Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 9 - "Trusted Sources"Reporter Victoria Nuze's visit to Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Quark (Armin Shimerman) (and Morn). Jake's whereabouts remain an open question, but Lower Decks just provided a clear path for Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) son to finally appear.
Jake Sisko could easily do the same thing that FNN: News of the Galaxy journalist Victoria Nuze did by reporting on the USS Cerritos. Victoria came aboard to publicize Captain Carol Freeman's (Dawnn Lewis) new initiative, Project Swing-By, in which Starfleet's California-class starships would make important Second missions throughout the galaxy. However, the Cerritos' crew ended up airing a lot of dirty laundry to Victoria, yet Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) was blamed and kicked off the ship when she was the only one who was complimentary to her Captain (and mom). Victoria ultimately aired a damning expose about the Cerritos. It's hard to imagine Jake Sisko would do the same thing in that situation, but he has gotten in trouble for his reporting on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Jake Sisko's DS9 Career As A Reporter Explained
Jake Sisko decided to become a writer instead of following his father, Captain Sisko's, path into Starfleet. Jake is primarily a novelist, and he wrote several short stories that were published during DS9. In the alternate future of DS9's classic episode, "The Visitor," the reclusive older Jake Sisko (Tony Todd) published the novel "Anslem," although it's not known whether he finished writing the book in the main Star Trek timeline.
During the Dominion War, however, Jake put aside fiction writing and became a reporter for the Federation News Network. When Captain Sisko and Starfleet evacuated Deep Space Nine and the Dominion occupied the station, Jake stayed behind and put himself in peril to report from the front lines. However, Jake soon found that Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) was reading and not sending his news reports because of its "bias" against the Dominion. Yet Jake persevered and continued to report on the Dominion War until its conclusion.
How Lower Decks Could Easily Bring Back Jake Sisko
Star Trek fans are clamoring for Jake Sisko to make his canonical comeback and the ideal way would be as a Federation news reporter. Jake could still be a novelist but perhaps a yearning to see the action in deep space firsthand could compel Jake to become a reporter like he was during the Dominion War. Jake could also cash in on whatever fame he has as the son of the legendary Captain Sisko to boost his profile as a journalist, and he would be a natural fit as a guest star on Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's return on Star Trek: Lower Decks was so well-received that many Trekkers regard it as a blueprint for how DS9 could be brought back as an animated series. But failing that, Jake could easily make an appearance on Lower Decks. Executive Producer Mike McMahan has been a guest on Cirroc Lofton's podcast, The 7th Rule, and he is a diehard fan of Deep Space Nine. It seems logical that Cirroc should reprise Jake Sisko in the animated comedy, and Star Trek: Lower Decks has laid the groundwork for how it can smoothly happen.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.