Original subtitles

* *

* *

(static crackling)

SAM: Hello?

Are you out there?

Are you listening?

I hope so because you're the only person

who could possibly understand my crazy story.

* *

* Let's go *

* Ladies and gentlemen *

* Let's begin *

* Whoo! *

SAM: It all started a week ago.

But wait, before I can tell you what happened,

let's start with some context.

In the last thousand years,

the Federation has encountered

4,633 sentient species.

* *

That's over 37 trillion individuals.

In all those life-forms, there's only ever been one me.

One Series Acclimation Mil.

One Sam.

* Ladies and gentlemen *

* Let's go *

Isn't that amazing?

* Let's begin *

In all space and time, I'm unique.

* Whoo! *

* Let's begin. *

I was created 217 days ago

on a world called Kasq and I'm the only

photonic cadet at the Academy.

-Hey, Sam. -Hi.

-Sammenhammer. -Ah!

-Samurai. -Genesis.

Samburger.

-Jay-Den. -Samerooni.

Darem.

I've been greeted by some version of my name

684 times

in the 97 days that I've been here.

Queen Sam Samallina.

Of Samonita.

* *

(whispers): That's my favorite.

I am Kasq's future emissary to the Federation.

Which, as you know, is a really big job

made up of lots of smaller jobs.

-(indistinct arguing) -Maintaining peace,

diplomatic relations,

resolving conflicts.

-Oh! -Being an emissary is hard.

And from what I can tell, it doesn't always go so well.

Like right now, one of my main jobs

is to explain organics to my Makers.

But that's not always so easy.

Look.

My Makers are photonics like me,

but they've never left our world.

Priority One Mission, my dude.

SAM: So they need me to explain

everything about organics:

the concept of food, what Starfleet is and why

cadets never refuse Priority One Missions,

even if they really should.

ALL (chanting): Do it, do it, do it.

Do it...

SAM: Darem hates bananas.

He's a Khionian.

His species overproduces

polyphenol oxidase causing high-potassium foods

to rot the minute they are ingested.

Show the doctor. Open. Yeah. Oh.

SAM: (groans) He knows this,

and yet he still

never checks to make sure the hash is banana-free.

(belches)

SAM: Oh, also?

Khionians vomit glitter. (chuckles)

-(laughter) -(sighs)

As I was saying,

my Makers need me to explain

everything about organics.

Problem is...

organics are chaotic,

complex and...

(in slow motion): unpredictable.

THE MAKERS: Series Acclimation Mil.

Oh.

Hi.

These are the guys I was talking about.

THE MAKERS: We are contacting you for a report.

SAM: These are my Makers.

Every week, I report to them on what I've been learning here.

And last week, they started with this.

THE MAKERS: Please explain the purpose

of your recent course selection.

Oh, I bet I know what this is about.

Is it about my music elective?

(varying tones playing)

A little background: organics created

my species a long time ago, but only saw us as servants.

Not good.

After they left, my Makers became sentient,

built a society,

and now they want to connect with other species,

which would be good, but they're afraid

organics might try to use us again,

which would be bad.

Can we trust organics?

That's what I'm here to find out.

Can I ask why you chose to learn the theremin, Sam?

Well, for one...

music!

What's not to love?

And two, electromagnetic fields creating sound

through the principles of capacitance and heterodyning

just seemed cool.

-(chuckles) -That's all?

Surely there's a deeper meaning for you?

Yeah, for sure.

Of capacitance or heterodyning?

INSTRUCTOR: I'm asking you what the music makes you feel.

THE MAKERS: What you feel is irrelevant to your mission.

But I thought my mission

was to understand organics so I can explain them to you.

THE MAKERS: Music will not help us

know that we will be safe

to open our world to them.

Trust me, I'm all in on the mission.

I'm just...

struggling with some of their intangible behaviors.

THE MAKERS: Define "intangible organic behavior."

Uh, this morning, for instance...

Darem just decided we can't share the atrium.

They were having something called a "turf war"

between us and the War College.

Primitive.

As long as you are infesting

our vastly superior classrooms--

Because your stupid talking plants ruined our tech lab.

DAREM: Your failure to anticipate our stupid

talking plants ruined your tech labs, therefore,

you stay on your side of the atrium,

lest your ineffectiveness becomes contagious.

-Oh-- -Okay? You cannot do that.

(laughter, indistinct chatter)

Jay-Den!

You're in a no-fly zone.

Look, huh?

Cute.

(laughing)

Professor, I--

Or another example:

organics have this thing called

"desire."

Pupil dilation,

elevated body temperature,

increased blood flow to the face...

and other areas.

All physical indications of that desire, but...

they won't even talk to each other.

THE MAKERS: Have you engaged in direct inquiries?

As a matter of fact, I have.

SAM: Are you ashamed to ask for sex?

(coughing)

-What? -Is that why

you hide your desire?

Do you just walk the halls asking people this stuff?

SAM: Your interest is very obvious.

Yeah, but... in a cool way, right?

No, it's not.

Does he think that?

-Anyway, things are a little... -Complicated, you know,

between our schools right now, so I'm just...

-keeping a low profile. -Keeping a low profile.

But your pheromones?

(chuckles)

-(sniffing) -Get out of my face.

Do you see what I'm talking about?

If they can't explain themselves,

how am I supposed to?

THE MAKERS: The Academy offers

an advanced seminar entitled:

"Confronting the Unexplainable."

We believe you will find all the answers to your questions

in this course. Enroll immediately.

The semester's nearly over.

(loud thrum)

A-Absolutely. Right away.

I won't let you down.

(indistinct chatter)

-At the time... -Oh.

...I was so frustrated.

But they did start me on the path

that changed my life.

*

Another emissary.

Like me.

ILLA: Pretty wild stuff, huh?

Hi. Professor Illa?

I'm Sam from Kasq.

I must enroll in your class because I need

to explain the unexplainable this semester.

Ah.

Ambitious.

But it is midterms, you've missed a ton of--

I can make them up.

-I process data instantly. -I'm sorry.

-Maybe next year. -It's just...

I have a duty.

To Kasq.

This can be my midterm project.

Solving the mystery of Benjamin Sisko.

Okay, let's back up.

Benjamin Sisko was a renowned Starfleet captain,

instrumental in ending the Dominion War,

where he saved billions of lives.

Oh, and he also discovered late in life

that he was created by godlike aliens

and wasn't entirely human.

What I'm saying is...

there's a lot here.

Like, a lot.

Solving the mystery isn't why we study him.

Can it be why I study him?

I've never known another emissary.

Hmm.

You don't do well with ambiguity, do you?

Mm-mm.

I'll tell you what.

You solve this mystery...

you can teach the class.

SAM: And that's when I decided...

...it's time to figure out what happened to Benjamin Sisko.

* *

*

* *

* *

SAM: Okay, guys, I need your help

to figure out what happened to Benjamin Sisko.

I thought we'd start simple.

Benjamin Lafayette Sisko

was a Starfleet captain who commanded Deep Space 9

near the planet Bajor in the 24th century.

The Bajorans believed that Sisko was

the emissary of the Prophets.

Emissary is a very important job.

JAY-DEN: Pause, please.

Define "Prophets" in this context.

SAM: The Prophets are godlike aliens

who the Bajorans worshipped,

who lived in the Celestial Temple.

Though he was a man of science, and initially skeptical,

Sisko embraced his role as the emissary,

rescuing Bajor from countless threats.

-The greatest of which... -(squeaks)

...were the evil Pagh-Wraiths,

who were intent on Bajor's total destruction.

In 2375,

he confronted them at the Great Fire Caves.

He was never seen again.

This is a children's book?

Damn, Bajoran kids don't play.

SAM: But wait, that's not the end.

According to Bajoran scripture, Sisko was taken directly

from the Fire Caves

to the Celestial Temple,

where he still lives with the Prophets as a guardian of Bajor.

So...

...what do we think really happened to Benjamin Sisko?

Well, he must be dead.

Right? Between the fire

-and the red guys? -GENESIS: It's wild.

My dad said he was this huge hero back in the day,

but Starfleet never found a body,

so they consider him MIA.

MIA? 800 years later?

-Come on. -SAM: This is my problem.

I have to prove that he's either dead or still alive

-with the Prophets. -DAREM: Why?

SAM: Because I want to be a great emissary like Sisko.

And to do that, I need to get into this class.

But this way he's Schrödinger's prophet.

Everybody wins.

It's not that deep, Sam.

Proving that a human either combusted or exists

on a multidimensional plane with non-corporeal entities

isn't deep?

CALEB: Dude was an emissary, okay?

Guys like this always end up dead

for telling people what they don't want to hear

or for doing crap jobs nobody else will do,

like taking on those fire things. Either way...

(imitates choking) ...he's dead.

Unless you ask a Bajoran, who will never admit that

'cause then their whole belief system falls apart.

It's not a mystery.

It's a story people tell themselves

to keep the monsters away at night.

GENESIS: Do not listen to him.

Do you know any Bajorans?

No.

Ooh, I just joined Bajor Club.

I'm a joiner.

-It's my tragic flaw. -(chuckles)

(serene music playing)

Welcome.

Are you of Bajor?

Thanks. And no, I'm of Kasq.

I'm doing a project on "The Sisko" and I was hoping

that maybe you could poss--

-Oh, that-that's not-- -Oh.

I-I'm sorry.

I-I just assumed that's how you greet new people.

Uh, your pagh is strong.

Thanks. Yours, too.

I'm assuming.

I'm in a rush, so do you mind if I just...?

Can someone turn the music down?

-(music stops) -Thank you.

Can I have everyone's attention?

Please raise your hand

if you have spoken to or seen The Sisko

since he died.

Or supposedly died.

Allegedly. I-I know you have

your scriptures, which are... great.

I'm just looking for something a little more concrete,

or, like, evidence-based or...

something more provable

that isn't just based on nonsense.

It says here you pulled someone's ear

and yelled, "Prove to me he's still alive."

I misread the situation.

Believe me, not a fatal error.

Sit.

When I lived on Bajor, Sisko

was like a god to them.

They don't even show images of him anymore because

they believe he's transcended human form.

Like a god, like a man, like a prophet.

People believe all these things are true.

Maybe they are.

Questions reveal the most

about the people who ask them, so keep asking.

You might learn something about yourself.

This isn't about me, Chancellor.

Say more.

My Makers sent me here to understand organics.

It's been a long time since they've been around them,

and it was kind of rough

for them back then.

They don't trust you, any of you.

But they want to, they just need

to understand how to integrate with organics now.

And if it's even possible.

You have a unique circumstance.

You're here to dream for your entire world.

Some of our students come to Starfleet Academy

to live out their own dreams.

But you're dreaming us up, kid.

You have to know who you are to do that.

It's... crucial, actually.

But how do I do that unless--?

DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Captain Ake, you have

-a message from engineering. -Today is...

not a lunch day. (munches)

Have you tried the Sisko Museum?

-Mm-mm. -It's in New Orleans,

but you can access the exhibits virtually.

Now I got to go deal with this.

The Sisko...

Museum.

Kelrec?

Kelrec!

Care to tell me...

...why the entire SFA power grid is down?

I decline to answer.

Sorry, am I reading this right?

You're heating the ocean?

Just a small lagoon therein.

Now if you'll excuse me--

Using unauthorized alien tech to boil...

-Gently heat. -...the Pacific Ocean?

A small lagoon therein.

I do not answer to you.

(sighs)

I'm hosting an important visitor.

Chancellor Amal, from the planet Alpherat.

Hot date?

Explains the sweat.

As you very well know,

the Alpherati are brilliant military strategists

with an impressive training academy.

Chancellor Amal reached out to me

about a possible collaboration between our institutions.

Quite an honor.

And she needs the ocean hot? Why?

For her fleet of fire eels.

-Her what? -Sensitive creatures

who can't handle the cold.

The Alpherati bring them everywhere

-for security. -Eels? For security?

What if the chancellor needs protecting on land?

That's, uh--

Uh...

I don't know.

Wait.

You said she reached out to you?

-Mm-hmm. -The Alpherati never reach out.

Well, perhaps she's impressed with the War College's success

despite our recently depleted resources.

Look, I don't have time for this.

I have to prepare a traditional Alpherati dinner

involving something called a Kometa,

and I still haven't chosen a wine.

What says "tactical prowess," a Cab

-or a Pinot Blanc? -Kelrec!

You're losing it.

Heating the ocean?

Making it so my teachers can't do their jobs?

A medically worrying amount of sweat.

Sit down.

Let me make you some tea.

You wouldn't even know where to begin.

I've done hundreds of diplomatic dinners.

You fix my power,

I'll show you how to wow the chancellor.

You'll help me?

-Why? -(sighs)

Goodness of my heart? Brain parasite?

Okay.

I feel bad about the Vitus Reflux debacle.

How are those plants, by the way?

They should be in the off-gassing stage.

They are fine and I do not wish to discuss the off-gassing.

Maybe I'm tired of being enemies.

This animosity isn't good for our cadets, either.

Have you seen the atrium?

How can we expect them to coexist,

when all we see in each other are...

depleted resources?

You can trust me.

(laughs softly)

Your hand is very sweaty.

Great!

Dress rehearsal for the Alpherati Soup Ritual tonight.

Wait, soup?

1900 hours, my office.

I'll fill the other roles.

What other roles?

DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Good morning, fellow travelers.

Friendly reminder that fitness and stamina assessments

will begin at 0900 in the gymnasium.

Caffeine is allowed. Excuses are not.

AUTOMATED VOICE: Welcome to the virtual access portal

for the Benjamin Sisko Museum.

Greetings, visitor.

Here you will learn about the life of the man himself.

Husband, father,

Starfleet officer,

and the importance of his role

as emissary to the Prophets of Bajor.

SAM: "The chosen one"?

Please select your topic of interest.

The Sisko was created by the Prophets

to be their emissary to the people of Bajor.

His mother Sarah was both human and prophet,

so his path was predetermined

long before he was the emissary.

So, what,

we just have to do what we're told?

No matter what?

Please approach an item of interest

to learn more about its importance.

Benjamin Sisko enjoyed a sport called baseball,

an ancient Earth game of tactics, strategy

and athletic prowess.

This is one of the original Orbs

gifted by the Prophets to the citizens of Bajor.

It enabled users to feel connected to the Prophets

and communicate with them.

SAM: So, kind of like an interdimensional comms badge

that lets you talk to the Prophets.

Hmm.

Worth a shot.

(clears throat)

Dear Sisko.

The Sisko.

O Captain, my Captain.

I am Sam.

I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to ask you anything,

but, well, I'm an emissary.

Like you.

But I'm failing at it.

My Makers have been alone for so long,

they're counting on me to know

how to communicate with organics.

To make sure we'll be safe with them.

How do I become what my Makers need me to be?

How do I understand the organic experience enough to...

You can't hear me, can you?

AUTOMATED VOICE: Here you can learn more

about Benjamin Sisko's family lineage.

You were his son.

Please make your selection from the Starfleet Academy

lecture series archives.

INTERVIEWER: What made your father a great emissary?

That's funny.

I didn't know him as "the emissary."

But if you want to know what made him a great man,

how much time do you got?

I knew a man that loved baseball,

a man who would knock out a Q without thinking twice.

I knew a man who always championed me,

especially in my writing.

I know his recipes, his passions,

and the example he set for me as a father,

so that when I became a father myself,

I was able to love my children the way he loved me.

And teach them how to make a mean gumbo.

I imagine all of those things made him a good emissary too,

but you'd have to ask the Prophets about that.

(electronic glitch)

* *

SAM: Wish I could've known you.

DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Specialist Krebbs,

your Talaxian Furfly is now consuming its own fur.

It's disgusting. Please advise.

So, this is still happening?

I've processed every bit

of factual information about Benjamin Sisko that exists.

Uh-huh.

But it's not enough to solve this mystery.

ILLA: That's intense. And cool.

-SAM: Thank you. -ILLA: But I did warn you

-it wasn't solvable. -SAM: I still think it is.

But I need to ask you something first.

-Quickly. -I found a recording

of his son Jake.

And here's his dad, one of the greatest emissaries ever,

but all Jake wanted to do is talk about

how much his dad loves gumbo.

ILLA: Where are you on the tomato debate?

SAM: Well, I don't eat, so it's kind of--

ILLA: To tomato or not to tomato

is a hot-button issue in gumbo circles.

For some, it's a necessity.

-Others claim a sacrilege. -SAM: Oh.

ILLA: Neither is a fact,

but people cling hard to their sides.

-Oh. -Now, Benjamin

learned to make gumbo at his father's restaurant,

Sisko's Creole Kitchen.

Considered the tomato such a gumbo staple,

he grew them in his quarters.

A choice, one of many, that made him who he was.

So, you're saying...

You are not going to solve this mystery with facts alone.

So, if our choices determine who we are,

what determines our choices?

What we love. Tomatoes.

Tomatoes. And lots of other things.

One thing the man was not short on was love.

Yeah. So can I join your class now?

No.

Again, I don't eat, but that seemed wrong.

Hmm.

DAREM: Yeah, so I get the solution. It's the equation...

SAM: Need a midterm study break?

Yeah, I know this stuff anyway.

Ah...

-What is that? -(overlapping chatter)

It smells amazing.

-GENESIS: The amazing-est. -SAM: Gumbo,

étouffée, aubergine stew, all from the menu

at Sisko's family restaurant, which I can't eat,

so I need you to describe it for me.

My mouth is on fire, and I never want it to go out.

It's like crunchy love on a plate.

GENESIS: Fried dough and sugar are some of the few things

in life that buy immediate stress relief.

Gimme, gimme, gimme.

CALEB: Mmm. If you give me access

to your primary system, maybe I can figure out

-a way for you to taste stuff. -Ooh.

Okay.

-GENESIS: Mmm. -Whoo!

My life is literally changing.

I mean this strictly as a friend:

this is incredibly sexy.

Um...

Try this.

-Oh, wow. -Yeah.

-Like it? -Yeah.

-Keep. Keep. -Oh. Purple.

Mm... (humming softly)

JAY-DEN: Is that supposed to be a scarf?

Ooh.

Um... Okay.

(marching band music playing)

Why-why do I hear a marching band?!

* *

(yodeling music playing)

(music stops)

Give me some time, I'll figure it out.

Do you want to send it to my PADD?

Yeah.

-Is that raktajino? -Yeah.

Ah, glorious day. Klingons invented it.

-GENESIS: Leave some for me. -Is it good?

I-I made some changes.

Uh, no.

It's horrendous. I respect that you tried.

Uh, I researched Sisko for you and found something interesting

-about his son. -Jake?

Yes. He's a renowned author.

Rumor is, he was writing a book, Anslem,

which is Bajoran for "father."

I know, but no one seems to know if he ever finished it.

I know a cadet bar where Sisko used to hang out.

Think he got punched there by a Vulcan once.

OCAM: Hold up.

There's a cadet bar here?

Kind of.

Okay, so, The Launching Pad? Long gone.

But pretty much in the exact same spot is the aptly named...

Oh, The Academy. I love that place.

What? It's my first planet. I explore.

How am I finding out this late that you're cool?

(forced laugh) You want to go?

It's cadet night every Friday during midterms.

Priority One Mission?

-DAREM: I'm in. -I'm, I'm...

You know I'm in.

I am trying to walk in Sisko's footsteps.

And some of the best footsteps lead to bars.

* *

THE MAKERS: Series Acclimation Mil.

You are not yet enrolled in the seminar we requested.

That's exactly what I'm trying... Forget it.

THE MAKERS: Be advised: if you fail in your mission

to understand organics, you will be of no use to us.

You will return to Kasq and all contact with organics

will cease, forever.

But you can't just drop me in here

and expect me to-- these-these organics...

(stammers) ...they're my friends.

They're meaningful to me.

THE MAKERS: This is not for you to determine.

So, either I succeed as your emissary

or I spend the rest of my existence on Kasq,

as a failure.

Away from anyone who cares about me.

THE MAKERS: You have one more week

to demonstrate your value as our emissary

before we remove you from Starfleet Academy permanently.

Sam.

Sam? You okay?

* *

What happens at bars?

I would very much like to find out.

-Tonight. Let's do it. -Yes, she would.

(chuckles) Mm!

THE DOCTOR: Welcome to the sacred ritual

of the Kometa fish.

We come to the table as strangers,

but upon leaving, may we find ourselves

as friends, not foes.

Uh, is there a third thing we could find ourselves as?

Uh, I'm gonna need to know

when we do and don't use these things.

I must thank you for including me, Nahla.

The Kometa is one of my favorite customs.

-And I have never heard of it. -NAHLA: It's been a while

for me, but everything is written out on our PADDs,

so it shouldn't be hard.

I will play Chancellor Amal.

The Doctor, as our reigning expert,

is our Kometa Sage.

He will provide feedback for how the meal is going.

And Reno, you will play two parts.

Um, the Secrets Guardian and Sacred Gift Pig.

A one-woman ensemble.

Good thing I'm hilarious.

No, Commander, this is a serious ritual.

The Alpherati would find any laughter gravely offensive.

Good news. Kelrec is never funny.

I possess a biting wit.

-(blows raspberry) -For the Kometa Soup Ritual

to work, it must be a sober affair.

-Would you stop? -NAHLA: Thank you, Doctor.

(English accent): Now, what do you appreciate most

about your position as chancellor?

That I answer to no one.

(regular accent): E-Easy, Kelrec.

Allies, remember?

Here's a less loaded question.

(English accent): What makes the War College successful?

Like the Alpherati, I am a very serious individual.

I believe we succeed by maintaining

strict academic and military rigor.

A fine answer.

And now...

...time for soup.

RENO: "Honored guest,

what..."

No.

"Honored guest, what do you fear?"

I suppose I fear...

Hmm?

...letting down those I have sworn to protect.

RENO: "Well done. And now,

a request from the Gift Pig."

-Oh, right. I'm the pig. -Mm-hmm.

Sorry, I think I'm just really thrown

by the fact that no one has a normal-looking spoon.

-Hey. -I got it.

Um, "Your secret is a gift,

"and your gift

is asking the chancellor for a secret."

What?

Chancellor Amal,

what don't you want me to see?

I don't want you to see my helping you

as in any way strategic, but if I'm honest, it is.

Ah. Honesty.

How refreshing.

(regular accent): It tends to pair well with trust.

What's next?

My PADD says "a musical performance."

* *

* *

(dance music playing)

GENESIS: Hey! Good to see you again.

Come here.

I figured out how to adjust your processing matrix.

-Want to see? -Yeah.

-Right here. -This will help me taste gumbo?

Ooh, no, no, no. Better than that.

This will get you wasted. Okay? So it'll simulate

how organics feel when we drink,

so euphoria, lowered inhibitions.

All guilt-free.

One tap equals one shot, okay?

SAM: I'll never know if I was walking in the footsteps

of the emissaries in this particular moment,

so let's just say I did this for science.

And Kasq.

Like I said, I'm all about the mission.

Uh, that's too many shots.

Why is everybody so squiggly?

-(grunts) -DZOLO: No.

No, no, no, no. What the hell is Academy doing here?

B'AVI: This is a deeply unpleasant turn of events.

I see that you have come to colonize

yet another one of our cherished locales.

Aka, you losers ruin everywhere.

Great jackets, guys.

If I were you, I would consider leaving.

-Quickly. -DZOLO: Eat glass, bro.

-You leave. -I concur with Dzolo.

-Eat glass. -This is very dramatic,

and I'm sure has deep meaning for you all,

but I have other customers trying to enjoy the bar.

So let's have a shot and play nice, hmm?

-(exhales) -Have fun.

SAM: My name is Sam.

Sam... (muttering)

-Hey. -(Sam giggling)

-You okay? -Yeah.

You want to go somewhere else?

No!

We're staying here because this is where Sisko went.

I'm doing this. Mm-hmm.

-Hmm? -Priority One Mission:

stop being a wimp-ass bird boy and just talk to Tarima.

We can all see that you two want to...

(sputters)

-Are you making a panini? -Yeah.

CALEB: Okay, you're drunk.

I'll talk to Tarima, just... stop doing that.

(Sam giggles)

You have a firm booty, Mir.

So, you ready for Quantum Chem tomorrow?

Uh, definitely not.

No?

I don't know, you seem ready.

You got a capable bearing.

Thank you.

Your bearing is also impressive.

Oh, wow!

-I love love. I love love. -Mm-hmm.

Like, no one does love like organics.

Do you love? But Klingons

is like more, is more... (belches)

-Ugh... -Or, like, less is more.

Or like, more is more or-or, like...

(Sam muttering)

(laughing, hiccupping)

(belches)

I-I love love! (exhales)

I love love. I love love. I love love.

I love love. Ocam!

I love love! (laughs)

(playing melody poorly)

Beautiful, Kelrec.

Really slow and loud.

-Thank you. -Yes,

you-you played a lot of notes.

Next, an interpretive dance.

-Ugh. -NAHLA: In the interest

of time, let's skip ahead to-- Ah.

Open-Hearted Salute.

That's me, with the assistance of our Chorus.

Hey, uh, look, I don't know if I can do whatever this is.

Oh, it-it's a lovely segment.

The host lists our guests' attributes,

citing why they will make great allies.

NAHLA (English accent): Commander Kelrec,

though our philosophies differ,

I know we will find solid ground.

As we look for shared values,

our diversity in thought will be our greatest strength.

Here's to working together to build a bright future

for our two academies.

KELREC: Thank you, Chancellor Amal.

This evening has surprised me.

I, too, look forward to the future.

(air whistling out of fish)

(laughter)

-(air whistles out of fish) -(laughter continues)

THE DOCTOR: I'm sorry, Commander.

Sometimes the fish does that.

I should have known better.

I was a fool to trust any of you.

(laughs): It's just the fish.

Kelrec, it's the fish.

-We're having fun. -You can't be asked

to take anything seriously for even an hour?

What ridiculous people you all are.

-I take offense to that. -I'm actually okay

with that description.

NAHLA: Forgive us. You can trust me.

Let's get back to our meal.

You speak a great deal about trust

for someone who abandoned Starfleet 15 years ago.

* *

Is that why you never gave me a chance?

You think I abandoned...

You did abandon it.

Tell me something about Lanthanites, Nahla.

What's the point of such a long life

if your memory is this short?

(dance music playing in distance)

(exhales)

-Hi. -Hi.

You know, I-I'm really enjoying this little game of yours.

-Hmm? -Yeah.

It's like a...

It's like a one-man will he, won't he?

No, it's riveting.

Yeah? It's not really a game, it's more of like a...

...proximate distance relationship.

Who decided there would be a relationship?

I mean, why bother, you know,

if it's proximate?

I don't know.

Some of my most epic relationships

have been completely imaginary.

* *

I'm more hands-on.

* Hey! *

* *

(slurring): Gensesis.

-GENESIS: Hmm? -I get it now.

I think The Sisko just wanted to be Ben, you know?

He just wanted to go out with his friends like this,

you know, and have a good time,

and-and be a good dad and build sailboats,

you know, and-and start riots.

Did Sisko start riots I don't know about?

Also, did you call me Gensesis?

The things that he loved were everything to him.

He was ripped away from them.

Who chooses that? Hmm?

I bet the Celestial Temple

doesn't even have shrimp and grits.

Watch.

-Hey, hey, hey, wormhole aliens! -Sam--

-Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. Sam. -Mm-hmm. Hmm?

You're drunk right now.

This feeling you're feeling, it's not real.

It is real! I feel so alive.

But being an emissary means

you never get to do what you want to do ever.

(fast-paced rock music playing)

Yeah, this is my song!

* One, two, three, four... *

No, no. No, no, no, no. (laughing)

I guarantee you've never heard this song before.

-SAM: Let's go! -Okay.

(cheering)

(distorted laughter)

(cheering)

Hey. It's time to go.

You've clearly had too much. You're slumming it.

B'AVI: You assume the Klingon

-is the one slumming. -Step away, fish stick.

Bar fight!

Just like Sisko!

Don't make me embarrass you, girl.

You okay, Sam?

For the emissaries!

(others gasping)

* One, two, three, four *

* I'll find a remedy, pure energy... *

*

(distorted yelling)

* *

(screams)

(groaning)

(coughing)

-Um... -Probably not our business?

DAREM: Caleb, where the hell are you?!

Get your ass in here!

(song ends)

Let me guess. I should see the other guy.

SAM (slurring): You should see the other guy.

(giggling)

-Are you intoxicated? -Intoxicated with the truth.

CALEB: Yep, that's my bad.

-Master controls now. -I want to sleep now.

(grunts softly)

(controls blipping)

Yeah, she's sober now.

What is a burrito,

and why do I want it right this second?

Return to your quarters right now.

Not you, Sam.

-GENESIS: Bye, girl. -JAY-DEN: Feel better, Sam.

SAM: Are you angry with me, Doctor?

I'm disappointed. I didn't expect this from you.

I did it to solve the mystery of Captain Sisko.

-Captain Sisko? -You knew him?

Sadly, no.

My creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, met him once.

And I did become acquainted with his son Jake years later.

Fantastic writer.

You knew Jake?

W-What did he tell you about his father?

How could he bear to lose him like that?

The same way we all learn to live with loss.

Get over it, move on.

You can't just get over something like that.

You can, and you do.

DIGITAL DEAN OF STUDENTS: Attention, cadets.

Academy Explorers has announced a trip to Muir Woods.

If you'd like to see some of the oldest

and most majestic trees on Earth,

be at the transfer arches at 0600 hours tomorrow morning,

for some morning wood. (laughing)

-NAHLA: Where you headed? -To meet Chancellor Amal

-at the Alpherati ship. -Ah.

Thank you for restoring our power.

Things should work when they work.

I'm beginning to understand

you're going to make all of our interactions

as uncomfortable as possible.

-Not for me. -You not keeping your word

doesn't mean I wouldn't keep mine.

Double negative.

I appreciate your honesty.

-Count on it. -Same.

Right. Why would we ride in silence?

Uh... Oh.

-Uh... -So here's the thing.

Yes?

I understand why you feel I abandoned Starfleet.

You've had to live in absolutes.

But if you make a judgment without context,

whether it's me or Chancellor Amal,

you'll have a hell of a time getting people to trust you.

Or your cadets.

* *

How bad was my flute?

It was rough, man. (chuckles)

(laughs, snorts)

I failed.

ILLA: Did you, now?

Congrats.

Well, failure can be fun.

But anyway, talk. What did you learn?

It doesn't matter how Sisko died.

Or if he died.

All I know is that he didn't get to live the life that he wanted.

His entire existence was planned out for him

by-by a bunch of wormhole aliens.

Emissaries who succeed lose everything they love,

and emissaries who fail do, too.

Either way, you're doomed.

So, a lot.

You learned a lot.

I think it's time you see something.

Is that Anslem?

You know it? Oh, of course you do.

So Jake actually wrote it?

But never published it.

It was one of the many ways he kept Benjamin close.

Here.

* *

SAM: "Why did it have to be him?

"Why couldn't the Prophets have chosen someone else

as their emissary so that I didn't have to lose my dad?"

JAKE: I didn't realize until now

that who he was as my father is inseparable

from who he was as an emissary.

There was no one else to do what he did.

He chose and was chosen all at once.

Hi.

Hey, sis.

Are you real?

(chuckles) Do you want me to be?

Mm. You're amazing.

(chuckles) So are you.

Sorry you lost your dad.

I think the Prophets are jerks.

No, they're all right.

Without them, he doesn't exist.

And neither do I.

But it wasn't fair to him.

A life with no real choice.

Can I show you something?

Kendra Valley on Bajor.

My dad bought this land to make a house for us.

He left before he could build it.

That-That's awful.

(chuckles) Not really.

This was right before the Prophets told him

that if he married Kasidy,

he would know nothing but sorrow.

He thought about what they said.

And married her anyway.

He did what the Prophets needed, but he did it his way.

Those last few months with Kasidy and me

were the best we ever had as a family.

The Prophets were wrong sometimes.

As much as they taught him, he taught them, too.

By staying true to himself.

I-I don't, I don't...

I don't think I can be Kasq's emissary.

I get it.

Thing is, emissaries are important.

They build bridges,

they create stability in a universe

that sometimes feels like

all it wants to do is tear itself apart.

But they sacrifice so much.

Everyone makes sacrifices.

My father's saved billions of people.

Sometimes lose-lose is actually win-win.

But what-what if I can't do it?

What if I'm not enough?

You are enough.

My dad told me that so many times.

I just wish I'd listened to him sooner.

Thanks for writing it down.

It's what I was made to do.

So, if I close this-this book,

are-are you just gonna disappear?

I don't know, girl.

I-I thought you were the one controlling all of this.

-Oh. -(laughs)

JAKE: You know all those things that you think he missed?

He didn't.

He was always there.

He never really left us.

I can't prove it, but I know it's true.

* *

Did you find what you were looking for?

Yes.

Good.

Where did you get this from?

I was asked to keep it safe.

And only share it with those

who would understand how to use it.

How did you know that Sisko grew tomatoes?

I couldn't find that in any of the records.

Are those Trill markings?

Wait a minute.

-Illa isn't a surname, is it? -You're a good detective.

I expect to see you in my class next year.

Find it in the course catalogue under my full name: Illa Dax.

Wait.

You're Dax?

Like the Dax?

As in "mentor to Sisko" Dax?

Wow. I should have known you'd do your research.

Benjamin would have liked you.

He loved people who got into trouble for the right reasons.

(varying tones playing)

SAM: So, after all of those experiences,

after everything I learned about you,

I finally realized what I needed to tell my Makers.

Look, it's going to take time

for me to learn all the stuff

you want me to know about organics.

Their behavior can't be explained

or predicted by an algorithm

because their purpose is not understanding,

it's becoming.

I have to do that too, just like Benjamin Sisko did.

In the meantime, I don't know if you can trust them,

but-but I know that I can.

I'll reach out when there's something to report.

And until then, assume all is well.

THE MAKERS: If you disobey us, you will have failed.

SAM: No. It's why I'll succeed.

But on my terms. And I can live with that.

-Series Acclimation Mil. -Later.

-You may not-- -(snaps fingers)

SAM: My music teacher once asked me

why I chose to learn the theremin.

I think because it feels like me.

It has no strings, no keys.

Technically speaking, I have no body.

But it creates its own unique kind of music.

Music that inspires hope,

love, connection.

That builds bridges.

And isn't that what an emissary does?

I'm not sure if it matters to you that who you were,

who you became, and the mystery of your fate

changed the life of a girl who wouldn't even know your name

until 800 years after you vanished,

but that's what happened.

Well, it's sort of like you theremined me.

Completely changed me, my whole life.

And I can never really tell you how much you mean to me.

But I honor you, wherever you are,

and hope that this message finds you well.

Thank you for sharing your life with this universe.

Thank you for creating an amazing son,

for loving him into being his best self.

Everyone should have a dad like you.

If you ever want to talk...

...I'm here, Benjamin.

* *

SISKO: Divine laws are simpler than human ones,

which is why it takes a lifetime to be able to understand them.

Only love can understand them.

Only love can interpret these words

as they were meant to be interpreted.

Captioning sponsored by CBS

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