Benjamin Lafayette Sisko doesn’t need an introduction. He was seen and admired as a fictional character in Star Trek series: Deep Space Nine, and the role was played by Avery Brooks. The show was aired between 1993 and 1999, and Benjamin earned a lot of fame for his role as a captain. In fact, his character was used in several comics, video games and books of Star Trek franchise.
Background
Benjamin, son of Joseph Sisko, is born in New Orleans in 2332. His father was the owner and chef of Sisko’s Creole Kitchen (restaurant), which was also called Sisko’s in short. On the other hand, his mother Sarah was a human who was possessed by Bajoran Prophet and was manipulated to marry Joseph and conceive Benjamin.
Joseph and Sarah were living happily together until Sarah got lost after two days of Ben’s first birthday. Joseph married another woman who was kind enough to raise Benjamin as her own, while the boy remained unaware of the events until he got connected with Bajoran Prophets. Benjamin had two brothers and a sister Judith.
Starfleet Journey
In 2350, Ben enter Starfleet Academy to study Starbase. After his graduation, Jennifer came to his life. They met each other on Gilgo Beach in Babylon, NY. Later, they got married and had a son Jake.
As a Starfleet officer, Sisko was mentored by Curzon Dax – he was serving Klingon Empire as a United Federation of Planets ambassador. Ben also worked in USS Okinawa under the captaincy of officer Leyton who saw the potential in him and promoted Sisko to the position of Lieutenant Commander. Ben became the executive officer of Captain Leyton during the fight between Tzenkethi and the federation.
Is Benjamin Sisko the Best Captain of Star Trek Franchise?
Well, that is not an easy question to answer! The Star Trek fans are debating over this for years and still not able to agree on one name for best Starfleet captain. However, there are a few qualities that make Ben superior of the rest. Some are discussed below.
1. He Had the Widest Crew
When it comes to crew members; all the other captains had a similarity – crew is trained by Starfleet. However, the case with Sisko was different! While a few of the crew belonged to Starfleet; he was also dealing with:
- Odo – head of security who was good at solving mysterious and throwing tantrums.
- Kira Nerys – a Bojoran fighter who was struggling with letting go her past and taking orders.
They were not trained properly thus gave Ben a hard time, but he still managed to work as a team for good.
From Starfleet, he had the following members:
- Jadzia Dax – an old mentor
- Miles O’Brien – a reliable fellow
- Bashir – a doctor and
- Worf – commander
All of these were able to go well with the captain because of the same background. All in all, Ben was a great leader to his not-so-easy-to-deal-with crew like a pro.
2. He Was A Great Father
Ben Sisko lost his wife in the Battle of Wolf 359. They had a son Jake, and the captain was left alone to raise him. Despite Sisko’s busy schedule, he still made time for his son. He would bring him to the holosuite for playing games or would invite his girlfriend for dinner. Ben used to name his son Jake-O out of love. He took care of him as a single parent, which is totally admirable.
3. He Was Multitalented and Multitasker
Apart from Starfleet Captain, Ben was Ben first. He loved to build things as an engineer. As mentioned above, his father was the owner and chef of Sisko’s. Ben inherited his great cooking skills from him. He used to make scrumptious food – so good that your head would spin. As a multitasker, he managed his career, but his duty as a father was never neglected.
Ben also had a great interest in sports, especially baseball. He was wrestling team captain of the Academy. Above all, he got selected as a universal representative by a series of god-like creatures.
4. He Was Calm and Determined
There was a lot of happenings in Ben’s life that he had to deal with at a time. However, he never lost his cool or became overwhelmed with the burden. The captain knew exactly how to manage things side by side without overlapping them. He was great at work and equally exceptional in his personal relationships. In short, he had a remarkably peaceful personality that could inspire anyone.
5. He Was a Great Leader
Ben Sisko had the leadership qualities by default. He handled his crew with grace like a real mentor or leader. Although the crew members had some issues within themselves, but Sisko never gave up on them.
Why Sisko Didn’t Get the Hype Like Other Starfleet Captains?
Sisko legacy is underrated because of simple reasons:
- Many people didn’t follow Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and those who did couldn’t get the story because of the different narrating style than the rest of series.
- Deep Space Secrets was morally complicated and darker.
- As compare to DS9, the other Star Trek franchises were not that hard to catch up. Even if you missed an episode; you could still figure out the storyline in the next one.
- In non-soap American TV era; the concept was fairly new and confusing for the followers.
- There were not many options to catch a missed show on TV in that era as DVD or streaming were not introduced by then. Thus, if the followers were not able to catch an episode; they would miss an important development, and the next week episode may confuse them.
The great news is that, with the development of technology and media; there are a lot of options to catch the show again. The fan base of Sisko has increased over time because now people can enjoy the show even from the comfort of their homes. The Star Trek supporters are finally able to appreciate Ben Sisko like he truly deserved.
Lessons Taught By Ben
Starfleet Captains are sure to inspire the fans in a positive way. Similarly, there is a lot you can learn from Ben’s character. For example:
- Ben taught the viewers how to keep personal and professional life separately and still be good at both of them.
- He showed how to stay calm in stressful situations.
- Ben believed in working as a team. He didn’t disown his crew, but chose to take work out of them and be a real mentor.
Recognization Over The Years
- According to IGN in 2009, Sisko was ranked on 8th position in the list of the best Star Trek characters overall.
- Paste magazine rated Ben character on number 9 of all Star Trek shows in 2012.
- In 2016, as per ScreenRant, Benjamin was fourth-best character out of all in Star Trek.
- Wired magazine ranked him on second position among important Starfleet characters within the Star Trek franchise in 2016.
- The Washington Post declared Sisko the second best Star Trek captain, and compared him to the US President Eisenhower and American WW2 General in 2017.
- Space.com ranked Sisko on fifth best Star Trek captain in 2017.
- In the same year, Screen Rant listed him as the Third most attractive person of Star Trek universe.
- Cinema Blend, in 2019, publicized Ben as the 4th best Star Trek character of all the time.
- In 2018, CBR ranked him as a 3rd best character of Star Trek, after Janeway and Picard.
Captain Benjamin Sisko – Wrap-up
Benjamin was a multitalented Starfleet captain who had all the qualities of a great leader and mentor. He had the ability to manage his tasks with dedication and competence, whether it’s his professional services or fatherly duties.
Ben Sisko was a scientist, cook, captain, athlete and a single-parent. In short, his characteristics are sure to inspire his followers to stay motivated and focused on everything they do.
So, which aspect of Ben Sisko you liked the most?