In the Beginning (pilot to Whispers)
Sisko was strikingly emotional in the beginning. The pilot featured his ongoing sorrow over the loss of his wife and his dedication to his son, wrapping it into his experience with meeting new lifeforms and de-escalating political tensions. “I exist here” transformed the abstract science fiction concept of how humans experience time into a stunning statement of emotional vulnerability. Some viewers reported tearing up at Sisko’s realization. No other pilot can say it had that effect on viewers.
And then nothing. Like the series as a whole, Sisko went into safe mode. Many of the stories for Sisko avoided the evolution of the character and keeping the focus on the archetype of the “captain.” Sometimes he could be a sympathetic ear to people of faith, like his relationships with Kira and Opaka. His conversation with Jake about religion in In the Hands of the Prophets highlighted a sympathetic and non-judgemental approach to religion, a striking difference from Picard and ST:TNG. That said, Sisko was his job. When he intervened in Bajoran politics during the Circle crisis, staying behind to give time for Kira to expose the conspiracy, he seemed more motivated by how he perceived his mission, bringing Bajor into the Federation.
Although seemingly irascible, Sisko is largely a variation of Star Trek characters we already saw. He is dedicated, although he might be more likely to buck the rules or find exceptions to orders than Picard or Kirk. He is more reactive, dealing with situations rather than initiating projects. He is lonely. Sometimes Sisko seems bored. Sometimes it seems Avery Brooks was bored. (There’s the rumor that Brooks wanted to quit. I have never seen evidence for this. Certainly, Behr feared that Brooks might walk, but that’s it. He was a loyal performed, and he was at the least motivated to stay in order to provide for his family.)
Key Relationships
Sisko was strikingly emotional in the beginning. The pilot featured his ongoing sorrow over the loss of his wife and his dedication to his son, wrapping it into his experience with meeting new lifeforms and de-escalating political tensions. “I exist here” transformed the abstract science fiction concept of how humans experience time into a stunning statement of emotional vulnerability. Some viewers reported tearing up at Sisko’s realization. No other pilot can say it had that effect on viewers.
And then nothing. Like the series as a whole, Sisko went into safe mode. Many of the stories for Sisko avoided the evolution of the character and keeping the focus on the archetype of the “captain.” Sometimes he could be a sympathetic ear to people of faith, like his relationships with Kira and Opaka. His conversation with Jake about religion in In the Hands of the Prophets highlighted a sympathetic and non-judgemental approach to religion, a striking difference from Picard and ST:TNG. That said, Sisko was his job. When he intervened in Bajoran politics during the Circle crisis, staying behind to give time for Kira to expose the conspiracy, he seemed more motivated by how he perceived his mission, bringing Bajor into the Federation.
Although seemingly irascible, Sisko is largely a variation of Star Trek characters we already saw. He is dedicated, although he might be more likely to buck the rules or find exceptions to orders than Picard or Kirk. He is more reactive, dealing with situations rather than initiating projects. He is lonely. Sometimes Sisko seems bored. Sometimes it seems Avery Brooks was bored. (There’s the rumor that Brooks wanted to quit. I have never seen evidence for this. Certainly, Behr feared that Brooks might walk, but that’s it. He was a loyal performed, and he was at the least motivated to stay in order to provide for his family.)
Key Relationships
- Jake: tenderness, dedication, understanding
- Jadzia Dax: friendly and affable; the interaction between the two helped them to become more personable
- Miles O’Brien: like Dax, allowed Sisko to express different sides of his personality
- Kira Nerys: highly antagonistic; Kira was the regular embodiment of Bajorans, and she tended to act independently of Sisko (the writers loved the character, almost to the detriment to others)
- Emissary: the pilot is 70% Sisko, 30% Kira; arguably, the most character-focused of Star Trek’s premieres
- Dax: not one of my favorites, but it brings back the character’s emotional range
- In the Hands of the Prophets: Sisko articulates how he negotiates his human values and those of the people he attempts to administer
- Emissary: telling Jake they will have to rough it on the station; shaking down Odo; baseball; “I exist here.”
- Dax: confronting Dax about her passivity and Curzon’s guilt
- Move Along Home: Alemaraine (ridiculous scene, but all the actors make it work)
- In the Hands of the Prophets: conversation about religion with Jake; ” These people know that we are neither the enemy nor the devil.”; meeting Bareil
- The Circle: meeting Krim; explaining to Li Nalas about the hero Bajor needs
- The Siege: epilogue conversation with Kira and O’Brien about the meaning of heroism, which will be an angoing discussion in the series
