If you all know my posting history, you know how much I deeply love DEEP SPACE NINE. And Captain Benjamin Sisko in particular... who is, in my view, the greatest captain in the franchise. So seeing the trailer for the episode made me feel two things at the same time: excitement that we might get some answers about whether he returned or not, and also utter terror because I was afraid of what the writers might do to his character or the situation, given how I don't really trust the group of live action writers of this era.
I have to say: I feel like they honored him and his legacy well. Ironically, they answered the question of whether he returned or not by NOT answering it. Sound confusing? I'll try to put my feelings into something more coherent.
We all had that burning question for over a quarter of a century now: did Sisko return from the Celestial Temple? Was he there to watch his new baby grow up? The key to this is Jake. In reality, this tribute was less about Ben Sisko and more about JAKE Sisko, and I think that was the best way to go. You can't talk about Ben as a father without Jake being part of that conversation. It is literally impossible. The bond between them was so clearly visible on screen in every scene they were together on DS9, but people sometimes forget about the Jake side of the equation. But here, with just those two scenes with Jake, we get a LOT. Not only did he have a measure of peace and serenity, but he was living a full, happy life. In many ways, this was the exact opposite of "THE VISITOR", which even though it is one of the two greatest episodes in the entire franchise, is a sad story, despite it being realistic in the sense of loss and grief. Here, we get a happy story, and I don't think Benjamin could be unhappy with that outcome, even though he wasn't there physically. This is where I feel "THE VISITOR" and this part of the episode were quite similar... they dealt with loss and grief. Just in different ways. And that spoke to me.
I am by no means a person of faith. But there are times when I can feel my grandparents are still around me. It's impossible for me to prove it because they are gone... physically. But the essence of who they were, the values they taught me, the love they gave me... it's a part of my core being. I use all that I got from them to live and do right by my family and others. THAT is what the hologram of Jake was telling us, and I got every word of it because I KNOW it and I FEEL it. Jake was the legacy of Ben Sisko, just like I am the legacy of my grandparents and my mom. So the answer to the question: did Ben Sisko return from the Celestial Temple? The answer is simple: it doesn't matter. He was still around because of how Jake lived, so a part of him never actually left. And that scene just made me cry.
And speaking of Ben always being around: I know exactly why Jake never published his book, Anslem. It was his personal connection to his father, and was another way to keep his spirit alive. He knew he would one day be gone, but he wanted his father to keep living in some way. So what does he do? He gives it to a Dax (whichever one was host at the time Jake did so) because he knew Dax would be living for centuries more after he was gone. And I think that was part of why he felt that measure of peace... he knew that a part of his father would keep going even after he was long gone. I understand that feeling because I have... an item that is very much the essence of who my grandmother was, and I know exactly who I will be giving it to after I die. Dax was the PERFECT choice to be given that book... Curzon was Ben's mentor, Jadzia was his friend, and Ezri was one Ben mentored during that final season. I thought that was very fitting.
I was quite surprised that Jake appeared here, and I was also quite surprised to hear Avery Brooks' voice again at the end! I was floored! After some looking, I find out what he said was basically some poetry he did years ago, and he gave the studio permission to use it. But that works for me, particularly since WHAT he said was so beautiful. I was already starting to tear up while he spoke, but then "Thank you, Avery" appears on screen, and the DS9 theme plays over the credits... I was crying again.
I cannot emphasize enough how much DEEP SPACE NINE and Benjamin Sisko means to me, so as a lifetime Niner... I was pleased by this.
There were, however, several glaring errors. First, the image of Sisko's lineage had Jenna Sisko as the 'non-corporeal' person, which is completely false. Sarah was the human that was inhabited by the Prophet and was Benjamin's mother, so she would be considered the 'non-corporeal being'. Second, they spelled Kasidy Yates' name wrong... Kasidy has one 's', not two in her name. Third, why was Ben and Kasidy's baby not shown on the chart? You don't want to explore what happened to their baby, fine... but if you go the route of having a huge graphic that shows their family tree, at least acknowledge the baby's existence. And do some basic research, like who Sarah was and Kasidy's spelling. (Seriously, all of those things are not difficult to do... BOTH Penny Johnson and Deborah Lacey were credited on screen with their character's names during the first act of episodes they appeared in. And the beginning of season 7 and multiple episodes of the final arc had Sarah. And Kasidy is pregnant in the finale and the end of the episode before it, "THE DOGS OF WAR". It feels like some AI generated graphic where no one bothered to double check it.) And fourth, why wasn't Benjamin's sister, Judith, and his two brothers shown?
The use of Sam as the focal point of this episode was a good choice. To be honest, I have found her grating in the series thus far. Kind of annoying, and I know it is rather by design since she was a hologram that was just created only a few months prior to the pilot, but Sam just comes across as rather annoying. This episode does help her character quite a bit... at least, after the theme. Before the theme, it was simply and utterly terrible. I was actually very, VERY worried this was going to be a terrible episode based on that beginning: the elementary school level icons over the screen, glitter barf, the background music, etc. (That is definitely something that I am not enjoying about this show, the background music. It just doesn't work for me AT ALL.) I was NOT enjoying the beginning whatsoever.
However, her journey of self-discovery through learning about Sisko was done well. The use of a storybook for telling Sisko's tale when she was talking to her friends was an interesting touch, and I liked it... it gave Benjamin's story an almost mythic quality. I also appreciate that the writers understood Ben by keeping true to something that is rarely said: when Benjamin Sisko loves, he loves unreservedly. His family, his duty, his friends, food, baseball... it's one of the reasons why he is so exceptional among all the leaders in the franchise. I'm glad it was said here, because that is him in a nutshell. And it allowed him to do amazing things across those 7 years we saw him on screen. Him being rather trapped in his role as Emissary, and her feeling the same... great parallels. I like how she essentially did a Sisko and told her Makers off. She will fulfill her role, but she will do it HER way, just as Ben Sisko did.
(I will say that The Makers are a straight lift from FARSCAPE. Specifically, the Ancients in season 1's "A Human Reaction". They were testing Crichton to see if Earth, and humans, could be trusted and are accepting enough to allow them to live there. This is not a new concept, either, but this felt exactly like that. It's another aspect of the series that lifts completely off another scifi show.)
The story with the cadets and the War College kids REALLY drags this episode down. Between the Atrium scene and the bar fight, it really knocks this episode down hard. This story could have been completely excised from the episode and it would have improved TREMENDOUSLY.
The B story with Ake and Kelric: it was okay. I didn't love it or hate it. The dinner had some funny moments in it, but overall it was mostly just there. But it DID illustrate one issue I have had since episode 3, and I'm glad Ake said it herself: how can the cadets learn to live and work together if the leaders of the Academy and the War College can't even do it? It goes back to what I have said about how the Chancellor sets the tone for the Academy, and why despite me liking the character of Ake, I don't like her as a leader/officer. You are supposed to be the adults in the room. Please act like it... if not for yourselves, at least do it so these cadets have good examples to learn from.
