Star Trek Captain Sisko Retcon Made No Sense, But It Led To One Of DS9’s Best Recurring Characters

In a move that at first didn’t make much sense, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine retold an important part of Captain Benjamin Sisko’s (Avery Brooks) story, but the confusing change led to the creation of one of the Deep Space Nineone of the best recurring characters. The life of a Starfleet commander often means difficulty maintaining family relationshipsas seen with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who prioritize their Starfleet careers over family. Unlike Kirk and Picard, however, Star Trek: Deep Space NineThe then commander Sisko was a family man from DS9first episode.

Star Trek: Deep Space NineThe debut of, “Emissário”, established that Sisko’s love for his family is an essential part of his character. Benjamin is still mourning the loss of his wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell), until the Bajoran Prophets remind Ben that he must live in the present. Sisko focuses on raising his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), deftly balancing the difficulties of raising a teenager in deep space with the duties of commanding the station. Ben Sisko and Jake’s loving father-son relationship has its roots in Ben’s relationship with his own father, Joseph Sisko (Brock Peters).

It is heavily implied that Captain Sisko’s father is dead in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s early seasons

Interestingly, it is heavily implied that Captain Sisko’s father is dead in Star Trek: Deep Space Ninefirst seasons. Ben speaks of his father in the past tense in “Emissary”, saying “my father was a gourmet chef.“ Commander Sisko brings up his father’s illness in a conversation with police officer Odo (Rene Auberjonois) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2, Episode 12, “The Alternate”, when Odo’s father figure, Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan), is poisoned by toxic gas. Sympathizing with Odo’s plight, Sisko describes how he reacted to his own father’s illness with detached finality, as if it had happened long ago.

“When my father was sick, I remember how small and weak he looked lying in bed. He had been so strong, so independent. It always seemed to me that there was nothing he couldn’t do, but In the end I realized there was nothing he could do.“

– Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 2, Episode 12, “The Alternate”

The language used to describe Joseph Sisko in the beginning Star Trek: Deep Space Nine It’s very vague. Ben’s father is mentioned in the past tense, but It is never outright stated that Joseph is dead, so there is room for interpretation. For example, if Sisko’s father was still battling a serious illness and had not recovered, then Benjamin said his father was a great chef in “Emissary” could be interpreted as the end of Joseph’s career rather than his life. It’s a reach, but giving some leeway to early descriptions of Sisko’s father means that Joseph Sisko could actually appear in DS9 later.

Sisko’s father ended up becoming one of DS9’s biggest recurring characters

Star Trek: DS9 shows, not tells, the Sisko family’s strong ties

Joseph Sisko became one of the Star Trek: Deep Space Ninemajor recurring characters, with Brock Peters appearing as Joseph Sisko in six episodes of DS9. After being presumed dead by DS9public, Ben Sisko’s father first appears on screen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episodes 11 and 12“Homefront” and “Paradise Lost”, refusing to submit to a blood test that would confirm he is not one of the DS9The Changeling impostors. Joseph’s stubborn insistence on his personal autonomy fits perfectly with the way Benjamin described his father to Odo and creates a tense conflict between Sisko’s two older men.

Subsequent appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine confirm that Joseph Sisko is deliberately independent and deeply protective of his family. With this look at the Sisko family, it’s clear that Captain Sisko inherited Joseph’s strong values. Joseph contacts Benjamin to convince Jake to leave when the Dominion occupies DS9 in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 1, “A Time to Stand.” Deep Space Nine Season 7’s two-part opener finds Joseph revealing the truth about Ben’s true mother as Prophet, which has far-reaching implications for the fate of Bajor and Captain Sisko’s role as Emissary.

How Deep Space Nine Explained Sisko’s Father Being Alive

Star Trek’s medical technology saved Joseph Sisko’s life

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine explained that Captain Sisko’s father is alive and well in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 11, “Homefront.” When Ben and Jake come to Earth, Joseph Sisko recently received several artificial organs as part of his intense medical treatmentnot unlike Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s artificial heart in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Instead of resting, Joseph is stubbornly back on his feet and deeply committed to running Sisko’s Creole Kitchen. Joseph even puts Jake to work, ready to pass on the Sisko family’s penchant for good cooking.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine often shows that understanding how people are influenced by their cultural backgrounds helps us understand who they are today. This is true for many exotic species and individuals, so seeing Captain Sisko’s father on screen allows DS9viewers understand how the values ​​Ben Sisko grew up with created the Captain Sisko we know and love. The death of Ben Sisko’s father initially seemed like an important part of Sisko’s story, but it is fortunate that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine I got around these implications by bringing Joseph Sisko back to life.