Would Sisko have handled Armus & Vagra III

[at Quark's]

...It shows Commander Sisko not quite at a captain’s level of dealing with some situations. I think that was the point of making him one — so we’d see some mistakes. Picard had been a captain on two ships by the time he got to Vagra III. Maybe Sisko would have lost his cool with Armus and gotten more of his crew killed. Armus was all the negative and ugly that remained of his people. I think if they fed that anger with more anger, it’d only add to its power and play further into its game.

I don't think the point of making Sisko Captain was to see him make some mistakes (though he certainly did make some). I think it was to show growth. Late-DS9 Sisko is a very different person. A person who not only has been Captain for several years, but fleet commander, a diplomat who has to juggle between Dominion, Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans, and a Bajoran religious icon to boot. I'm fairly certain that that Sisko wouldn't have let himself provoke that easily.

And let's be honest: at a similar point in TNG's run (I believe Q-less is the 7th episode of season 1? ) , Picard still came accross as mostly a child-hating, grumpy, somewhat pompous older man. He didn't show his great diplomatic skills and his friendlier side until later in the series.

 

[TheSeeker]

ISisko, as an African-American, could have called Armus an angry black tar baby, and gotten away with it. I know that's an offensive term but it is a literal description of Armus.

If you know it's an offensive term why even bring it up? It's needlessly inflammatory and contributes nothing productive to the discussion. Please don't do it again.

 

[Armus]

If you know it's an offensive term why even bring it up? It's needlessly inflammatory and contributes nothing productive to the discussion. Please don't do it again.

It was in bad taste. My apologies.

 

[TheSeeker]

Thank you.

 

[Arpy]

I don't think the point of making Sisko Captain was to see him make some mistakes (though he certainly did make some). I think it was to show growth. Late-DS9 Sisko is a very different person. A person who not only has been Captain for several years, but fleet commander, a diplomat who has to juggle between Dominion, Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans, and a Bajoran religious icon to boot. I'm fairly certain that that Sisko wouldn't have let himself provoke that easily.

Hopefully. He was a captain by that point.

And let's be honest: at a similar point in TNG's run (I believe Q-less is the 7th episode of season 1? ) , Picard still came accross as mostly a child-hating, grumpy, somewhat pompous older man. He didn't show his great diplomatic skills and his friendlier side until later in the series.

You can be a child-uncomfortable, grumpy, and somewhat pompous older man and still be a great diplomat. Given that his last command ended in court martial, I think his advanced diplomatic skills are part of what earned him command of the top-of-the-line flagship.

Have you read Christopher Bennett’s The Buried Age? It’s one of my favorite Star Trek novels and attempts to explain why Picard was grumpier early on — hint, something happened not long before he took command of the ship.

 

[Prax]

And why would Picard become softer in his attitudes? Surely the opposite is true as one ages.

As for Armus, Sisko would have just used quantum torpedoes to poison the atmosphere.

 

[XCV330]

The line is...

Q: You hit me! Picard never hit me.

Sisko: I'm not Picard.

Q: Indeed not. You're much easier to provoke. How fortunate for me.

...It shows Commander Sisko not quite at a captain’s level of dealing with some situations

Or it shows that sometimes the best tool in your toolbox is a punch in the nose. Q never bothered the Sisko again. (Though in retrospect, did Q recognize that there was more to Sisko than meets the eye and backed off?)

 

[Arpy]

Or it shows that sometimes the best tool in your toolbox is a punch in the nose. Q never bothered the Sisko again. (Though in retrospect, did Q recognize that there was more to Sisko than meets the eye and backed off?)

“My captain is better than your captain.” Lol.

...Or maybe Q was underwhelmed with the mundane Emissary and went on to do more interesting things with Kathy...like deicide, ragnarok, and parenting.

 

[Arpy]

And why would Picard become softer in his attitudes?

It’s explained in the book.

Surely the opposite is true as one ages.

Not for a lot of people. Especially if you’re living a happy vital life like Picard on the Enterprise.

As for Armus, Sisko would have just used quantum torpedoes to poison the atmosphere.

Killing the people trapped in the crashed shuttle? That’s not Sisko. He may have looked like Hawk, but he was Sisko. One hopes.

 

[XCV330]

“My captain is better than your captain.” Lol.

...Or maybe Q was underwhelmed with the mundane Emissary and went on to do more interesting things with Kathy...like deicide, ragnarok, and parenting.

He could be intimidated. See Guinan.

 

[Arpy]

He could be intimidated. See Guinan.

For me, it’s in the dialogue. Q finds Sisko an easier foil. This makes sense as he’s a commander. The show never brought him back because the episode wasn’t that great.

I don’t think the Prophets are on Q’s level. Definitely not the El-Aurians. There must have been more to Guinan specifically that we were never made aware of. The character originally was other than she later presented, and we could imagine there’s a story to tell about her still to marry the two interpretations.

 

[Qonundrum]

I'd say, Sisko would put that slick character in a Borg time machine donated by Admiral Janeway, set the control to 7th century Earth and land it in the middle of nowhere. Some centuries after it crashes, there's this farmer who's hunting for food and accidentally shoots it. Along with that new section of 0w-20 Synthetic at the auto store, the farmer - Jed Clampett - and his family with cousin Jethro move to Beverly Hills as they're now rich.