to solve an ancient Starfleet mystery, with the episode paying tribute to Deep Space Nine legend Avery Brooks, who played Captain Benjamin Sisko. The episode even ends with the Deep Space Nine theme and a message reading: "Thank you, Avery."

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Kurtzman revealed: "Tawny [Newsome, writer] felt very strongly that she wanted to do, not just a love letter to Deep Space Nine, but also to Avery and really give him his due.

"It took a while to craft the shape of that particular episode, but I guess I could say that about all of the episodes and it ended up being just an absolutely beautiful testament to what great writers they are, and how much they love Deep Space Nine.

"It brings an awareness of what Deep Space Nine represented to the fandom in such a deep way to the foreground for a generation that maybe hasn't experienced Deep Space Nine.

"We're just really proud of it, and the fact that it's so funny and then gets so emotional by the end, I think, is kind of the magic special sauce of that particular episode."

He added: "It was a very hard story to break and then like we went through many, many outlines and the minute Noga [Laundau, showrunner] and I got the script, we called each other and we were like, 'This is one of the best first drafts we've ever read.'"

Episode 5 particularly seems to fit with Kurtzman's plan for the future of Trek, as he says he hopes to honour the history of the series while ensuring that newer fans don't need to have seen 60 years of the franchise to enjoy it.

"It feels like we've reached a stride now with the way that we're able to enter into the canon and honour fans and the things that the old school fans [like] and what they want of Star Trek, but I think we've found a way also to bring in new fans," he told us.

"There's a perception, I think a lot of the time, that because it's 60 years worth of of storytelling, it's very difficult to enter into that fresh, and obviously we want to grow Star Trek for future generations. Otherwise it won't be around.

"In order to do that, we have to tell stories that are, in some ways, modular, that don't require you to have watched 60 years of television. If you have watched 60 years of television, it's an even richer experience. But if you haven't, it's totally okay."

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy airs weekly on Paramount+.

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