Just how involved were the Prophets?

[Bry_Sinclair]

In S7 we learn that the Prophets orchistrated Sisko's birth, since they foresaw that they would need the Emissary at a certain point.

Sisko however never would've come to DS9 if it wasn't for the fact he had lost his wife at Wolf 359, so did the Prophets have something to do with the Borg attack of the death of Jennifer?

Thoughts?

 

[Finn]

No. Prophets knew it would happen….

 

[VST]

I'm sure the Prophets would have found another way to steer him there had Wolf 359 not happened. Bit of a leap to suggest they were involved with that.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

No. Prophets knew it would happen….

Yep. This.

I'm sure the Prophets would have found another way to steer him there had Wolf 359 not happened. Bit of a leap to suggest they were involved with that.

This, too, except the option of Wolf 359 not happening was, to the Prophets, a non-option.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I was thinking that myself, but was just wondering if there were any conspiracy theorists out there

 

[Timo]

I'd prefer to credit as much as I can to the "nonlinear time perception", just for the scifi weirdness. So the Prophets would orchestrate Sisko's birth after he came to pay them a visit; he would become their Emissary, and be so documented in ancient prophecies, because they developed a liking to him when he taught them a thing or two about linear time; etc.

Extending this a bit, though, I'm feeling that the need to "pay penance" is too linear a concept for the Prophets. So instead of the penance being something that happens after the offense, it might be that the Prophets punished The Sisko by killing Jennifer at Wolf 359!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Finn]

I figured the prophets had to ensure Ben Sisko's existence. Whoever would have gotten the post at DS9 would not have been a suitable emissary. Janeway would have been horrible as she thinks scientifically far more than Sisko (engineer) does.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'll add to my previous post a little more.

The Prophets were shown altering the timeline in "Accession". But it wasn't just straight-up altering it. It was part of a religious and cultural lesson for the Bajorans, the lesson being that times change (as the human saying goes). I see Akorem's finishing of The Call of the Prophets as being a teaching of that lesson, that things such as the caste system belong in the past. The old timeline was added to in a way that didn't erase memory of how it had been before, to show that the past is where Akorem and his ways belonged.

Now truly we don't know the limit of the Prophet's abilities. The wormhole at Bajor does seem to be central to them, though. My assessment upthread, that "the option of Wolf 359 not happening was, to the Prophets, a non-option," is strictly-speaking just an opinion. However, saying that it would be overkill to alter the history of the Borg just to bring Sisko to DS9 would be an understatement. The Prophets seem pretty benevolent to the Alpha Quadrant. Even if they could have caused the whole Borg invasion, I can't think of a reason why they would have. It's a big galaxy, the Prophets are just some of the actors in it, and the Borg came from far away.

And anyway, Q seems to have been more responsible for the Borg coming when they did. That, and my assumption that the Q are more powerful than the Prophets, are why I think that, to the Prophets, the Borg invasion was just something that was.

 

[sonak]

I really wish the writers hadn't added the stupid "sisko's birth was engineered by the Prophets" thing. The whole emissary-prophets thing became annoying by seasons 6-7.

 

[House Stark]

I think that his life would have always lead to DS9 in the end.

 

[kkt]

The idea that the Prophets knew Jennifer would die at Wolf 359, rather than causing it, seems the most compelling to me.

However, was it necessary for the Prophets' plan that Jennifer die there? She might have accompanied him to his next Starfleet assignment and even eventually to DS9; there's all sorts of other ways she might have died. Perhaps the plan could be carried out without Jennifer dying at all. After all, the plan went ahead even after Ben married Kasidy.

 

[Melakon]

The initial concept of Sisko destined to help guide Bajor through a difficult period is one thing. But when they made him a son of gods, chosen to fulfill a divine purpose, and be ascended into the heavens, was just the writers getting full of themselves and their ideas for me.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

With the Prophets, cause does not follow effect. As is pointed out above, they have the ability to alter small events without altering the whole of history. The question of what role that they had in Sisko's birth is in itself debatable--they perceived the Emissary's existence before they interfered in the process. And from what we know of Accession, they could interfere in Sisko's birth without changing the other details of his life. So, were they somehow responsible for or complicit in Jennifer's death? Not necessarily.

 

[Last Redshirt]

I really wish the writers hadn't added the stupid "sisko's birth was engineered by the Prophets" thing. The whole emissary-prophets thing became annoying by seasons 6-7.

Personally I thought it got really tiresome way earlier than that. It was funny to watch Sisko slowly get really pissed off at the mere word of 'Emissary' whenever a Bajoran wanted him to do something for me.

But as soon as they took the step and made him Jesus Christ: The Bajoran Edition, with his birth and entire existence solely to fulfill their purposes, and to join them in the Heavenly Kingdom or whatever they called it, was just stupid, and probably was the worst part of DS9. In fact, most of my gripes with DS9 are because of the Prophets, Pah-Wraiths, and the Bajoran spiritual angle.

 

[Melakon]

And Dukat becomes Satan to Sisko-Jesus for the Boomshaka-lakalypse and is cast into fire and brimstone.

 

[Ward3]

Because the Prophets don't live in linear time, there is no reason they could not "foresee" the need for the Emissary and create him "after" they met The Sisko and realize they needed him. It is all the same time - tomorrow and yesterday and now, right?