Sisko in the early years

SISKOTODAX · March 28 2010, 04:23 PM

Avery Brooks played Sisko as a reserved guy who was not that emotional in the first few seasons. Starting around season 4 he became more emotional and aggressive. He had a pep in his step and seemed more confident. This change made sense to me mainly because he had started to bond with his staff, had gained the loyalty and respect of Kira and Odo, and really cared about his mission. However, there are 2 episodes in season 3, Past Tense and Through the Looking Glass, that make me wonder what it would have been like if Brooks played Sisko differently from the start. The way he played Gabriel Bell and Mirror Sisko, is so different than Sisko in seasons 1-2. Do you think Brooks could have started off playing Sisko with some of the passion and intensity of Mirror Sisko or would if have seemed out of place and risked turning viewers away?

ChadHydro · March 28 2010, 06:19 PM

I like that Avery plays Sisko as being fairly reserved because when the emotion does finally come out it's that much more of a special performance. I always thought that Sisko was a very emotional guy but that he kept it bottled up most of the time.

diankra · March 29 2010, 12:40 AM

For better or worse (though I'd go for better) Avery Brooks's underplayed performance in the early seasons led to the 'ensemble show' (this week it's Odo, this week it's Garak and Bashir, next it's Jake and Nog...) that made DS9 different to the previous shows, and far better than any the attempts to re-do the starship template on Voyager and Enterprise.
And when Brooks did let rip, he was excellent.

Sykonee · March 29 2010, 01:47 AM

I wonder if he was instructed to downplay any emotional acting in the early seasons. Story goes many of the 'human actors' on VOY were directed as such so the 'alien actors' would stand out more.

SISKOTODAX · March 29 2010, 02:05 AM

Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

Picard Alpha · March 29 2010, 02:40 AM

SISKOTODAX wrote:

Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

I thought it was pretty obvious, Kira and Odo are not Starfleet Officers, Worf is. We should expect a more mentor/teacher/boss approach from the good Captain. Besides, in the beginning Sisko was trying hard to work with Kira and all of the Bajorans to strengthen ties. It's not like Starfleet ever completely trusted Odo with station security, they kept assigning Starfleet security officers who turn out to be Maquis spies...

Admiral Shran · March 29 2010, 01:06 PM

From an in-character perspective it works just fine, IMO. At first Sisko didn't want to be there and never really considered the station his "home," so he kept himself reserved. However, once he grew more comfortable with things like living on the station, his attachment to Bajor, and his role as the Emissary, he allowed his emotions to come to the forefront.

DevilEyes · March 30 2010, 12:47 AM

SISKOTODAX wrote:

Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

"Go over my head again, and I'll have yours on a platter."

Flying Spaghetti Monster · March 30 2010, 01:35 AM

One thing that Sisko did in the early years is that when an officer like, say, Miles came to his office to talk, he might be calm and reserved and kind of sit on the desk, while turned to face him or soemthing.

I can't imagine a bald, goatee'd Sisko doing that.

SISKOTODAX · March 30 2010, 02:03 AM

DevilEyes wrote:

SISKOTODAX wrote:

Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

"Go over my head again, and I'll have yours on a platter."

Well, at least I think he said it to her in a very mild mannered way, LOL.

SISKOTODAX · March 30 2010, 02:13 AM

Flying Spaghetti Monster wrote:

One thing that Sisko did in the early years is that when an officer like, say, Miles came to his office to talk, he might be calm and reserved and kind of sit on the desk, while turned to face him or soemthing.

I can't imagine a bald, goatee'd Sisko doing that.

Sisko with hair dealt with confrontation in a reactive i don't want to hurt your feelings too much way like superman.
Bald Sisko dealt with confrontation with a proactive get the hell out of my way attitude like Batman.

DevilEyes · March 30 2010, 02:31 AM

SISKOTODAX wrote:

DevilEyes wrote:

SISKOTODAX wrote:

Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

"Go over my head again, and I'll have yours on a platter."

Well, at least I think he said it to her in a very mild mannered way, LOL.

That was because it's much scarier and likely to be taken seriously when it's said calmly. Shouting makes you look unstable, calm threats make you look like someone who's not to be trifled with.

indolover · March 30 2010, 03:25 AM

Sisko was too rigid in the early seasons. i think after season 4, he grew a lot. This coincided with the shaven head and the beard, so it must have been a lucky charm for Avery Brooks.

Navaros · March 31 2010, 06:09 PM

I don't agree with the premise of the OP. The Sisko was the same aggressive, emotional guy right from the start. I.e. Demanding for Kira to get her subordinate, inferior butt the heck out of his office right away.

The Sisko did look better, visually, from S4 and on, because that's when they let Brooks look that way (he wanted to from the start). I don't think Brooks played him any differently, though.

VirtualDestiny · April 4 2010, 12:09 PM

In season 1 & 2 Sisko was NOT a leader in the sense that kirk Picard were
Once he shaved his hair off and looked like a leader, and quickly evolved into a leader/hero. The way a person looks and acts has a great bearing on how they are perceived by others. Avery Brooks new this an was allowed to keep in Spencer for hire look. IMHO he became the quintisential leader with all the qualities of a true commander from season 4 onwards, from the moment he told worf that he could have run away from the uniform himself

March 28 2010, 04:23 PM	#1
SISKOTODAX Lieutenant Junior Grade Location: Georgia	Sisko in the early years Avery Brooks played Sisko as a reserved guy who was not that emotional in the first few seasons. Starting around season 4 he became more emotional and aggressive. He had a pep in his step and seemed more confident. This change made sense to me mainly because he had started to bond with his staff, had gained the loyalty and respect of Kira and Odo, and really cared about his mission. However, there are 2 episodes in season 3, Past Tense and Through the Looking Glass, that make me wonder what it would have been like if Brooks played Sisko differently from the start. The way he played Gabriel Bell and Mirror Sisko, is so different than Sisko in seasons 1-2. Do you think Brooks could have started off playing Sisko with some of the passion and intensity of Mirror Sisko or would if have seemed out of place and risked turning viewers away?

March 28 2010, 06:19 PM	#2
ChadHydro Lieutenant Location: The Alpha Quadrant - where all the good parties are	Re: Sisko in the early years I like that Avery plays Sisko as being fairly reserved because when the emotion does finally come out it's that much more of a special performance. I always thought that Sisko was a very emotional guy but that he kept it bottled up most of the time. __________________ Life, According to Star Trek

March 29 2010, 12:40 AM	#3
diankra Commodore Location: UK	Re: Sisko in the early years For better or worse (though I'd go for better) Avery Brooks's underplayed performance in the early seasons led to the 'ensemble show' (this week it's Odo, this week it's Garak and Bashir, next it's Jake and Nog...) that made DS9 different to the previous shows, and far better than any the attempts to re-do the starship template on Voyager and Enterprise. And when Brooks did let rip, he was excellent. __________________ "Some days are better than others. They say that where I come from." "Loudly, I imagine, on the day you left." (Blake's 7 - Rumours of Death)

March 29 2010, 01:47 AM	#4
Sykonee Fleet Captain Location: West Coast of Canada	Re: Sisko in the early years I wonder if he was instructed to downplay any emotional acting in the early seasons. Story goes many of the 'human actors' on VOY were directed as such so the 'alien actors' would stand out more. __________________ DS9 Versus Electronic Music Critic: (~)

March 29 2010, 02:05 AM	#5
SISKOTODAX Lieutenant Junior Grade Location: Georgia	Re: Sisko in the early years Sisko has a lot of confrontational scenes with Kira and Odo during the first few seasons. Usually, he takes a restrained approach and lets them vent and yell at him. He cuts them a lot of slack. Starting in season 4, poor Worf had to deal with a different guy. In episodes like Sons of Mogh, The Ship, and The Darkness and the Light, Sisko goes off on Worf in a way he never did with Kira or Odo, LOL.

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March 29 2010, 01:06 PM	#7
Admiral Shran Admiral Location: In the Before Time - the Long, Long Ago	Re: Sisko in the early years From an in-character perspective it works just fine, IMO. At first Sisko didn't want to be there and never really considered the station his "home," so he kept himself reserved. However, once he grew more comfortable with things like living on the station, his attachment to Bajor, and his role as the Emissary, he allowed his emotions to come to the forefront. __________________ Vote Obomney 2012! "All governments suffer a recurring problem: power attracts pathological personalities. It's not that power corrupts but that it's magnetic to the corruptible." - Frank Herbert, Dune

March 30 2010, 01:35 AM	#9
Flying Spaghetti Monster Vice Admiral Location: Flying Spaghetti Western	Re: Sisko in the early years One thing that Sisko did in the early years is that when an officer like, say, Miles came to his office to talk, he might be calm and reserved and kind of sit on the desk, while turned to face him or soemthing. I can't imagine a bald, goatee'd Sisko doing that. __________________ Life of Pi is the most pleasant film I've ever not cared at all for.

March 30 2010, 03:25 AM	#13
indolover Fleet Captain	Re: Sisko in the early years Sisko was too rigid in the early seasons. i think after season 4, he grew a lot. This coincided with the shaven head and the beard, so it must have been a lucky charm for Avery Brooks.

March 31 2010, 06:09 PM	#14
Navaros Commodore	Re: Sisko in the early years I don't agree with the premise of the OP. The Sisko was the same aggressive, emotional guy right from the start. I.e. Demanding for Kira to get her subordinate, inferior butt the heck out of his office right away. The Sisko did look better, visually, from S4 and on, because that's when they let Brooks look that way (he wanted to from the start). I don't think Brooks played him any differently, though.

April 4 2010, 12:09 PM	#15
VirtualDestiny Ensign Location: Brisbane	Re: Sisko in the early years In season 1 & 2 Sisko was NOT a leader in the sense that kirk Picard were Once he shaved his hair off and looked like a leader, and quickly evolved into a leader/hero. The way a person looks and acts has a great bearing on how they are perceived by others. Avery Brooks new this an was allowed to keep in Spencer for hire look. IMHO he became the quintisential leader with all the qualities of a true commander from season 4 onwards, from the moment he told worf that he could have run away from the uniform himself __________________ A work in progress