Why was Sisko chosen to command DS9?

[Timo]

Yeah; I'd think Sisko wasn't "chosen" for the job by Starfleet (more like he ended up there because nobody else was chosen), but he certainly was chosen by the Prophets. Who, as we know, work in mysterious ways, so there probably isn't any specific mechanism we could observe that would explain how they helped Sisko into the right place at the right time.

His former commanding officer was now an ultra-high ranking Admiral who lobbied hard for him to get an upgraded position.

I don't think we got a clear idea of Leyton's position at the time Sisko was dispatched to DS9. He need not have been the Head Honcho of Homeworld Defense yet, or anything like that. But Riker's former skipper Pressman got two flag rank pips by that time; Sisko's could certainly have done the same, and earned the third pip later on.

Leyton probably just pushed Sisko forward on the command path, helping him out whenever there was any sort of an opening that might fit Sisko's set of skills, or his career years, or his good looks, or whatever was needed for the job in question. DS9 wasn't hot news at the time, but it was better than the Saratoga that Sisko had left behind (not quite as blown-up, for starters, plus it was a CO rather than XO job now). If DS9 had not panned out, Leyton would no doubt have helped Sisko with getting the Voyager or something like that. Unless Sisko had gone all depressed and civilian/suicidal by then.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Red Ranger]

People:

Some interesting ideas. Here are some of my thoughts.

We know Sisko was distraught over the death of his wife at the hands of the Borg, led by Locutus/Picard. I'm sure the survivors of Wolf 359 were debriefed at Starfleet Headquarters. Part of that debriefing must have included counselors interviewing the survivors and evaluating their fitness for duty and how they dealt with the incident.

I imagine a counselor recommending Sisko be given a ground assignment because of how deeply he was affected by his wife's death, plus the fact he would now be raising a young son by himself. In addition, Sisko might have requested a ground assignment because of the trauma to himself and his son over Jennifer's death.

What's not clear were all his duties at Utopia Planitia. As others have suggested, his engineering background made him a good candidate to work on the Defiant project, despite the fact that working on that project would be an uncomfortable reminder of his experience with the Borg.

So Leyton recommends Sisko for the job, as his status as his former commanding officer likely carries a lot of weight with Starfleet command. Also, Sisko's background working with Curzon Dax made him qualified to deal with Bajor.

Now, while many of you consider DSN a backwater, it is strategically important due to its proximity to Cardassian space. Also, a Federation presence on Bajor is a way for Starfleet to keep its eye on the Cardassians. So, while not the most prestigious posting, it does have some importance in the larger scheme of Federation policy.

Then, after the discovery of the Wormhole and the anointing of Sisko as Bajor's Emissary, Starfleet decided it would cause more harm than good to reassign Sisko. They, like Sisko, might not have been comfortable with him becoming a religious icon, but like it or not, removing Sisko could be interpreted as a violation of the Prime Directive, knowing how important their religion is to the Bajorans. And, of course, based on Sisko deciding to stay in the post, Picard probably also recommended Sisko remain commander of DSN.

Let's not also forget that Sisko, as the first person to meet and negotiate with the Wormhole aliens, proved he was adept at first contact, especially in explaining what linear existence was to a group of beings who didn't understand the concept at first. That's an important attribute for a Starfleet office who might have future contact with those beings, as well as any potential contact with the inhabitants of the Gamma Quadrant.

Red Ranger

 

[BolianAuthor]

What I'm wondering is... if Starfleet or the UFP had known beforehand, that DS9 would be so strategically and diplomatically important, if they would have assigned Picard to command it, as he has had such a distinguished record with diplomacy and first-contact situations. Thoughts on this?

 

[Red Ranger]

^Picard would've refused. Like Kirk, he feels most useful in command of a starship.

A desk assignment, even at that time, wasn't in his plans. I can only see Picard accepting a promotion to, say admiral, then taking a shore assignment when he's older, and even then, he'd probably be more inclined to become commandant of Starfleet Academy.

Sisko makes more sense as a single father raising a son. Perhaps another officer with a family would agree to take such an assignment under the circumstances you're outlining, such as, say, the wormhole appearing before a station commander was officially assigned.

Red Ranger

 

[Klaitu]

I just assumed that Leyton saw his melancholy nature, and suspected he was going to resign, so Leyton used his influence to get Sisko out to Deep Space 9 in an attempt to rekindle whatever it is that Sisko found in Starfleet.