Star Trek Actors Credit Avery Brooks for Cirroc Lofton’s “Great” DS9 Performance

Cirroc Lofton’s performance as Jake Sisko on Star Trek: DS9 was “great” thanks to Avery Brooks, say Star Trek actors on The Delta Flyers podcast.

Ben Sisko Jake Sisko Early DS9-1

Summary

  • Star Trek actors praise Cirroc Lofton’s naturalistic and standout performance in “Move Along Home”, with Armin Shimerman crediting Avery Brooks for making Lofton feel at home on set.
  • Benjamin and Jake Sisko’s father-son relationship was relatable and evolved throughout the series, with Benjamin becoming a father figure to Cirroc Lofton off-screen.
  • Cirroc Lofton skillfully navigated the acting challenges in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, undoubtedly aided by Avery Brooks’ mentorship and guidance.

Star Trek actors give credit to Commander Benjamin Sisko actor Avery Brooks for the “great” performance given by Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 10, “Move Along Home”. The primary story focuses on Quark (Armin Shimerman) playing Chula, an unusual game brought to DS9 by the first Gamma Quadrant delegation since the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole, while the episode’s B-plot revolves around the relationship between Commander Sisko and Jake, with Ben skeptical of Jake’s friendship with Quark’s nephew Nog (Aron Eisenberg). The plotlines converge when Jake discovers Ben is missing, having been sucked into the game.

Benjamin Sisko and his son Jake didn’t have it easy in DS9‘s early years. Ben’s wife and Jake’s mother, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell), died in the Battle of Wolf 359, and although Ben and Jake were still mourning their loss when they came to DS9, the Siskos helped each other cope. Despite the difficulty of balancing single parenthood with Starfleet duties and responsibilities as the Bajoran Emissary, Benjamin steered Jake towards good decisions, and took an active interest in the important parts of Jake’s life. Jake challenged Benjamin to become aware of Ben’s own potential prejudices, and consider Jake’s friendships with an open mind.

Avery Brooks as Benny Russell and Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Captain Sisko’s 10 Best Star Trek DS9 Episodes

Benjamin Sisko was a father, a widower, a religious icon, a war hero, and a Starfleet officer, and his best DS9 episodes reflect his multiple facets.

Cirroc Lofton’s Acting Praised By Star Trek: DS9 & Voyager Actors

Armin Shimerman credits Avery Brooks as Lofton’s mentor.

On The Delta Flyers podcast, co-hosts Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang, of Star Trek: Voyager, are joined by DS9‘s Armin Shimerman to watch and review DS9 season 1, episode 10 “Move Along Home”. All three actors recognize Cirroc Lofton’s naturalistic performance in scenes with Brooks, prompting Shimerman to give credit where it’s due. Read their quotes below and listen to The Delta Flyers, starting at the 11:50 timestamp.

Robert Duncan McNeill: “I thought Cirroc was great in this scene.”

Armin Shimerman: “He is terrific. I’m watching these episodes, and that fourteen-year-old boy is outshining all of us.”

Robert Duncan McNeill: “He’s open, and charming, and funny, and he’s having fun. You see a lot of kids on TV shows and films that are just anxious, you know? They’re in a set environment, and they’re just not relaxed.”

Garrett Wang: “You can see the tension. You can see how stiff the child actor is. They’re not open, they’re not playing, they’re not free. Compared to all the other actors, you can see it so clearly, but definitely, Cirroc did such a nice job blending in.”

Armin Shimerman: ” Credit for that has to go to Avery Brooks , who always made Cirroc feel at home, always made him feel as though he was a surrogate father for him.”

Benjamin and Jake Sisko Were Relatable

Brooks and Lofton brought authenticity to the Siskos’ family dynamic.

Avery Brooks was invested in portraying the relationship between Benjamin Sisko and Jake as a thoughtful depiction of genuine love between a single Black father and his teenage son. Such relationships were rare on television when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in production, making the Siskos important characters who had to be authentic. To aid in that authenticity, Brooks cultivated his off-screen relationship with Lofton, and became a father figure for Cirroc, which put the young actor more at ease on set. The tight bond between Ben and Jake Sisko was completely believable because Avery Brooks loved Cirroc Lofton like a son.

Benjamin and Jake Sisko’s father-son relationship was an important part of the characters’ lives that evolved with Brooks and Lofton. Earlier DS9 episodes, like “Move Along Home”, saw Ben and Jake in relatable and age-appropriate conflicts, like Ben disapproving of Jake’s friendship with Nog. Later years saw the Siskos facing equally relatable, but more difficult challenges as Jake grew up, like Jake choosing to be a writer instead of a Starfleet officer, or Ben dating and eventually marrying Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson). Cirroc Lofto skillfully took on the acting challenges in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, no doubt aided by Avery Brooks’ guidance.

Related Posts

Former 49ers defensive player says QB Brock Purdy “is here to stay”

Logan Ryan appeared in five regular season games for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. He started two of them. Ryan also played in all three of…

RHOBH: Annemarie Wiley Says She Spoke to One of Crystal “14 Friends,” Calls Her Actions “Pure Evil” and Suggests Crystal’s Living Her “Karma,” See Her Scathing Post

Annemarie Wiley shared she met another member of Crystal Kung Minkoff’s “14 friends” who “dropped her,” hinted that “what she did” to them was “pure evil,” and suggested she’s…

RHONY’s Jenna Lyons Thinks Kyle Richards is “Coming Over” to Her Team and Wants to Style the RHOBH Star Amid Morgan Wade Romance Rumors

Jenna Lyons revealed she would most like to style Kyle Richards because she believes the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is “coming over to [her] team.”…

Why Fans Are Focused on Kyle Richards’ Massive Cushion Cut Engagement Ring

People have been paying attention to the RHOBH cast member’s rings amid her separation from Mauricio Umansky.  There’s been a lot of chatter about Kyle Richards and her engagement and wedding…

Lisa Rinna Would ‘Love to Play a Murderer’ After Starring as a ‘Crazy’ Parent in Mommy Meanest (Exclusive)

In the Lifetime movie, Rinna stars as a woman who sends her own daughter anonymous, bullying text messages After Lisa Rinna exited The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in early 2023,…

REPORT: Paul “PK” Kemsley Storms Off After Chat With Mauricio Umansky, and Steps Out Looking “Frazzled” to Film RHOBH Season 14 Amid Separation, See Video as Insider Speaks on Marriage & Split From Dorit Kemsley

Paul “PK” Kemsley was spotted filming for the upcoming 14th season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Thursday at The Henry in West Hollywood, California — just as he and his…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *