Avery Brooks

[Arpy]

I sometimes wonder how much of this stuff is us finding out years later about some contract negotiation tactic employed ages ago. Or run-of-the-mill working people's complaints we all have. Unless I hear something from the individual themselves, clarified for context, I err on the side of meh.

 

[lurok]

You can almost feel Brooks' frustration leaping off the screen in some early season episodes. The smartest thing the showrunners did was let him go back to a more comfortable look and let him direct.

 

[JesterFace]

Avery Brooks never said he wanted to leave either!!!

I thought he was on the fence at least once if he would stay for 7 seasons.

 

[CommanderTrip]

The only truth I know about Avery Brooks is that he is a cool cat, and the man literally speaks in Jazz.

I can't help but conclude this is the primary influence as to why he was chosen to be the prophet's emissary.

 

[InactiveBoimler]

FWIW I think that DS9 was great from the beginning. The pilot is amazing. Season 1 was about as good as Season 3 of TNG or Voyager (each of which was barely watchable in their first season). Seasons 2 and 3 are each better than the last. I thought Season 4 waffled a bit but Season 5 reaches even greater heights. I'm mid-season 5 in my current rewatch, having never seen all the episodes in order before.

Why does Avery look more and more tired as the show progresses? Did he just have kids or something? (He did a great job, though.)

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Had he left would they have recast the role (like Bujold/Mulgrew Janeway) or introduced a whole new CO (like Sinclair/Sheridan on B5)?

The former would've allowed them to continue the series pretty much the same as what we got. The latter has knock on effects for big plot points (what with Sisko being the Emissary) as well as the removal of Jake and his friendship and positive effect on Nog. The Emissary thread could've been how Brooks was written out, maybe in such a way that left it open for him to return as a special guest, it could also have introduced a time of uncertainty and instability for Bajor (losing both a popular Kai and then the Emissary in the span of a couple of years), which could've had some interesting repercussions. Nog may have not become such a prominent character and I think it'd be unlikely he joined Starfleet, since he seemed to make his decision based on his friendship with Jake and seeing Jake's relationship with his father.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Why does Avery look more and more tired as the show progresses? Did he just have kids or something? (He did a great job, though.)

Yes, they were all pretty tired. Star Trek generally had the longest hours in Hollywood at the time. A tech person even died driving home after a day's shoot.

He does have three kids, and I suspect that the only reason he took any television or film gigs was to support them through college. In 50 Year Mission, Brooks tells a story of how he was constantly stopped by the studio guards to search his Volkswagen Rabbit while other (white) employees were allowed to pass. That's right, he drove a Rabbit! Not that he had to spend on extravagances, but that is a surprisingly modest car, especially for a series lead.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Had he left would they have recast the role (like Bujold/Mulgrew Janeway) or introduced a whole new CO (like Sinclair/Sheridan on B5)?

I think it would depend on what season he left. Probably after season 2, the studio would not care. It would be more of a matter of what Berman, Piller and Behr would have wanted. I think Behr, and perhaps Piller, would have been fine retooling the series around Nana Visitor. However, Voyager having a woman as captain was such a big selling point, that I doubt Berman would have allowed it. Perhaps they would have thrown a bunch of money at Frakes?

 

[kkt]

Leaving before his contract was up after season 6 would have been unprofessional. By then, I think he wanted to continue in the role which was already planned to be the last year of the series.

The Rabbit was the classic city car of the time! Good gas mileage, reliable, easy to park in small spaces.

Brooks was also old enough to appreciate that good paying roles come and go. Blowing all your money when you have one is not a good idea.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

The Rabbit was the classic city car of the time! Good gas mileage, reliable, easy to park in small spaces.

I won't knock it. It was a rugged car, evidenced by the number of friends I knew who had it handed down to them. Indeed, it beat a lot of other hand-me down cars(like the ubiquitous Volvo station wagon).

I do think that the fact he drove a Rabbit says a lot about a personality who didn't chase stardom like many actors. Perhaps he had other driving options, but certainly it would take some strength of character for an actor to pull up to a public event in such a car.

 

[Swedish Borg]

I wonder if A. Brooks leaving would have killed the series or if they would have somehow managed to save it... Maybe if some other worthy actor would have agreed to take Brooks's place.. He would have left the station for whatever reason... and someone else comes... For all, we know the show could even have been better. I tend to think that a show lives through its writers more so than through the actors that incarnate it. Plus the show was named DS9 after all, not Sisko...

 

[kkt]

It would have been hard to recover from losing Brooks, especially after season 6. If Brooks left, Jake would probably leave too (back to Oregon to live with his aunt, or to New Orleans) as he wasn't really quite ready to live on his own yet. If Jake left, Nog wouldn't have nearly as much of interest to do. Farrell was already leaving. Kira would be very distressed about the Emissary leaving. If they brought Ezri in, she wouldn't have that strong friendship ready made with the new CO. The relationship between Bajor and the Federation would be seriously hurt. Altogether it would have been a major blow to the show.

 

[Swedish Borg]

It would have been hard to recover from losing Brooks, especially after season 6. If Brooks left, Jake would probably leave too (back to Oregon to live with his aunt, or to New Orleans) as he wasn't really quite ready to live on his own yet. If Jake left, Nog wouldn't have nearly as much of interest to do. Farrell was already leaving. Kira would be very distressed about the Emissary leaving. If they brought Ezri in, she wouldn't have that strong friendship ready made with the new CO. The relationship between Bajor and the Federation would be seriously hurt. Altogether it would have been a major blow to the show.

I am not talking about season 6, but after season 1 or 2, which was the idea of the thread. I think the show would still have been salvageable. Of course, it would have demanded a lot of creative writing to put it back on track.

 

[Swedish Borg]

I mean, take the Visitor for example. Suppose that it was what really happened and Sisko never recovered from the... disappearing thing...

 

[InactiveBoimler]

It would have really sucked if Brooks had left. He makes a really interesting lead to the show. Sure, there could be interesting story possibilities to explore surrounding his departure. But I don't think the show would have been the same without him. And the reluctant hero role they crafted for Sisko with his wife killed in battle sidelining him and then becoming emissary without wanting the position...it was all beautiful

BTW DS9 is the best Trek series IMO. Such a rich assemblage of characters and so much depth to the storytelling. It was incredible how they weaved these long overarching narrative arcs throughout the season and had important plot points crop up in standalone character development episodes. I've been rewatching TNG, Voyager, and now DS9 for the last year after I watched the new Picard/Disco/LD shows. DS9 is the only 80s/90s Trek that compels me to binge episode after episode.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Leaving before his contract was up after season 6 would have been unprofessional. By then, I think he wanted to continue in the role which was already planned to be the last year of the series.

The Rabbit was the classic city car of the time! Good gas mileage, reliable, easy to park in small spaces.

Brooks was also old enough to appreciate that good paying roles come and go. Blowing all your money when you have one is not a good idea.

Brooks had mentioned in interviews he enjoyed his character who could inspire children to look up to. What he did on the earlier seasons of DS9 was fantastic and the writing was very intelligent. Writing quite appropriate for Brooks', as well as the entire cast, talent.

 

[Oddish]

Once he was able to adopt his preferred look (goatee, bald), it was a strongly positive change. A colleague said that it helped him feel more free, more himself. When you're with a character that long, that's important.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I love Casey Biggs's story about his struggle with technobabble in What We Left Behind. Brook's advice...

"Glide... Dick!"

 

[Swedish Borg]

I love Casey Biggs's story about his struggle with technobabble in What We Left Behind. Brook's advice...

"Glide... Dick!"

I don't remember him having that many lines with technobabble. When his character started getting lines he was more involved with security, antagonizing Kira et al. and then becoming a puppet leader for the dominion and finally a revolutionary.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Avery Brooks could've sported cornrows and still display a strong character. It all depends on the script he memorizes and convey what is written.

 

[Swedish Borg]

Avery Brooks could've sported cornrows and still display a strong character. It all depends on the script he memorizes and convey what is written.

Sisko was written as a tough guy, is all.