Was Sisko's rank at the time of the Borg attack, Lt Commander (like Worf) or full-fledged Commander like on DS9 S1-S3
Sisko held the rank of Lt. Cmdr. at Wolf 359 during the Borg attack and was promoted to Cmdr. prior to his assignment to Bajor/DS9.
Lt Cmdr Benjamin Sisko http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x01/emissary013.jpg Accordin' to the novelization for 'Emissary', Sisko stayed a lt cmdr durin' his time at Utopia Planitia, and it was the upgade to full commander rank that was part of Starfleet's incentive to get him to go to DS9.
Yeah, Lt. Commander Sisko was XO of the Saratoga at Wolf 359. Afterwards, he was assigned to Utopia Planitia to work on the Defiant project. If Sisko wasn't promoted to commander until he was assigned to DS9, then he was only a commander for three years before being promoted to captain. Would that be enough "time-in-grade" for Starfleet?
There may have been a bit of politics in that promotion. Sisko was the Guardian of the Wormhole after all.
Plus you got a potential member world who worships him as a religious icon. You can't deny the Bajorian Jesus.
Definitely. Presumably, Riker was a commander for even less time (anywhere from two years to one year) when he was offered the captaincy of the Drake.
Starfleet (in any universe) tends not to pay much attention to time-in-grade requirements...so chances are there aren't any. I mean, Harry Kim was an Ensign for 7 years and while Geordi went from LTJG to Lieutenant Commander in one while Data (who saved God knows how many people God knows how many times seemed to be stuck at LTCDR.
Geordi was lieutenant jg during season one, full lieutenant during season two as his first as chief engineer then lieutenant commander during season three.
He was movin' up the first officer position - that's no guarantee he'd be a full commander in rank, though.