I probably should explain my original point a bit better...greenmystik said:
I don't think anybody has ever accused Kirk of being a "company man." He's always referred to as the "maverick" or "cowboy" of the 23rd century.steveman said:
because he was never the "company man" Picard (or Kirk) was
What it comes down to, I think, is the importance Starfleet held to both Kirk and Picard. Starfleet was important to Kirk because, quite honestly, he would've gone stir-crazy without it. Starfleet was important to Picard because he knew that he had essentially dedicated his life to it. Simply put, they were both tied to Starfleet in meaningful ways.
As for Sisko, however, Starfleet always seemed to be more of a means to an end more than anything else. They gave him a ship, so he used the ship; they gave him a crew, so he used the crew. I really see him less as a Starfleet captain than I do as a guy who simply wanted to get things done -- anyhow, anyway. In the Dominion War, I think he would've found success, whether he was with Starfleet or not.
Additionally, it's no secret that Sisko wasn't a Starfleet "lifer." Whenever his career in Starfleet was up, he made it quite clear that he would be perfectly content with building a house on Bajor and spending the rest of his life there.
Could you see Kirk or Picard doing that? I know I couldn't. Starfleet was just too important to them. It was a part of who they were. Kirk needed it to keep feeding his unrelenting inner-drive. Picard needed it because of the sense of purpose it gave him. Sisko, on the other hand, was about more than Starfleet. He had other priorities in life. And because he did -- because he was "above" the uniform, not a "company man" in either the sense of Kirk or Picard -- that, in-universe and out, I don't think he will be remembered as fondly as they were.
Simply put, when I see Kirk or Picard, I see a uniform. And it's easy to heap adoration on that, because their accomplishments while wearing that uniform will always be on the forefront. But when I see Sisko, I see a man. And it's harder to heap adoration on that, if only for the fact that it entails infinitely more things. He wasn't just a captain. He was father. How do you quantify that?