"The Sisko has completed his task" ... but what was it?

[at Quark's]

The prophets say so to Sisko in the finale.

But what was that task, actually, as seen from the viewpoint of the prophets ? Is it anything we see in the episodes ? ( <possible spoiler alert below>)
























































































Is it bringing the Alpha Quadrant Domion war to a victorious end?
Is it 'protecting Bajor' and bringing it under the protection of the Federation?
Is it defeating the pagh-wraiths in the form of Dukat ?
Is it giving some form of spiritual guidance to the Bajorans during the last 7 years? (For that matter, what does his title of Emissary mean exactly? He only very rarely conveys to the Bajorans "the will of the prophets" as far as I know).

A combination of some or all of these or still something else?

Or are their goals essentially incomprehensible to us?

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Did the Prophets call Sisko "the Emissary?" I believe that was a Bajoran usage. The Prophets always called him "the Sisko," as if his function was obvious.

In many ways, he was a mediator. Sisko didn't convey teachings to Bajorans, but he was instrumental in realizing the Prophets' interests with regard to Bajor (revealing the wormhole at critical moment, protecting Bajor from the Dominion War, setting up (what should have been) the final confrontation with the Pahwraiths on the station). He also advocated from the perspective of the Bajorans, describing the risks of letting the Dominion forces through the wormhole.

 

[JWPlatt]

"Completed?" How is it they spoke in the past tense, being so uptight about non-linearity and all... Sisko is always starting, doing, ending his task. Silly wormhole aliens.

But I would say his task was to defeating the Pah-wraiths (not "pagh-wraiths" or "Pahwraiths") and all else was a consequence of that struggle. He then apparently had some loose ends to tie up afterward.

You know, the Prophets could have eliminated the Pah-wraiths, or banished them anywhere else besides Bajor. But either they had a purpose in allowing the struggle, or they were just dicks. Much like the Valar were dicks for allowing all that mayhem on Middle-earth when they, and especially Eru, had the power of direct prevention and resolution, like a fireman setting a house on fire to act the hero later. Just another example of capricious gods.

 

[kkt]

Perhaps the prophets spoke in the past tense for Sisko's benefit, since he is still in the habit of linear thinking.

I don't think the prophets are all-powerful. They needed help to emprison the pah-wraiths, and I think they had very little power outside the vicinity of Bajor.

 

[at Quark's]

Did the Prophets call Sisko "the Emissary?" I believe that was a Bajoran usage. The Prophets always called him "the Sisko," as if his function was obvious.

I just rewatched the scene, found this script snippet on www.chakoteya.net and they seem to be in agreement (perhaps save for minor discrepancies).

SISKO: Sarah? Are you here? What happened?
SARAH: The Emissary has completed his task.
SISKO: But the Pah wraiths.
SARAH: You've returned them to their prison within the fire caves.
SISKO: The book was the key, wasn't it?
SARAH: To a door that can never be opened again.
SISKO: And Dukat? Is he dead?
SARAH: He's where he belongs, with the Pah wraiths. Your time of trial has ended. You need to rest now.
SISKO: I intend to. As soon as I return to Deep Space Nine.
SARAH: That won't be necessary. You're with us now.

Hence it seems I misquoted, Sarah actually says "The Emissary has completed his task" in that scene

In many ways, he was a mediator. Sisko didn't convey teachings to Bajorans, but he was instrumental in realizing the Prophets' interests with regard to Bajor (revealing the wormhole at critical moment, protecting Bajor from the Dominion War, setting up (what should have been) the final confrontation with the Pahwraiths on the station). He also advocated from the perspective of the Bajorans, describing the risks of letting the Dominion forces through the wormhole.

Can't argue with that. Except: what exactly were "the Prophets' interests with regard to Bajor" ?

(not "pagh-wraiths" or "Pahwraiths")

That could very well be. I usually just go with what I hear on screen and assumed they were (etymologically, I mean) related to the pagh of ordinary mortals. Actually seems to have been a matter of some contention. The mem Alpha page on "pah-wraith" says:

The scripts consistently used the spelling "Pah-wraith". [1] [2] However, Wolfe maintains that "Pah is a misspelling, from my point of view." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 389) Ronald D. Moore has also commented that he believes that pagh is the correct spelling. (AOL chat, 1998) "The Assignment" co-writer David Weddle counters, "Not if it comes from Ancient Bajoran. The g's were added centuries later, when the seventh hemisphere became more influential." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 389)

Such scholarly debate about the history of a made-up people

I agree with the rest of the post. The dialogue says something about "returning the pah-wraiths to their prisons within the fire caves", and "a door that can never be opened again" and leaves it at that. So, for better or worse, I'll have to assume that was the Sisko's "task", or at least the "task" set before him in "the time of trial".

Why Sisko would be needed for that is, indeed, unclear. Perhaps the Prophets are dicks, like you say

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Did the Prophets call Sisko "the Emissary?" I believe that was a Bajoran usage. The Prophets always called him "the Sisko," as if his function was obvious.

I just rewatched the scene, found this script snippet on www.chakoteya.net and they seem to be in agreement (perhaps save for minor discrepancies).

SISKO: Sarah? Are you here? What happened?
SARAH: The Emissary has completed his task.
SISKO: But the Pah wraiths.
SARAH: You've returned them to their prison within the fire caves.
SISKO: The book was the key, wasn't it?
SARAH: To a door that can never be opened again.
SISKO: And Dukat? Is he dead?
SARAH: He's where he belongs, with the Pah wraiths. Your time of trial has ended. You need to rest now.
SISKO: I intend to. As soon as I return to Deep Space Nine.
SARAH: That won't be necessary. You're with us now.

Hence it seems I misquoted, Sarah actually says "The Emissary has completed his task" in that scene




Can't argue with that. Except: what exactly were "the Prophets' interests with regard to Bajor" ?

The Prophets never call Sisko "the Emissary" until season 7: only Bajorans did this (and a few admirals, though derisively). Indeed, in Accession and Sacrifice of Angels someone corporeal is asking about the Emissary, and the Prophets respond back with "the Sisko." I believe it reflects a changing relationship between Sisko and the Prophets that they adopt this usage over time.

What did the Prophets want for Bajor? The answer can only be nebulous. I think the best answer is protection from harm. Conversely, I believe that Bajorans overinterpreted what the Prophets wanted from them.

 

[bbjeg]

... But I would say his task was to defeating the Pah-wraiths (not "pagh-wraiths" or "Pahwraiths") and all else was a consequence of that struggle. He then apparently had some loose ends to tie up afterward...

I agree. The task was his life, which he ultimately gave to stop the Pah-wraiths.

 

[Ithekro]

The Prophets are of Bajor.

Perhaps they are Bajorans, but evolved many millenia down the road...or many millenia ago. They recreate the wormholme at somepoint and move in an energy beings, but because of how the things works, the become non-linear, and "time" goes back them while not going by them at all. They sort of forget until The Sisko comes, but The Sisko was always there...and he was not.

Damned temporal mechanics.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

The prophets say so to Sisko in the finale.

But what was that task, actually, as seen from the viewpoint of the prophets ? Is it anything we see in the episodes ? ( <possible spoiler alert below>)

Is it bringing the Alpha Quadrant Domion war to a victorious end?

The prophets didn't give a damn about the Dominion. They had to be manhandled into stopping the Jem Hadar reinforcements and they threw a hissy fit when Sisko tried to go to Cardassia to end the war.

Is it 'protecting Bajor' and bringing it under the protection of the Federation?

Bajor isn't under the protection of the Federation by the end of the season. The relationship between them is pretty much exactly the same as it was in season 1, except that membership is at least somewhat closer.

Is it giving some form of spiritual guidance to the Bajorans during the last 7 years? (For that matter, what does his title of Emissary mean exactly? He only very rarely conveys to the Bajorans "the will of the prophets" as far as I know).

None of the instances of 'spiritual guidance' ever seemed to have much to do with the Prophet's grand plan, with the one possible exception of keeping Bajor out of the Federation. Mostly, the spiritual side of being the emissary seemed an invention of the Bajorans, not the Prophets.

Is it defeating the pagh-wraiths in the form of Dukat ?

Yes. The pah-wraiths are pretty much the only thing the Prophets ever really care about. They seem to have some vague feelings for Bajor, but when they get hot under the collar it's always about the Pah-wraiths.

On a somewhat related note, here's another question: the Prophets warned Sisko not to marry Kassidy and not to go to Cardassia because then bad things would happen. The show seemed to imply that his disappearance was the fulfillment of that prophecy, but does that mean that if he hadn't gone to Cardassia, he could've stopped Dukat without dying?

 

[tharpdevenport]

Looking back now, the whole Prophets and Pah-wraith's battle seems ridiculous, especially the way it was handled. If all this time all that was needed was dropping the book in the fire, it seems time would have been better spent for season years lettign Sisko know that and jsut do it, 'cause apparently he's the only one that could have. Those "the one" stories don't always work.

And where was the battle, the problems from the Pah-wraiths? Do I not recall something?

And now that the door is closed and "can never be opened again", how did the Pah-wraiths get out to begin with? And what a convenient plot device, wouldn't you say?

 

[at Quark's]

Looking back now, the whole Prophets and Pah-wraith's battle seems ridiculous, especially the way it was handled. If all this time all that was needed was dropping the book in the fire, it seems time would have been better spent for season years lettign Sisko know that and jsut do it, 'cause apparently he's the only one that could have. Those "the one" stories don't always work.

And where was the battle, the problems from the Pah-wraiths? Do I not recall something?

And now that the door is closed and "can never be opened again", how did the Pah-wraiths get out to begin with? And what a convenient plot device, wouldn't you say?

LOL, perhaps we should make a "How DS9 should have ended"-youtube (like those for LOTR and other famous movies). Length: 1 minute.

Sisko arrives at his new post at DS9, discovers the wormhole, and has his first contact with the prophets. They tell him about the pah-Wraiths, the Kosst Amojan and how it can lock away the pah-Wraiths for eternity.

Sisko then makes his visit to Kai Opaka, asks for the book because he has to throw it in the fire caves "from whence it came". He does so, and is snatched away by the Prophets. The end.

Would have saved me 7 years of watching DS9

 

[Ithekro]

Doesn't the door have to be opened before the key can be tossed into the fire on the other side? That seemed to require someone evil intent and murder to get the message on how to open the door and to actually open the door. Somehow I don't think Sisko would be able to do that. At least not in the early seasons. After bringing the Romulans into the war...He might do it as a ends justify the means sort of way to end the problem.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

The Prophets are of Bajor.

Perhaps they are Bajorans, but evolved many millenia down the road...or many millenia ago. They recreate the wormholme at somepoint and move in an energy beings, but because of how the things works, the become non-linear, and "time" goes back them while not going by them at all. They sort of forget until The Sisko comes, but The Sisko was always there...and he was not.

Damned temporal mechanics.

This is what I was thinking when I read this part of Bad Thoughts's post "What did the Prophets want for Bajor?".

Strange that it had never occurred to me as a possibility until reading that, and then seeing your post a little further down.

 

[at Quark's]

The Prophets are of Bajor.

Perhaps they are Bajorans, but evolved many millenia down the road...or many millenia ago. They recreate the wormholme at somepoint and move in an energy beings, but because of how the things works, the become non-linear, and "time" goes back them while not going by them at all. They sort of forget until The Sisko comes, but The Sisko was always there...and he was not.

Damned temporal mechanics.

It's an interesting thought, one I had on occasion, too.

But if that were true, aren't the pah-wraiths 'evolved Bajorans gone sour' or some such thing? If Dukat is right in his last speech though, they'd like to "set the entire universe in flames, to burn for all eternity", including Bajor. Being the offspring of Bajorans, I'd think that would eliminate them as well. Or wouldn't it ?

Damned temporal mechanics

 

[Ithekro]

Unless the pah-wraiths are Cardassians. Dukat being one for sure and it proven that they two species can breed rather easily. Also they had contact for a very long time according to "Explorers".

 

[Grendelsbayne]

The Pah-wraiths already live in flames. It doesn't seem to affect them at all now, so why would it if they set the rest of the universe in flames?

 

[Ithekro]

Probably because Dukhat wanted to burn everything in his madness. If he hadn't learned the Bajoran name for their evil one before becoming one with them, the Prophets would probably have named him "The Dukhat" as they have named his opponent "The Sisko".

Time has little meaning for the Prophets, so events that take place at one point in time can effect all point in their timeline at once, thus a name can go into the past and be remembered even if no one knows of it.

 

[at Quark's]

The Pah-wraiths already live in flames. It doesn't seem to affect them at all now, so why would it if they set the rest of the universe in flames?

It might, when starting from the hypothesis that the Prophets are "evolved Bajorans". Then it stands to reason that the pah-Wraiths , (who may or may not be the same species as the Prophets , that's not entirely clear, all we know for certain is that they once shared the wormhole) "evolved" from a corporeal species, too (Bajoran or otherwise). Fire might not affect pah-Wraiths, but it does affect Bajorans and Cardassians and all other corporeal species alike. Eliminating the predecessor species could then result in the elimination of the pah-Wraiths as well.

Or we should start to assume that once they are "established" outside time, the events that led them there in the first place are no longer of influence (which is possible , I guess).

 

[Servo]

I assumed his task was to prevent the Pah-wraith from returning to the Celestial Temple, and by extension saving Bajor and the rest of the Galaxy from their evil. The Prophets are non-linear, so they have always known that Dukat would be corrupted and try to release the Pah-wraith, and that Sisko would be the one to stop them.