Although Starfleet Academy is set in the 3190s, putting it roughly 790 years after the last Next Generation-era series, that doesn’t mean familiar folks from Star Trek’s past can’t show up. Here’s how Lower Decks veteran and Trekkie fan-favorite Tawny Newsome brought back a Deep Space Nine character for the modern era. Kerrice Brooks as SAM in season 1, episode 5, of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming on Paramount+. To play Illa Dax, Newsome confirms that she channeled both actresses as much as possible. “So, along with my co-writer, Kirsten Beyer, I wanted to do my best to correct that.”Starfleet Academy and Deep Space Nine stream on Paramount+.