LogFAQs > #934012654

9. Benjamin Sisko
Im the second most famous bald captain in Starfleet.

Every so often, you get a Sisko is the best captain person. Theyre rare, but theyre around. Sorry, guys. Siskos wonderful, but hes no Kirk or Picard.

Compared to the other captains, Id say Sisko is more defined by his past and stuff thats piled up in him over time. I never, ever got the impression that Picard and Janeway were really weighed down by decisions theyd made over time, by the wacky space shenanigans they had to deal with, or by their pasts. Kirk only feels that way in the movies. Only Archer also has a past that really affects his actions, and even his only comes into play when Vulcans are around. Sisko, though? Dudes got a dead wife, a son, and a stalled career, and all of that is just in the first episode. Even the trivial nonsense about him is eventually important, like his love for baseball. With Sisko, everything feels significant, and thats a big deal. No single-episode love interests for him.

God, can you imagine a Voyager where Janeway actually feels guilty about people dying under her command and is like What have I doooooonnnnneeee? Sisko gets that, and he also gets like a slow descent into doing things he could have never imagined, like framing the Dominion to get the Romulans to join a war.

This works the other way around, by the way. Theres an episode where Sisko gets so upset at Eddington for outstaging him that he bluffs and says Im going to release poison gas onto a Maquis planet if you dont turn yourself in, except its not a bluff. Its impossible to imagine any other captain getting so offended that he or she would resort to that. I guess when you have Jesus job security, though, you can do whatever you want and the Federation just has to accept it.

Sisko is also a little more casual and friendly with his high-ranking officers than the other non-Archer captains. People talk about how early Sisko and Picard are very similar, but I dont really see it. The dude smiled in a way that would be completely out of character for Picard.

Is the most unbelievable thing in DS9 that the Changelings never even tried to replace Sisko? Like, really, he has to be the most obvious target in the entire Alpha Quadrant. Its never even brought up as a possibility. Bashir, Kira, and OBrien get Changelings, but not Sisko.

I like the idea of just kind of a normal captain accidentally becomes Jesus and has to deal with it. Theres a lot of good stuff where Sisko is clearly uncomfortable with the idea and does his best not to abuse his power over the Bajorans. I also like the idea of him slowly warming to the Prophets and finally accepting his role. Sisko is the only chosen one narrative really possible in Star Trek, and it works in a way that no wait I told myself Id stop talking about Discovery.

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Started: July 6, 2005