There are plenty of unanswered mysteries in the world of Star Trek, and many of them surround the franchise’s various godlike beings. Most of these godlike beings, however, have been developed and expanded upon by Star Trek‘s more recent TV shows.

The Guardian of Forever featured in Star Trek: Discovery, the Qs were given more spotlight in Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds, and Wil Wheaton’s cameo gave fans an long-awaited update on Wesley Crusher after he became a traveler through time and space.

Alas, Star Trek has never returned to Deep Space Nine‘s biggest mystery – the fate of Benjamin Sisko after he vanished to the Celestial Temple for some unknown mission as the Emissary of the Prophets.

Star Trek Just Confirmed It Isn’t Ever Answering DS9’s Sisko Mystery

Starfleet Academy episode 5 sees photonic student SAM investigating the disappearance of Benjamin Sisko as a personal project. By the end of the episode, she is precisely zero steps closer to the truth.

The fact that Star Trek just spent a 60-minute episode waxing lyrical about Sisko, debating the meaning of his disappearance, and discussing the nature of his role as the Emissary, and still didn’t offer any firm clues as to the Deep Space Nine hero’s fate, is essentially Star Trek admitting it has no intention of solving the mystery.

If ever there was a time to reveal further details, it would be in an episode that is dedicated to Sisko and his legacy, that features a surprise cameo from his onscreen son, and that revolves entirely around a character trying to figure out where Sisko went after Deep Space Nine. If Star Trek isn’t answering the question now, it isn’t going to happen.

And, as Starfleet Academy episode 5 duly notes, that’s kind of the point. The outcome of SAM’s quest for knowledge isn’t really about putting together a definitive chronology of Sisko’s movements between the end of Deep Space Nine after Starfleet Academy, it’s about the legacy Sisko left behind, the lessons he taught, and the people he inspired. Remaining unknown is the purpose, not the problem.

The episode states this outright when Illa Dax tells SAM, “Solving the mystery isn’t why we study him,” and also when Reymi refers to Sisko being AWOL as “Schrödinger’s prophet… Everybody wins.” In other words, Sisko’s absence allows people to interpret his life in the way that suits them best. Captain Ake takes it further, advising, “Questions reveal the most about the people who ask them. So keep asking. You might learn something about yourself.“

Why Star Trek Is Right To Leave The Sisko Mystery Unresolved

The enigma of the Emissary isn’t just a better storyline, it’s a mark of respect to Sisko’s actor. Avery Brooks is now retired and has never shown any indication of returning to the Star Trek franchise. Tawny Newsome has confirmed that Brooks’ voice was used in Starfleet Academy season 5 with the actor’s blessing, but the man himself remains away from the limelight.

Avery Brooks is so intrinsically tied to the Benjamin Sisko character, the thought of continuing his arc with another actor is a non-starter, especially since the arc isn’t even one that demands continuation. And in the highly unlikely event that Star Trek could find a workable solution for Brooks’ lack of involvement, it would still be almost impossible to conjure up a reveal that wouldn’t merely raise more questions.

Not even the best team of Star Trek writers could invent a new chapter of Sisko’s story that would successfully resolve the mystery in full, while also honoring his past in Deep Space Nine, and keep all corners of Star Trek‘s audience happy. With that in mind, it feels safe to assume the Sisko situation isn’t something Star Trek will ever truly address, in this show or the next.