Why is Sisko singled out?

[Caleuche]

I dislike Sisko. I'm not alone in this. I dislike him because of his actions, again not alone in this. He sought out the Founders after being warned not to, an action which can be argued to have resulted in the whole Dominion war. I dislike the fact he allowed his obsession to control him to the point that he poisoned an entire world just to get at one man. He was also involved in the deceit and assassination of a Romulan senator.

Is this being unfair?
I like Kira, Quark, Bashir and Odo, and I don't criticize their actions in the same way as Siskos.

Kira was a terrorist. Yes, her world was occupied, but justified murder is still murder.
Quark was involved in arms dealing, however briefly.
Bashir keep Bariel alive against his own ethics. He proposed surrender to the Dominion based on his own arrogant confidence in his own maths, an action which would kill thousands, if not millions of Federation citizens.
Odo. Now Odos worst of all, how many friends, former co-workers and innocents suffering did Odo ignore when he collaborated with both the Cardassian and the Dominion Occupation?

So why is it that feel justified in throwing Siskos actions back in his face, while excusing the others their darker moments? I think it's because he’s the Captain, I expect better of him to a point. He's meant to lead the way. Be the example.

Does this mean I'm unfairly singling Sisko out?

 

[Captain W Riker]

Like you said, as captain, Sisko is supposed to be the guideline for the actions of his crew. To have reached that rank, to have had so many mentors and so much experience...he should have known better by that point.

His actions can't be justified as well as those of the others: Kira was fighting to free her world; such things are expected of Quark, as a Ferengi, and his motives were not malicious; Bashir was simply misled by his intellect and self-confidence; Odo was just following orders.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

He sought out the Founders after being warned not to, an action which can be argued to have resulted in the whole Dominion war.

Presumably he had the okay from Starfleet on that, or his career would have abruptly ended.

It's still highly questionable why there was apparently no discussion among Starfleet (or Fed) higher-ups about the Dominion and whether it would be wise to simply avoid using the wormhole in order to not stir up further trouble. What was in the GQ that was so damn important to them, anyway? But none of that should be attributed to Sisko - the fault must have lain at the top of the chain of command.

 

[Caleuche]

Fair point, Temis,his superiors would have had to agree. I always saw the Federations continued exploration of the GQ as an arrogant 'We have always explored, so we will always explore, your space or not' attitude.

Odo was just following orders? Has that excuse actually ever worked for anyone? He could always have objected. No, the more I think about the worse Odos actions seem to me. Sisko could at least argue his actions were for the whole Federations good. Odo actions were to only protect himself, even at the cost of his friends.

 

[Photon]

Sisko got shit done. He wasn't a whiny, meely-mouthed politco-captain. Barak could learn a thing or two from the Sisko

 

[doublegood]

The majority of the Nazis were just following orders, too, were they not?

Sisko's actions against the Maquis were most definitely worthy of a court-martial, but the Dominion? Nah. The second that wormhole opened in Gamma Quadrant space and the Dominion was aware of it, the Federation was in trouble.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

He sought out the Founders after being warned not to, an action which can be argued to have resulted in the whole Dominion war.

Presumably he had the okay from Starfleet on that, or his career would have abruptly ended.

It's still highly questionable why there was apparently no discussion among Starfleet (or Fed) higher-ups about the Dominion and whether it would be wise to simply avoid using the wormhole in order to not stir up further trouble. What was in the GQ that was so damn important to them, anyway? But none of that should be attributed to Sisko - the fault must have lain at the top of the chain of command.

Even if the Federation had decided that it wasn't worth the risk to explore the Gamma Quadrant, what was to stop the Klingons, Ferengi, Romulans etc from going through the wormhole? The Dominion would still have been pissed at everyone on this side of the wormhole.

 

[intrinsical]

I dislike Sisko. I'm not alone in this. I dislike him because of his actions, again not alone in this. He sought out the Founders after being warned not to, an action which can be argued to have resulted in the whole Dominion war. I dislike the fact he allowed his obsession to control him to the point that he poisoned an entire world just to get at one man. He was also involved in the deceit and assassination of a Romulan senator.

Does this mean I'm unfairly singling Sisko out?

I blame all the above issues on the writers. They failed to convey several key facts to the viewing audience, resulting in the audience thinking that Sisko's made some bad choices.

 

[indranee]

Sisko got shit done. He wasn't a whiny, meely-mouthed politco-captain. Barak could learn a thing or two from the Sisko

 

[Cyke101]

So why is it that feel justified in throwing Siskos actions back in his face, while excusing the others their darker moments? I think it's because he’s the Captain, I expect better of him to a point. He's meant to lead the way. Be the example.

Does this mean I'm unfairly singling Sisko out?

I agree with you on some points, but to be honest with you, Trek has always had imperfect captains. That's not to excuse Sisko's actions by any means, but all the hero captains have messed up in one way or another. Doubtful that Kirk encouraged his crew to get laid during every away mission. Janeway would sometimes screw up as badly as her crew. Archer was headstrong. I think the only one that gets away is Picard, and he's not that clean-cut.

 

[smeos]

Sisko's mission to the GQ was ordered by Starfleet . . . so that doesn't really hold against him. Being in the military myself, I know the difference between a lawful order and an unlawful one. He was ordered to go on a diplomatic mission, not shoot a bunch of kids.

The Maquis thing was iffy, but I'm willing to cut him some slack because he's awesome.

INTP, he was authorized to lie (which he did, and is what military powers do all the time) the assassination was purely Garak's idea. He may have allowed the wool to be pulled over his eyes, but that's not exactly a crime.

There's an interview with Robert Wolfe where he says that initially the Founders already knew about the Federation and had plans to attack them when they anticipated First Contact, which happened about two hundred years earlier because of the wormhole . . . so they were screwed either way.

As for Odo, he was only in charge of the Promenade, not a labor camp. Aside from that one time, he seemed to pretty much run a tight ship, and even looked the other way on a couple of occasions.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

Sisko got shit done. He wasn't a whiny, meely-mouthed politco-captain. Barak could learn a thing or two from the Sisko

Agreed. The Teddy Roosevelt "Bull in a china shop" approach.

 

[Lateralus]

I loved Sisko and Avery's portrayal for the same reasons many people hated him.

Those who decry the character for having too many immoral/questionable personality traits for somebody who is supposed to be as clean and pure as a starfleet officer are out of their minds.

When looking to appreciate Sisko/Avery, all one needs to do is reflect on the personalities of any career military people met in real life. The common thread between them, the one that connects the bad and the great, is the fact that they all seem to have a few screws loose. It's a prerequisite for career military service.

I love Patrick Stewart, but I never liked Picard because his character never showed those flaws/virtues, and certainly not to the same extent that Sisko did.

Sisko was real. And as much as humanity may change during the next several hundred years, I don't think the mold of career military officers will change accordingly. It's as old as military service itself.

 

[Tralah]

I agree with everything Lateralus said. Sisko is actually my favorite captain for all those reasons.