This is funny. So many contradictions to earlier posts. 1. You yourself said that they weren't in turmoil until after Sisko got there. So I don't know what you are trying to say in the first comment. 2. I actually did say during all of this that I think bringing in a dedicated Ambassador with a Starfleet presence as well would be beneficial. Look again. 3. Your comments about the Cardassians are portraying something that "didn't happen" so they aren't worth discussing right? 4. I'm not gearing for a fight. Like I said, I just don't like to be shit on by people. Between the way you have talked to me and your pedantic nitpicking with Squiggly's metaphor you are far from the vicitim you are trying to portray. Add to the fact that you seem to be flip flopping back and forth on so much of this I can't help but feel like this is a game. I think this whole discussion for you was more about getting the best of me than actually extending the discussion for others. Happy posting.
The best way to think of it in modern times would be. You have been assigned to run a port facility for the new government of a small Latin American country coming out of a Civil War. Your not going to insult them with a non-command officer, but a captain or higher wants a better command, a real starbase or ship. So you find a commander that has leadership skills, who going sideways, and send him out to run things and to gain some sort of rapport with the nation. The commander becomes buddies with some of the leaders and is running the port well. Then oil is found....
You know the Bajorans could have only agreeded to a commander running the station and may not have been open to the idea of a captain or admiral, remember it was their station they just let Starfleet run it and they.
The Bajorans were leery enough of what little Starfleet presence was there. The feddies only sent a Commander because a higher-ranked officer might have signaled a new occupation to some of the Bajorans, specifically the jumpy Resistance guys. An Admiral or Captain signifies a permanent presence (and an Admiral a significant one), but a Commander shows enough rank to get things done, while still signifying a temporary/joint command.
I agree with this. Eventually, the Bajorans were probably going to want to take over their own territory when they were ready. That looked to be a bit of a ways off (many years, really), but they got the right balance having a Commander there who became even more than that to them, a Captain and an Emissary.
Let's look at why Sisko was born first. A Prophet took over his mother Sarah's body and stayed in/with her long enough for her to meet and marry Joseph Sisko and for them to have a son. Then she bolted. If you buy that story as legit, then it's not too farfetched to assume that a Prophet came back, took over some admiral at Starfleet Headquarters human resources office and put Sisko on the short-list for commanding Deep Space Nine. Alternatively: Aren't we told in "Homefront" or "Paradise Lost" that Leyton was the one to recommend him for the DS9 posting? is it possible Leyton was already power-hungry and planning his big bad coup beforehand and wanted Sisko at DS9 "out of the way" (in case Sisko sided against him) or in command of DS9 at the nerve center of Bajoran/Cardassian political turmoil at a time when tensions were escalating with the Cardassians?
Leyton recommended Sisko as the CO of DS9 long before the Dominion was a threat, before the wormhole was even discovered. It's unlikely Leyton was considering a coup as early as 2369.
I always assumed one of reasons was Sisko's engineering background. Same reason O'Brien seems such an important character, especially in early seasons.
I didn't say anything about the Dominion. I said the Cardassians. Remember, during season 6 of TNG, things weren't exactly rosy with them. Hence, my earlier post.
It was never really a super important assignment until the discovery of the wormhole, and by that point it was hard to get rid of him.
The Cardassians were not nearly as threatening as the Dominion. The Federation had already fought a war with them without anyone attempting a coup (presumably). The situation with the Cardassians was tense, but not that tense. They only wanted Bajor and Minos Korva; they weren't seeking to conquer the entire Federation. Leyton was motivated to overthrow a President he saw as weak, who wasn't treating the Dominion threat the way he thought it should be handled. I doubt Leyton was always looking for an excuse to overthrow the UFP government, though. The Dominion was a credible threat to the Federation's existence, something the Cardassians would never be. That kind of threat would drive a man to desperate measures. At least the Dominion was an ongoing threat to justify a military junta. At their best, the Cardassians might be able to match the Federation, but not destroy them. Threats like the Borg would arise and be defeated too quickly (or, in the worst case, not defeated at all) to justify a military dictatorship of the Federation. So I think the Dominion was the first threat that the Federation encountered that could be the continual threat that would justify Leyton's actions.
Also remember a commander was assigned as the person for the entire DMZ...Of course he goes rogue and joins the marque...