Star Trek captain not to return to the show in its 21st-century incarnation, but there are a couple of good reasons for this. In the fiction, Sisko disappeared at the end of DS9, ascending to the Celestial Temple to assist the Prophets in their struggle against the Pah-wraiths, "false prophets" from ancient Bajoran religious texts. Given that both Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) have returned to the Star Trek franchise in Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Prodigy respectively, Avery Brooks is conspicuous by his absence.
Although a 2022 comic book series depicts Sisko returning from the temple in the time before Star Trek: Lower Decks, seven years after the events of the DS9 finale, Brad Boimler encountered a "Sisko truther" who questioned the whereabouts of the DS9 captain. References like this, the existence of the licensed Sisko-led comic book series, and executive producer Alex Kurtzmann's desire to revisit DS9 characters in modern Trek suggest that there's a real appetite for the return of Avery Brooks as Sisko. However, it's something that is unlikely to happen, and here's why.
Why DS9's Sisko Deserves A Star Trek Return
Avery Brooks' last on-screen credit as an actor was in 2001 in the Robert DeNiro movie 15 Seconds. Since then, he's narrated documentaries, acted in the theater, and contributed to Star Trek documentaries. However, despite Brooks' changing Sisko's ending to make it clear that the character would return, he hasn't. His co-star Cirroc Lofton, who played Sisko's son Jake, told The 7th Rule podcast in 2021 that Brooks is teaching acting classes and isn't officially retired. He also claimed that Avery Brooks wanted to return to the role of Benjamin Sisko but that "he is kind of being discriminated against." This is disappointing to hear, but sadly unsurprising given the racist responses to Star Trek: Discovery season 1.
Avery Brooks as Sisko did more than most to address racial and societal issues during his time on DS9, most notably in season 6, episode 13, "Far Beyond the Stars" which saw Sisko experience segregation and racial abuse in 50s America through the eyes of sci-fi author Benny Russell. A Sisko spinoff series would be the perfect way to continue his story while honoring Brooks' wish and addressing how much or how little has changed in of societal attitudes to, and representations of race since DS9 concluded.
Which Star Trek Projects Ben Sisko Could Appear In
The ideal scenario for a Benjamin Sisko comeback would be in a show of his own that would reunite the DS9 cast in the way that Picard has. There are the bones of an idea for a DS9 season 8 in the celebratory documentary What We Left Behind, which sees Sisko return to the station amidst a conspiracy involving Julian Bashir and Section 31 attempting to destroy the Wormhole. This storyline could easily be adapted for an Avery Brooks-fronted Star Trek: Deep Space Nine spinoff series.
Alternatively, if Brooks wasn't open to a full series, the nature of Sisko's departure does technically allow him to appear in any of the current Star Trek shows. When he ascends to the Celestial Temple, Sisko transcends time, so he could just as easily pop up in the 22nd century for an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or travel forward to the 32nd century for Star Trek: Discovery. There are so many opportunities for Sisko to return on-screen that it's hoped that whatever issues are preventing Avery Brooks from returning to Star Trek are swiftly resolved.