Why didn't Sisko lose his command after discovering the wormhole?

[Damask]

As for the Bajorans I'm not sure they'd be unhappy to see Sisko leave at the beginning. They didn't like the idea the Emissary would be a non-Bajoran except for Kai Opaka. Later in "In The Hands Of The Prophets" he seemed to be pretty unpopular with the Bajorans. The Vedek assembly wouldn't see him, Bareil didn't want to be seen in public with him. They wouldn't even let their daughters date his son (poor Jake!). It took time for them to finally accept him.

I think the fact that Sisko got on well with Opaka at the start certainly helped. It's doubtful that what happened later would have happened if Opaka had still being there.

If anything Sisko being able to deal with the Bajoran political and religious sections probably helped him more than anything really. He could deal with the Bajorans.

 

[Hofner]

As for the Bajorans I'm not sure they'd be unhappy to see Sisko leave at the beginning. They didn't like the idea the Emissary would be a non-Bajoran except for Kai Opaka. Later in "In The Hands Of The Prophets" he seemed to be pretty unpopular with the Bajorans. The Vedek assembly wouldn't see him, Bareil didn't want to be seen in public with him. They wouldn't even let their daughters date his son (poor Jake!). It took time for them to finally accept him.

I think the fact that Sisko got on well with Opaka at the start certainly helped. It's doubtful that what happened later would have happened if Opaka had still being there.

If anything Sisko being able to deal with the Bajoran political and religious sections probably helped him more than anything really. He could deal with the Bajorans.

It's hard to know how much Kai Opaka might've helped Sisko before she left. She was supposed to be a reclusive type who made no public appearances or anything so I don't think she made an announcement on public TV or anything like that. I think she just told the Vedeks and left it at that knowing Sisko would eventually be accepted. I liked the Kai Opaka character, she always seemed to know things

Robert

 

[shatastrophic]

Okay, then tell me, on which show did Captain Jean-Luc Picard kill Jennifer Sisko?

BOBW part 2 was when it happened, Emissary was when the audience got to see it.

Ah, so you mean Locutus? That wasn't Picard.

So your saying that Picard and Locutus are not the same person?

 

[Anwar]

No, Locutus was a mouthpiece for the Borg Collective that was embodied in the body of Picard who was no longer in control of himself.

 

[Michael]

BOBW part 2 was when it happened, Emissary was when the audience got to see it.

Ah, so you mean Locutus? That wasn't Picard.

So your saying that Picard and Locutus are not the same person?

Yeah, I'm saying exactly that.

 

[Headless_Roland]

Ah, so you mean Locutus? That wasn't Picard.

So your saying that Picard and Locutus are not the same person?

Yeah, I'm saying exactly that.

I'd argue it's not quite as cut and dry as that. The Borg were controlling Picard, certainly, and intellectually, Picard almost certainly knows he's not to blame for what happened when he was under their control. Emotionally, though, is a whole nother story. We saw in "Family" the horror and guilt he felt at what the Borg had done with his knowledge of the Federation and Starfleet. He began the healing process with that episode, sure, but he certainly hadn't completely come to terms with what happened. Hell, he was still conflicted about it seven(?) years later as demonstrated in First Contact. Add to this the fact that Sisko all but accused Picard of killing his wife, and I don't think it's out of the question that, on some level, even subconsciously, Picard would feel somewhat indebted.

 

[Michael]

I don't think it's out of the question that, on some level, even subconsciously, Picard would feel somewhat indebted.

Yeah, I won't argue with that. But still, Jean-Luc Picard didn't kill Jennifer Sisko. Locutus/the Borg did.

Slight rewording to seem a bit less confrontational

You don't come across that way at all.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Ah. What would the world be if we couldn't argue semantics?

 

[Michael]

Ah. What would the world be if we couldn't argue semantics?

Imagine, there'd be no Trek BBS!

 

[Red Ranger]

It's an interesting question, but I believe the circumstances actually warranted keeping Sisko in command of the station. Many of you have adequately explained those reasons, like the fact that Sisko helped discover the wormhole, was able to successfully negotiate with a new life form to keep the wormhole open, had become entwined with the Bajorans' religious beliefs by becoming the "Emissary," and that Picard probably gave Starfleet his approval.

Here's something else to consider. While the assignment may have seemed to be a worthless backwater, it's clear from Picard's words that Bajor's admission to the Federation was an important goal. So the assignment may not have actually been as low priority, or a dead-end posting, as some of you may think.

In fact, the challenges inherent in Bajor entering the Federation probably wouldn't be entrusted to a lesser officer. Let's not forget that Sisko also had experience as first officer aboard a starship, and thus probably led several away teams on diplomatic missions and some first contacts.

The assignment may not seem as prestigious as command of a starship, but there are probably many avenues to that destination, and more than one type of path to higher rank and prestige in Starfleet. We do know Sisko had ambitions to the admiralty, so he probably saw such a posting as a step in that direction. And I'm sure the admiralty saw this, as well.

Red Ranger

 

[Mr. Fergy]

^Agreed, plus Sisko did get a "Kick Butt, Little, Ship" in Season 3: The USS Defiant!

 

[-Brett-]

The discovery of the wormhole turned Deep Space Nine from a backwards posting to a prime spot. The only guy who seemed interested in the place for its own sake was Bashir. So, why did they let Sisko keep running the place after the wormhole was found? Wouldn't it have been in starfleet's best interest to transfer over somebody with a better track record (a captain, for instance)? Did the Bajorans step in on Sisko's behalf?

After he became known as 'The Emissary' of the Bajoran's belief I doubt it would have been too easy to remove him without complaint from Bajor

How soon did that belief spread? Couldn't they have just sent over a captain and placed Sisko under that person's command?

Looks like someone has an obsession with titles. Just being a higher rank wouldn't necessarily make an officer better qualified.

There was nothing in the show to suggest that Sisko had been a sub-par officer, merely burned out after Wolf 359. For Starfleet to punish him when he's done nothing wrong and just when he seemed to be getting his career back on track wouldn't make much sense.

 

[Snaploud]

The discovery of the wormhole turned Deep Space Nine from a backwards posting to a prime spot. The only guy who seemed interested in the place for its own sake was Bashir. So, why did they let Sisko keep running the place after the wormhole was found? Wouldn't it have been in starfleet's best interest to transfer over somebody with a better track record (a captain, for instance)? Did the Bajorans step in on Sisko's behalf?

After he became known as 'The Emissary' of the Bajoran's belief I doubt it would have been too easy to remove him without complaint from Bajor

How soon did that belief spread? Couldn't they have just sent over a captain and placed Sisko under that person's command?

Looks like someone has an obsession with titles. Just being a higher rank wouldn't necessarily make an officer better qualified.

There was nothing in the show to suggest that Sisko had been a sub-par officer, merely burned out after Wolf 359. For Starfleet to punish him when he's done nothing wrong and just when he seemed to be getting his career back on track wouldn't make much sense.

No. You suggested that it would be difficult to remove Sisko because of his religious connection with Bajor. I, in turn, suggested that Sisko could stay on Deep Space Nine under the command of a higher-ranking officer (taken from the ranks of starfleet's top tier officers). It was a logical argument and had nothing to do with whether captains are necessarily better officers than commanders (or whether I have some sort of title "obsession").

Deep Space Nine, by Picard's comments, moved up in priority dramatically after the discovery of the Wormhole. Obviously, Sisko, however qualified or not, was not considered worthy of a top tier position by Starfleet (at least, not at that time). It's not unreasonable to think that they would have tried to replace Sisko with one of their top tier officers (who could be a commander, a captain, an admiral, etc.).

 

[Red Ranger]

The discovery of the wormhole turned Deep Space Nine from a backwards posting to a prime spot. The only guy who seemed interested in the place for its own sake was Bashir. So, why did they let Sisko keep running the place after the wormhole was found? Wouldn't it have been in starfleet's best interest to transfer over somebody with a better track record (a captain, for instance)? Did the Bajorans step in on Sisko's behalf?

How soon did that belief spread? Couldn't they have just sent over a captain and placed Sisko under that person's command?

Looks like someone has an obsession with titles. Just being a higher rank wouldn't necessarily make an officer better qualified.

There was nothing in the show to suggest that Sisko had been a sub-par officer, merely burned out after Wolf 359. For Starfleet to punish him when he's done nothing wrong and just when he seemed to be getting his career back on track wouldn't make much sense.

No. You suggested that it would be difficult to remove Sisko because of his religious connection with Bajor. I, in turn, suggested that Sisko could stay on Deep Space Nine under the command of a higher-ranking officer (taken from the ranks of starfleet's top tier officers). It was a logical argument and had nothing to do with whether captains are necessarily better officers than commanders (or whether I have some sort of title "obsession").

Deep Space Nine, by Picard's comments, moved up in priority dramatically after the discovery of the Wormhole. Obviously, Sisko, however qualified or not, was not considered worthy of a top tier position by Starfleet (at least, not at that time). It's not unreasonable to think that they would have tried to replace Sisko with one of their top tier officers (who could be a commander, a captain, an admiral, etc.).

I disagree with your contention that DSN wasn't considered a top assignment. As I mentioned above, and by Picard's own words, the admittance of Bajor was an important goal to the Federation. So I think Sisko was tapped for the job because he had a good track record already and Starleet thought he'd be suited for the task. Sure, DSN became more important by virtue of the wormhole's discovery and first contact with the wormhole aliens, but Sisko proved to be an able commander, so Starfleet probably followed the old rule, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and left him in command. -- RR

 

[shatastrophic]

So your saying that Picard and Locutus are not the same person?

Yeah, I'm saying exactly that.

I'd argue it's not quite as cut and dry as that. The Borg were controlling Picard, certainly, and intellectually, Picard almost certainly knows he's not to blame for what happened when he was under their control. Emotionally, though, is a whole nother story. We saw in "Family" the horror and guilt he felt at what the Borg had done with his knowledge of the Federation and Starfleet. He began the healing process with that episode, sure, but he certainly hadn't completely come to terms with what happened. Hell, he was still conflicted about it seven(?) years later as demonstrated in First Contact. Add to this the fact that Sisko all but accused Picard of killing his wife, and I don't think it's out of the question that, on some level, even subconsciously, Picard would feel somewhat indebted.

This was kinda what I was getting at. Locutus was simply Picard under control, or more importantly to the Feds an uncontrollable Picard. It is one person, IMO that's why the idea of assimilation is frightening. You are aware of everything going down and you are killing and destroying and there is nothing you can do about it. Don't get me wrong though, Picard wasn't responsible, that was never in question. Of course afterward there would be some emotional regret, especially after that first meeting with Sisko. I think it was more of Sisko's accomplishments in the first few days which resulted him in retaining command. But i also think when Sisko asked Picard if he wouldn't send the orders in, that Picard had a little sympathy.

 

[Timo]

I'd argue that Picard shouldn't be taken at face value even when he isn't channeling the Borg Collective. When he says getting Bajor into the fold is supremely important and calls for a top-notch officer, he's just giving a pep talk to make Sisko feel good. Moreover, he's pushing a personal project of his, one driven by the guilt-compassion from his exposure to Ro Laren, the Bajoran refugees and the Bajora guerillas. The Federation and Starfleet at large might not share Picard's feelings about the importance of the project.

Moreover, we have to ponder the importance of DS9 on the issue of wormhole control. It's not as if the station itself was a prestigious key assignment during the early seasons - after all, it was just a decrepit pier at one end of that important route. In "Captive Pursuit", there were only about 300 people aboard, a minor assignment in Starfleet terms. Sisko wasn't really tasked with anything new after he rediscovered the wormhole. He was still the keeper of that pier, not an explorer of the Gamma Quadrant vastness beyond nor a defender of the Alpha Quadrant against invasions. He didn't have the orders or the means to perform either of those tasks.

Starfleet had the means and orders to explore, by sending through an endless stream of starships. Even Starfleet didn't have the means to defend the wormhole directly, though: they couldn't fortify Bajoran space without Bajoran permission, which wasn't forthcoming. Their best bet was to bolster the resources of the nearest Starfleet base, SB 375, which in turn was properly commanded by a high-ranking officer (presumably initially Vice Admiral Rollman and later Vice Admiral Ross).

Timo Saloniemi