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Deep Space Nine Is TV’s Most Revolutionary Depiction of Black Fatherhood

As long as there’s been TV, the family has been one of its favorite go-tos. All week long, Vulture is exploring how it’s been represented on our screens.

The arc of American history is undergirded by a continuous, pointed degradation of the black family.

The crux of this is the pervasive mythology surrounding the “missing black father.” At his feet has been laid the blame for poverty, mass incarceration, police brutality, and any number of ills, rather than the real culprit — the systemic, institutionalized racism that defines so much of American life. Despite statistics and studies that contradict this mythology , this archetype continues to cast a shadow on the black community. It’s because of this that the representation of the black father in television holds so much weight.

Recent series like the CW’s superhero adaptations, Black Lightning and The Flash , as well as the beautifully rendered southern drama Queen Sugar , have been showcases for complex depictions of black fatherhood. But the arc of the black father in pop culture is most defined by its representation in beloved sitcoms in the 1970s and 1990s. The sharp-tongued James Evans Sr. in Good Times , the highly successful and caring Uncle Phil in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the perfect representation of middle-class aspiration, The Cosby Show ’s Cliff Huxtable, have become iconic for their blend of familiarity, warmth, and representation of the black nuclear family. These sitcoms have guided our conversations about black fatherhood in television, and they’re important for how they refute the noxious mythology of the missing black father. But their episodic nature, and the need of sitcoms to connect with broad audiences, meant they lacked a certain complexity necessary to consider these ideas with further depth. The series I find to be the most personally moving, narratively complex, and politically potent depiction of black fatherhood also happens to be the most underrated: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

When Deep Space Nine premiered in 1993, it was walking in the shadow of its immensely successful predecessor, The Next Generation, which was still on the air. The series was also entering a politically fraught environment on the heels of the Los Angeles riots, and not far removed from the presidency of Ronald Reagan — a politician who framed black people as stark stereotypes of criminals and “welfare queens,” establishing a cultural understanding of black families that America continues to grapple with. In this context, the DS9 producers’ decision to cast its leading commander (and later captain) as a black man was not just a historic first within Star Trek , but politically resonant in ways that have only deepened over the years.

Why Diversity Is So Integral to Star Trek: Discovery

Deep Space Nine would go on to carve a unique path within Star Trek lore, and science fiction as a whole, as a complex, expertly crafted meditation on war and the price of peace that favored multi-season arcs, which amplified its biting approach to Star Trek mythos. In its first season, it was uneven, still getting a hold on the characterization and ideas it would continue to explore. But one aspect of its story immediately felt lived-in and real: the tender relationship between Commander (and later Captain) Benjamin Sisko (a magnetic, theatrical Avery Brooks) and his young son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton).

The pilot, “The Emissary,” artfully lays the groundwork for their relationship, introducing Sisko as a widower reluctant to take the position as commander aboard the space station and shepherd the Bajorans, a highly religious people recently freed from a decades-long occupation by the Cardassians, into joining the Federation. His wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell), died during the Battle of Wolf 359 which was headed by a Borg-assimilated Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), making their first and only meeting in the series an icy one. Both Sisko and Jake are grieving this loss, clinging to each other for stability and familiarity as they enter a strange new environment. When watching “The Emissary” recently, the chemistry between Brooks and Lofton was immediately apparent. They moved and touched one another with a familiarity that struck me as having a deep, emotional history. They felt like a family with an immediacy I’ve seen few actors able to match on television.

When Lofton was first cast as Jake, his parents had recently divorced and Brooks became a father figure to him. At a 2013 panel on Deep Space Nine , a black man in the audience spoke eloquently about how watching this relationship, and Brooks’s role in particular, was deeply impactful for him. Lofton later said, “Avery was that same role model for me in real life.” For his part, Brooks has long discussed how the Sisko and Jake dynamic was big part of why he wanted to join Star Trek. “The relationship between Sisko and his son was … very important,” Brooks said in 2012 . “That was something else you still don’t often see on air, at least as it concerns black and brown men and their sons. We got to play complicated, emotional and intricate scenes, and we got to have tender and fun moments. It wasn’t a pat relationship or an easy one, and it was very realistic.”

As Deep Space Nine continued over the course of seven seasons, Sisko and Jake’s relationship took on new dimensions. Jake grows into an empathetic young man who inherits his father’s interests in the arts and becomes a writer. Sisko evolved into one of the most complex characters in all of science fiction. He was a wounded widow and, eventually, beloved husband to his second wife, Kasidy (Penny Johnson), a righteously determined Starfleet captain, and a man aware that for this war to be won, he would have to sacrifice his own morality for the sake of progress. Brooks gave Sisko his trademark bombastic intensity and gravitas. He made his monologues feel theatrical while never sacrificing the core of their emotional impact. But there was also something about the quieter moments, where his face would melt into a broad smile whenever he saw a child or held Jake in his arms. Sisko’s love for Jake provided a poignant contrast to the temerity and flinty brio he portrayed as a captain. Ira Steven Behr, who took over as showrunner in 1995, and the inventive writing staff, which included creators like Ronald D. Moore, never lost sight of the fact that the heart of Sisko’s character would always be his love for Jake.

Conversations about representation in pop culture often feel like too much of a number’s game. Whittling the value of a series down to who stars in and who creates these works can be useful when looking at the culture more broadly. But it doesn’t tell us about the soul of the work — how it speaks to its audience, the history it reflects, the artistic risks it’s willing to take in order to not only represent minorities, but to speak to their experience with care. The impact of Deep Space Nine goes beyond the casting of black actors like Brooks and Lofton in these pivotal roles. The series boldly interrogated blackness within the arc of American history through their characterization. Like my maternal family, Sisko was from New Orleans and took pride in his heritage, often cooking Creole recipes from scratch that he learned from his chef father. When I see three generations of the Sisko family onscreen in episodes like the season-four two-parter “Homefront” and “Paradise Lost,” a tinge of wonder rises in me. How often have we seen a black family given such importance, depth, and cultural weight on a television show such as this?

I didn’t fully understand the gravity of the Sisko family until I listened to Brooks in the aforementioned 2013 panel, talking about what made him take the role, beyond being able to play a caring single father. It was “the opportunity to have a conversation about succeeding generations [that] intrigued me,” Brooks said. When considering the lineage of black fatherhood in television, it is one in which our cultural past and present is considered. But rarely have black people in television had the opportunity to examine our future without eschewing the complexity of blackness and its history for allegory. As Robin Greene II wrote for The Atlantic , “For Sisko, a native of New Orleans, history spoke with a powerful, notably African American voice.”

Last fall, I went to Syracuse University to speak with a small group of journalism graduate students. I was given the opportunity to host a screening, and I decided on the season-six Deep Space Nine episode “Far Beyond Our Stars,” one of the most stunning installments in Star Trek history for its willingness to push the boundaries of genre to interrogate racism and America’s past, not to mention Brooks’s exceptional work as both director and star of the episode. In the episode, strange visions from the Prophets begin to take over Sisko’s life and he imagines himself as Benny Russell, a science-fiction writer in 1950s New York, writing a story about a space station known as Deep Space Nine. At first, the episode may seem like a clever way to watch the cast members outside of their usual makeup and prosthetics, but it reveals itself to be a sincere meditation on black identity, racism, and how black people have not been allowed to imagine their future selves. In the 1950s plotline, Jake isn’t Sisko’s son, but a slick-talking street hustler known as Jimmy. The episode builds to a gut-wrenching emotional turn that always moves me to tears: Jimmy/Jake is gunned down in the street by cops, sending Benny/Sisko into an emotional breakdown. He barrels toward Jimmy’s lifeless body, covered in blood. When Benny grows angry, the cops take the opportunity to brutalize him. Weeks later, Benny finally decides to go to the office to see his story about Deep Space Nine — which he cherishes because it allows for a hopeful future for black people — first published, only to find out it won’t be going to print. Benny launches into a monologue about the power of his idea with a beautiful intensity that echoes with the voice of every black man beaten down by a system that survives on their suffering.

When the episode finished airing at Syracuse University, I was approached by a black professor who sat in on the screening. He was deeply moved by Brooks’s performance, the audaciousness of his direction, and the political resonance of the story line, which tackled everything from police brutality to the devaluing black creativity. “Why didn’t this man win any Emmys?” he asked ecstatically. We spoke at length about how Sisko and his relationship with Jake is one of the more unsung revolutionary turns in television history and why it cuts so deeply. No series before or since has a portrayed a black father with such complexity, crafting him as a widow, a powerful authority figure, a religious icon, a man whose morals are formed in shades of gray and whose love of his son remained his guiding principle.

The beauty of their relationship is perhaps never better portrayed than in the season-four episode “The Visitor.” The episode is framed by an elderly Jake Sisko (played with touching melancholy by Tony Todd), now a successful writer living in New Orleans, burdened by regret. He reflects on a freak accident aboard the USS Defiant that seemingly took the life of his father when he was young. Sisko is actually stuck in some strange pocket dimension, never growing old and intermittently able to break away to witness his aging son’s life. Jake spends the rest of his life trying to find a way to save Sisko, sacrificing his career as a writer and even his marriage to do so. “The Visitor” brings to the fore what separates Deep Space Nine from the more widely praised representations of black fatherhood: its continued dedication to revealing the emotional vulnerability of the black family at its center. Throughout “The Visitor,” Sisko and Jake laugh, weep, and reveal just how deep their love goes for one another. Seeing black men cry, grapple with the historical importance of their existence, and remain beautifully, dynamically human is something no other science-fiction series on television has done with such panache.

What makes the bond between Sisko and Jake one that is both culturally revolutionary and emotionally resonant is the chemistry between them, brought to life by the actors  and the tenderness of the writing. The family they represent is wholly unique on television: a window into the future of black identity that never forgets the trials of our past or the complexity of our humanity.

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Benjamin Sisko

Character analysis.

(Avoiding Spoilers)

Grew Up... happily, in New Orleans with his parents and siblings. Sisko’s father owned a thriving Creole restaurant and the whole family bonded over cooking and food.

Living... in the 24th century on the space station Deep Space Nine. Located just on the edge of Federation space, DS9 is basically a Wild West outpost complete with a thriving promenade of shops and a bar that might as well be a saloon. But once a wormhole to the unexplored Gamma Quadrant opens up, the station becomes a bustling intergalactic hub.

Profession... Starfleet commander. Sisko is in charge of Deep Space Nine and its ragtag crew. His main duties include dealing with any new aliens or other threats that travel through the wormhole, as well as protecting the newly liberated planet Bajor. To make matters even more complicated, a group of mystical aliens name Sisko as Bajor’s religious leader, the “Emissary of the Prophets.”

Interests... drinking raktajino (Klingon coffee), cooking, baseball, and spending time with his son. Even though baseball is mostly forgotten in the 24th century, Sisko loves re-enacting old games on the station’s holosuites. More often than not, though, he’s busy cooking comfort food for his friends and family or slugging down raktajino to stay awake during his shifts.

Relationship Status... widowed. Sisko’s beloved wife Jennifer was killed a few years ago and her death still weighs heavily on him: “I have never figured out how to live without her.” While he occasionally thinks about dating again, his most important relationship is with his 14-year-old son, Jake.

Challenge... protecting the planet Bajor. Sisko has a lot on his plate, including commanding a whole space station and raising a son. But his most important duty is to look out for Bajor, which was only recently freed from a brutal occupation. Sisko is both the planet’s diplomatic protector and its spiritual leader – and the latter is a role he isn’t quite comfortable with yet.

Personality... intimidating, funny, and not afraid to bend the rules. Most Starfleet commanders are expected to be pillars of morality, like the famous Captain Jean Luc Picard. But Sisko isn’t afraid to occasionally color outside the lines to get things done. As he tells one antagonist after punching him in the face, “I'm not Picard!" Though he’s often warm and funny – especially with his son – Sisko can be a little hotheaded when it comes to protecting his crew.

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It's the 24th century on the space station Deep Space Nine. Located just on the edge of Federation space, DS9 is basically a Wild West outpost complete with a thriving promenade of shops and a bar that might as well be a saloon. But once a wormhole to the unexplored Gamma Quadrant opens up, the station becomes a bustling intergalactic hub.

The Bajorans believe the alien species that reside in the wormhole near their planet are Prophets, worshipping them as gods and referring to the wormhole as the "Celestial Temple". Bajoran legend tells that millennia ago, the Prophets expelled another race from the wormhole, the Pah-wraiths, imprisoning them forever in the Fire Caves on Bajor. However, legend tells of three red Orbs which are said to hold the key to the Pah-wraiths' resurrection and return to the Temple, although none of these Orbs have ever been located. Or so it is thought.

Raging through the final two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Dominion War pitted an alliance of the Federation and Klingons against the Cardassians and invading Dominion fleets in a prolonged and costly battle for control of the Alpha Quadrant. Now you can join this epic struggle as you take tactical, strategic and navigational command of any one of the four battling forces. With unprecedented access to all facets of space combat, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Dominion Wars asks YOU to decide who lives or dies. Strategize! Maneuver! Anticipate! And when you've got your enemy where you want him -- Strike! Four races in an epic struggle. Choose your alliance. Build your Fleet. You're the tactician - The command is yours.

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Recasting Star Trek: DS9 For A Movie Reboot

Worf committed a star trek crime captain kirk was framed for, star trek: deep space nine's most r-rated ferengi joke always makes me laugh.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a groundbreaking show that broke with tradition by setting the story on a space station instead of a starship.
• The characters in DS9 were complex and multi-dimensional, facing moral dilemmas and challenging the utopian vision of Star Trek.
• DS9 had a talented cast, including Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko, Nana Visitor as Major Kira, and Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien, who brought depth and nuance to their roles.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the biggest and most ambitious Star Trek show of the time, and featured a huge cast of characters that extended far beyond the titular space station's crew. Star Trek: DS9 was the first of three shows to spin off from the hugely successful Star Trek: The Next Generation . Set on a space station instead of a starship was the first of many ways in which Star Trek: Deep Space Nine broke with tradition. Set amidst the fallout from Cardassia's withdrawal from Bajor after decades of oppressive rule, DS9 was a show that was never afraid to interrogate Gene Roddenberry's utopian vision at the turn of the 20th century.

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine began its Dominion War arc in season 4, it became a forerunner to the longform storytelling embraced by modern Trek . DS9 was ahead of its time, and that didn't always go down well with die-hard fans of classic Star Trek . However, in recent years, DS9 has had a streaming renaissance that has revealed new depths to the show. While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was best known for its darker themes and longform storytelling, it also had some of the franchise's best ever comedy episodes. The careful tonal maintained by DS9 's writers was aided by its extensive cast of characters.

RELATED: Strange New Worlds’ Dark Klingon War Episode Makes It Star Trek’s True DS9 Successor

20 Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko

Captain Benjamin Sisko was many things - a Starfleet officer, the Bajoran Emissary, a devoted father, grieving widower, and decorated war hero. This meant that Sisko was painfully aware of his dual responsibilities as a Bajoran religious figure and a Starfleet officer. Sisko often had to make difficult moral decisions to fulfill these dual roles during the Dominion War. After playing a crucial role in leading the Federation alliance to victory against the Dominion in the DS9 finale, Sisko was called to the Celestial Temple to serve the Bajoran Prophets. Sisko was played by actor Avery Brooks , who was best known for playing the lead in A Man Called Hawk . Sisko's clean-shaven face and full head of hair in DS9 's first three seasons was to distinguish the character from Hawk.

19 Nana Visitor as Major Kira Nerys

Major Kira Nerys was a former Bajoran resistance fighter, and served as Sisko's second-in-command on Deep Space Nine. This created a fascinating new dynamic for Star Trek: DS9 , because Kira had the Bajoran's best interests in mind, leading to conflicts with Starfleet. Kira was also forced to confront her history in the Bajoran resistance, as she came face-to-face with Cardassian war criminals and clashed with former colleagues who rejected the Federation's plans for Bajor. Ultimately, Kira used her experiences with guerilla warfare to help the Cardassians rise up against the Dominion, a crucial moment in ending the war. Kira was played by Nana Visitor, and it was her first major role in an ongoing TV series since Working Girl in 1990.

18 Colm Meaney as Chief Miles O'Brien

Colm Meaney played Chief Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation for six seasons by the time he transferred to Deep Space Nine. O'Brien's experiences in the Cardassian border wars made him a perfect character for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's increased focus on the Cardassian and Bajoran conflict. O'Brien's prejudice against the Cardassians was used against him in a number of DS9 episodes, notably "Tribunal", in which he was framed as a Maquis traitor. O'Brien had an incredibly rough time during DS9 , experiencing physical and mental torture and the harsh realities of the Dominion War. After all the hardship, it's unsurprising that he accepted a position at Starfleet Academy at the end of DS9 .

17 Terry Farrell as Lt. Jadzia Dax

Lt. Jadzia Dax was a Trill host, joined with the Dax symbiont after the death of its previous host, Curzon. Curzon Dax had been a mentor to the young Benjamin Sisko, leading to him affectionately referring to Jadzia as " old man ". Jadzia inherited Curzon's friendship with Sisko, but she also inherited the old man's fondness for the three Klingon warriors Kor (John Collicos), Koloth (William Campbell), and Kang (Michael Ansara). This affinity with Klingon culture allowed her to bond with her future husband, Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) when he joined the station's crew. The couple were tragically torn apart when Jadzia Dax was killed off in DS9 's season 6 finale. After DS9 , Terry Farrell went on to play Reggie in the Ted Danson sitcom Becker .

16 Alexander Siddig as Doctor Julian Bashir

Alexander Siddig is the nephew of Star Trek Generations actor Malcolm McDowell, and got his big break playing Dr. Julian Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Bashir was a young and ambitious Starfleet medic whose obsession with spy fiction and friendship with the shady Cardassian tailor endeared the character to viewers after a rocky start. It was later revealed that Julian was an illegal Augment, but the noble sacrifice of his father Richard Bashir (Brian George) allowed him to remain in Starfleet. Starfleet's black ops group Section 31 later attempted to recruit Bashir, and he was horrified, but grimly fascinated with their immoral methods for protecting the Federation. After DS9 ended, Alexander Siddig went on to appear in other genre shows like 24 , Game of Thrones and Gotham .

15 Rene Auberjonois as Constable Odo

Constable Odo was one of Star Trek : Deep Space Nine 's Changelings , who orchestrated the war against the Federation, meaning that Odo became an enemy of his people. He was also used by Section 31 to spread a genocidal weapon intended to wipe out the Dominion threat, to the horror of Doctor Bashir and the crew of Deep Space Nine. Odo returned home to teach his people the positive things he learned from his years living alongside the " Solids " and his relationship with Kira. Odo was played by Rene Auberjonois, who was best known for his work with the filmmaker Robert Altman on acclaimed movies like M*A*S*H and McCabe & Mrs. Miller . He also played himself in Altman's Hollywood satire The Player .

14 Armin Shimerman as Quark

Having previously attempted to launch the Ferengi as the new threat in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Armin Shimerman was cast as Quark. Realizing that the Ferengi were much better served as a slightly comic satirization of capitalist greed, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did the best Ferengi episodes in the entire Star Trek canon. That was down to Shimerman and his Star Trek Ferengi family , who played a key role in realizing Deep Space Nine as a thriving commercial hub as well as a strategic Starfleet location. While playing Quark in the final seasons of DS9 , Shimerman was also playing Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer .

13 Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4 was a watershed moment for the series, as it broke the alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. This crucial moment necessitated the enlisting of Michael Dorn's Lt. Commander Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation . Worf's DS9 arc was far more satisfying than that of TNG as he fell in love, got married, and learned about command from Captain Benjamin Sisko. He ended DS9 as a Federation ambassador, but his return in Star Trek: Picard season 3 proved that diplomacy didn't suit him. After DS9 , Michael Dorn continued to play Worf in one more TNG movie and also played the President of the United States in Heroes season 2.

RELATED: Worf's Enterprise-E Disaster In Picard Confirms Sisko's DS9 Warning

12 Nicole de Boer as Ensign Ezri Dax

Nicole de Boer succeeded Terry Farrell as Ezri, the latest host for the Dax symbiont in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7. The actress had previously starred in 1997's The Cube , but Ezri Dax was her first major role on TV. Ezri was an unwilling host, and was therefore much less self-assured than Jadzia, however she soon became more comfortable with herself, thanks to the support of the DS9 crew. At the end of the series, she was in a relationship with Dr. Bashir, effectively wrapping up the story of Julian's unrequited love for Jadzia.

11 Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat

Marc Alaimo is widely credited for influencing the design of the Cardassians in Star Trek , when they were introduced in the TNG episode "The Wounded". In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Dukat had overseen the dying days of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor , and had a fascinating arc throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Dukat sold his people out to the Dominion, and reclaimed Deep Space Nine for Cardassia, before he was driven mad with grief. Dukat decided to destroy Bajor once and for all by unleashing the demonic pah-Wraiths. He was foiled by Sisko, who gave his life in the process. Prior to Star Trek , Alaimo had roles in the movies Total Recall and Tango and Cash .

10 Andrew Robinson as Elim Garak

Gul Dukat's other nemesis was Elim Garak, Deep Space Nine's resident tailor and spymaster. Gul Dukat hated Garak because he held him responsible for the death of his father, believing that Garak had betrayed him to the secretive Obsidian Order. Garak had a strong friendship with Dr. Julian Bashir, whose loyalty helped Garak cope with his exile from Cardassia. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finale, Garak's work in liberating Cardassia from the Dominion saw him finally win back favor from the government. Andrew Robinson was best known for his role as Larry in Hellraiser and also played the Scorpio killer in the classic Clint Eastwood movie Dirty Harry .

9 Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko

Jake Sisko was the son of Benjamin, and maintained a close relationship with his father throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Jake was a budding writer, but the Dominion War changed his aspirations, convincing him to take up a career as a reporter instead. Jake remained on DS9 when it was retaken by the Cardassians and also found himself on the front lines of the Federation-Klingon war. Jake was also best friends with Quark's nephew Nog, and it was a great choice by DS9 to send Nog, rather than Jake, to Starfleet Academy. Cirroc Lofton continues to host The 7th Rule: A Star Trek Podcast , which he co-hosted with Nog actor Aron Eisenberg until his sad death in 2019.

8 Penny Johnson Jerald as Kasidy Yates-Sisko

Benjamin Sisko's second wife was the freighter captain Kasidy Yates, who was also the mother of his second child. Ben and Kassidy's relationship was fraught with difficulty, but it weathered the storm of her imprisonment for smuggling and the Dominion War. It's likely that it also weathered the storm of Captain Sisko's Star Trek: DS9 ending , which saw him leave Kasidy, Jake and his unborn child for the Celestial Temple. Penny Johnson Jerald was a well-known face when she joined DS9 having starred in Gary Shandling's acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show . She went on to play the manipulative Sherry Palmer in 24 and later returned to science fiction as Dr. Claire Finn in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville .

7 Aron Eisenberg as Nog

Nog had the distinction of being the first Ferengi to join Starfleet, having been inspired by both Sisko and O'Brien. Nog's entry into Starfleet came during the Dominion War, and he was duly enlisted in the fighting. Nog was severely wounded, losing a leg and becoming withdrawn and depressed. It was thanks to the intervention by holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine (James Darren) that pulled Nog back from the brink in "It's Only a Paper Moon", one of Star Trek 's best holodeck episodes . Eisenberg sadly died in 2019, but his Seventh Rule podcasts with Cirroc Lofton are a wonderful testament to the biggest and best-loved role of his career.

6 Max Grodénchik as Rom

Nog's father Rom was the first Ferengi to unionize in the classic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Bar Association" leading to the staff at Quark's Bar going on strike. Rom was incredibly progressive for a Ferengi, supporting equal rights, fair treatment of workers, and respecting women. It's for this reason that Rom's ascension to the role of Grand Nagus at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was such a positive move. Max Grodénchik looks set to reprise the role of Rom for a future episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 .

5 Chase Masterson as Leeta

Rom's future wife, Leeta the Bajoran dabo girl was played by Chase Masterson, who had previously guested in shows like ER and Sliders . Leeta caught the attention of Doctor Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo) and Doctor Julian Bashir during her time in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . However, it was Rom who was her true love, and the pair lived happily ever after on Ferenginar. Leeta is also expected to join Rom in Lower Decks season 4 as both characters were seen in the trailer released at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.

4 Rosalind Chao as Keiko O'Brien

Chief Miles O'Brien's wife Keiko also transferred from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Keiko had some interesting storylines in DS9 , such as the surrogate baby triangle between her, Miles and Kira. She also had to support Miles through the psychological traumas inflicted on him throughout DS9 , and took an active role in clearing her husband's name with the Cardassians. Keiko left DS9 with Miles to live a - hopefully less stressful - life on Earth in the Deep Space Nine finale.

3 J.G. Hertzler as General Martok

General Martok was one of several Star Trek: DS9 characters impersonated by Changelings during the Dominion War. It was the Changeling Martok who was responsible for convinced Chancellor Gowron (Robert Reilly) to go on the offensive at the start of DS9 season 4. Once the original Martok was returned to the Klingon Empire, he became a war hero and engaged in a power struggle with Gowron. This power struggle tested the loyalties of Worf, but ultimately he sided with Martok, earning an Ambassador role in the process. J.G. Hertzler had several guest spots in shows like Seinfeld , Diagnosis Murder and The New Adventures of Superman before being cast as Martok.

2 Salome Jens as The Female Changeling

Salome Jens had a long list of credits - including Martha Kent in the short-lived Superboy series - before being cast in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Female Changeling and spokesperson for the Dominion. The Female Changeling attempted to tempt Odo back to the Great Link on a number of occasions, but was always unsuccessful. She was a ruthless tyrant who sought to subjugate all solid life to bring order to the universe, and she almost succeeded, where it not for the heroism of the DS9 crew and their allies.

1 Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun

Jeffrey Combs played several characters in Star Trek franchise, but the most memorable has to be Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Weyoun. The Vorta were a clone species, so Combs played each version of the only solid that the Female Changeling ever trusted. Weyoun was a slimy and overconfident Star Trek villain, and this ultimately ended his line. Coldly gloating over the extensive loss of life during the liberation of Cardassia, he was gunned down by Garak. Combs continues to feature in Star Trek to this day, playing the Andorian Commander Shran in Star Trek: Enterprise and Agimus in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Star Trek: What Happened To Captain Sisko After Deep Space Nine?

In the annals of "Star Trek" history, Benjamin Sisko is among the most notable captains the Federation has ever seen. Played by Avery Brooks, Sisko commanded the Deep Space Nine outpost, the setting of the 1992-1999 series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." But until last year, it was unclear what happened to Sisko after that series ended. Now, thanks to a new comic book series, his story continues.

As "Deep Space Nine" wore on, it became more serialized, focusing on the events of the Dominion War fought against the changelings of the Dominion who were bent on conquering the galaxy. The series concluded with the episode "What You Leave Behind," chronicling the final stand against the Dominion by Sisko and his crew. But in the final moments of the battle, in the Fire Caves of Bajor, Captain Sisko is transported to the Celestial Temple, a wormhole home to beings called Prophets whom the Bajorans worship as deities. One of the Prophets, taking the form of Sisko's mother (Deborah Lacey), tells him he must remain in the Temple as their emissary. He obliges, remaining in that dimension to learn their secrets.

What happened to Sisko after the "Deep Space Nine" finale has long remained a subject of much speculation. In the finale, Sisko tells his wife, Kasidy (Penny Johnson) that time in the Celestial Temple is nonlinear and that he could return to her at any point in time, including her own past. Recently, however, a "Star Trek" comic book series shed some light on the next steps in Sisko's journey.

Benjamin Sisko's post-war exploits continue in a new comic series

While Avery's Benjamin Sisko has not appeared on-screen in any "Star Trek" movies or TV shows since the "Deep Space Nine" finale, a recent comic book series reveals what happened following those events. The comic is "Star Trek," the first issue of which was published in October 2022 by IDW, and it picks up where "Deep Space Nine" left off.

The comic begins with a prescript narrated by Benjamin's son, Jake, who was played by Cirroc Lofton on "Deep Space Nine." Three years after Benjamin went to the Celestial Temple, in 2378, it confirms that Jake has neither seen nor heard from his father since. As the story begins, Benjamin emerges on the Deep Space Nine outpost, noting that he has spent an "eternity" in the Celestial Realm. Though he considers his return an "exile from paradise," he has been sent back to warn of an encroaching apocalypse. He maintains his extradimensional connection to the Celestial Temple and the godlike powers that come with it.

Sisko enlists the help of Captain Jean-Luc Picard , noting that Picard's brief assimilation by the Borg should make him sympathetic. Picard assigns Data to be Sisko's first officer, and they take the USS Theseus to the Hephaestus nebula. There, an unseen ship kills an entire race of planet-consuming crystalline entities, an act Data refers to as genocide. As Sisko and his crew continue to explore in subsequent issues, they discover a grand conspiracy. As of this writing, nine issues of "Star Trek" have been published, with more on the way to tell the continued story of Benjamin Sisko.

The Visitor (episode)

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Story and script
• 3.2 Production
• 3.3 Continuity
• 3.4 Reception
• 3.5 Apocrypha
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Co-star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6.1 Starship references
• 4.7 External links

Summary [ ]

Jake and his dad

On Earth , in a house on the Louisiana bayou near New Orleans . It is dark and stormy outside as an elderly Jake Sisko injects himself with an unknown compound before sitting down in front of a fire. Soon, there comes a knock at the door and Jake answers, revealing a young woman, Melanie , looking for refuge from the downpour. After a few minutes of idle conversation the visitor reveals that she, in fact, is a budding writer and is looking for the writer Jake Sisko. Confirming that Jake is who she is talking to, she cuts to the chase and asks, very promptly, why he stopped writing.

Taking a moment, Jake responds that he stopped writing, because of an event that happened to him when he was eighteen years old. He had lost his father Benjamin Sisko .

Act One [ ]

Jake says he had grown extremely close to his father after losing his mother . In a rare event that happens only every fifty years, the Bajoran wormhole was going to undergo a subspace inversion . During this inversion, rare anomalies and temporal fluctuations were going to occur, creating a spectacle that the elder Sisko did not want he or his son to miss.

Benjamin Sisko moved into a temporal displacement

Jake was working on a particularly difficult piece of prose at this time and was struggling with it when his father asked him to come along on the USS Defiant to watch the inversion. Jake tried to hole himself away in the crew quarters to continue with his writing on his PADD , but his father persuaded him to come to the bridge to watch, reminding him of all he'd miss if he doesn't look around once in a while and then agreed to read and discuss what Jake has wrote afterwards. However, suddenly the Defiant was rocked when the wormhole began its inversion, causing a malfunction on the Defiant 's engineering deck. Benjamin went to see to it, followed by Jake, despite being asked to stay behind by his father. Arriving, Jake found the entire engineering crew unconscious and the warp core beginning to go critical from an energy flux. With Jake's help, Ben was able to stop the core from rupturing by using an interphasic compensator , but as he passed the piece of equipment to his son, the warp core emitted an energy discharge. Jake was pushed out of the way; however he witnessed his father's disappearance, and Benjamin was presumed to have been vaporized by the energy.

Sisko's memorial service on the Promenade

At the memorial service, many people spoke highly of Captain Sisko, but Jake felt he could not. Jake began living with Dax , and everyone did their best to console Jake, even to the point where Quark allowed Nog time off from the bar to spend time with him. Jake and Nog later discussed the former's future plans since Nog was about to leave for Starfleet Academy , and Jake admitted he was considering taking his deferred admittance to the Pennington School on Earth, but wanted to remain on the station too. However, one night as Jake lay in bed, there was a flash of light. Jake turned around, and saw his father sitting in a nearby chair. A few seconds later, he disappeared again.

Act Two [ ]

Jake tried to explain what had happened to Dax, who agreed to scan for any anomalies; however, the scan turned up nothing, and Jake dismissed it as a dream.

" It would be prudent that you leave at this time. "

Meanwhile, the Klingons were making more angry noises and the Bajorans , unsettled by the death of their Emissary , entered into a defense pact with the Cardassians . The Klingons were very unhappy at this and everyone knew that if war broke out, Deep Space 9 would be on the front lines. As a result, the majority of the civilian population left the station. Nog had left to attend Starfleet Academy , and Jake found himself feeling more despondent than ever. Kira and Worf tried to persuade Jake to leave, telling him it was the safest thing to do but he refused. Later, at the upper pylon viewport, Kira approached Jake and told him that she knew his grandfather had asked him to live with him on Earth, and that even if Deep Space 9 wasn't on the brink of war, she'd rather he wasn't on the station. Jake told her that the reason he was staying was because that when he and his father arrived , the station was a damaged hulk but Sisko turned it into a thriving community and Jake explained that if he left the station he'd feel like leaving the last part of his father behind. Kira allowed him to stay on the condition that when she tells him to leave, he will. He agreed.

A few months later, Jake found his father in a corridor on DS9 and was physically able to touch him. Taking him immediately to the infirmary , they discovered that Ben was caught in a temporal inversion, falling in and out of sync with normal time and disappearing into subspace , unaware of the passage of time. Despite everyone's frantic attempt to save him, Ben began to disappear into subspace. Seeing the devastation in his son's face, Ben begged his son to reassure him he would be all right but Jake was too upset to answer. Ben vanished, and Jake was left more heartbroken than ever.

Jake tells Melanie he couldn't bear losing his father a second time. Melanie says she can come back later, but Jake says he is dying, so that won't happen.

Act Three [ ]

Jake tries to shrug off his previous admission by telling a worried Melanie that when he said he was dying he was just admitting to the inevitable. Melanie assures him he doesn't need to try and grab her attention and the two briefly discuss her ambition to be a writer. Melanie then asks what happened next.

Jake leaves for Earth

Dax and Chief O'Brien spent the next few months trying to find a way to get Ben back, but they hit a dead end especially as they couldn't recreate the accident since the wormhole wouldn't undergo another inversion for almost fifty years. Eventually, the situation with the Klingons escalated and Starfleet was forced to turn over DS9 to them. Jake had no choice to leave and could only watch the station disappear into the distance as they left. With no choice but to carry on, Jake moved back to Earth, went to the Pennington School and began writing. Afterward he moved to Louisiana and married a Bajoran woman named Korena and all was well when they met up with Nog, now a Starfleet commander. The Klingons were beginning to let Starfleet ships through the wormhole into the Gamma Quadrant , to see how the Dominion would handle ships coming into their space again. The three met up to celebrate Jake winning the Betar Prize , a prestigious writing award for his collected stories, and Jake seemed happy and settled.

One night, Jake was up late working on his newest novel and was discussing allowing Korena, an artist, to design the cover, when suddenly the familiar flash of light came from the living room. Jake and Korena entered to find Ben lying near the couch.

Act Four [ ]

Starfleet Science was immediately called, and Ben was eager to find out how his son was doing. He was delighted to find that Jake was married and had published two books, achieving his ambition. However, Jake began to get upset at everything his father had missed out on and that he had given up on him, but Ben told Jake that nobody could be expected to hold on for so long, and that he was proud of him. Jake tells Ben that nothing he's accomplished matters now that he knows his father is still out there, but Ben tells Jake that it all matters and that even though he isn't there, he still wants grandchildren. Suddenly Ben disappeared again, and Jake was once again distraught.

Jake stopped writing, and began studying subspace mechanics in an attempt to get his father back. Korena was initially patient; eventually, however, Jake's obsession cost him his wife. But Jake wouldn't let this stop him, and he realized he could get Ben back by recreating the accident. By this time, fifty years had passed and Jake hoped that because the Bajoran wormhole would be inverting again, he could grab his father and get him back into sync with his own life. Nog, now a captain, got the Defiant out of retirement and the crew, including Dax and Bashir , went to recreate the accident. However instead of bringing Ben back, Jake was pulled into subspace where he encountered his father.

Jadzia Dax in the alternate reality future

Ben was again eager to find out how his son was doing, but was horrified to find Jake had lost his wife and abandoned his promising writing career in order to try and rescue him. Ben pleaded with his son to get back to writing and to live his life properly, telling him that he shouldn't abandon his future for him. Eventually, Jake was pulled back from subspace.

Act Five [ ]

Back in the present, Melanie asks why he didn't go back to writing, and Jake reveals that he had, having been working on more collected stories. He tells her that there wasn't enough time left for him, as he is dying. Melanie realizes that Jake's father is about to appear, and bids Jake goodbye. Before she leaves, Jake makes Melanie promise to enjoy life and once she is gone he rests in an old chair before falling asleep.

Waking the next morning, Jake opens his eyes to find his father sitting close by, observing him. Ben tells Jake how happy he is that he's living in the house again and that he finally got back to writing. Jake asks Ben to read the dedication:

"To my father, who's coming home."

"Don't you see? We're going to get a second chance…"

Ben is touched, but Jake explains further; Jake is the link that kept pulling Ben back into normal space. The sync was like a rubber band and he was the anchor for his father. Sometimes the band would be pulled taut, and during those times before the tension was released, Ben would temporarily rejoin his timeline, but he pulled away again once it snapped back. Once Jake dies, Ben will be lost in subspace forever. The only way to save him is to cut the cord at the time it is most taut, when he is in perfect sync with Jake's timeline. If he did so, Benjamin will be shot back to the time of the incident and he could jump out of the way before he got caught in the loop. Benjamin realizes that Jake has taken poison, and is committing suicide. Ben is horrified, and pleads with his son not to do it and that he shouldn't sacrifice himself for him, but Jake explained he had to. By doing this, he is saving two lives, those of Ben and the boy Jake was, the boy who needs his father. Ben is devastated as his son dies in his arms.

Ben suddenly finds himself back in the Defiant engine room, just after he saved the ship. This time he's able to barely dodge the energy discharge from the warp core. Jake is puzzled how his dad knew to get out of the way, but Ben, having seen how much his son was willing to give up in order to save him, can only hug him knowing they now both have a second chance.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" You are my favorite author of all time. " " You should read more. "

" It begins many years ago. I was eighteen. And the worst thing that could happen to a young man happened to me. My father died. "

" I'm no writer; but if I were, it seems to me I'd want to poke my head up every once in a while and take a look around; see what's going on. It's life, Jake! You can miss it if you don't open your eyes. "

" I'm not sure I could ever get over losing somebody like that; right in front of my eyes. " " People do. Time passes, and they realize that the person they lost is really gone… And they heal. " " Is that what happened to you? " " No… I suppose not. "

" Benjamin Sisko was more than my commanding officer; he was the emissary to my people sent by the prophets. But most importantly, he was my friend. "

" I didn't step forward. I couldn't. I felt that no matter what I said about him, I'd be leaving so much more out; and that didn't seem right. "

" After a few months, things began returning to normal… for everybody else that is. "

" Please don't make me leave; not yet. This is my home. When my dad and I came here, this place was just an abandoned shell. He turned it into something. Everywhere I look, it's like I see a part of him. If I leave, I won't have anything left of him.

" I have been more popular with women since I stopped asking them to do that. " (In reference to have women chew his food for him)

" Quark finally got that little moon he was always talking about, and my father, as usual, is making sure it doesn't fall out of orbit. "

" And don't think because I'm not around much, that I don't want grandchildren. "

" Let go, Jake. If not for yourself, then for me. You still have time to make a better life for yourself. Promise me you'll do that… Promise me! "

" To my father, who's coming home. "

" For you, and for the boy that I was. He needs you more than you know. Don't you see? We're going to get a second… chance. "

" You OK, Dad? " " I am now, Jake. I am now . "

Background information [ ]

Story and script [ ].

• Writer Michael Taylor based the concept of a fan visiting a reclusive writer who hasn't published in years on the famous 1980 interview given by J. D. Salinger to a high school student who simply turned up at his door. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 271)
• Rene Echevarria did an uncredited rewrite of this episode. Taylor recalled, " He made lines of mine into better lines, and deepened the relationship between Jake and the young woman interviewer. It was a lesson to me how to really make the most of a good story. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 270-271)
• O'Brien was to also appear in the scenes set in the future, although Colm Meaney was unavailable. Rene Echevarria was disappointed that Meaney was not available and that other scenes in the future had to be cut. Echevarria commented: " The only thing I thought was disappointing was the the future Defiant sequences. There was originally a little more interaction between the old characters that had to be cut for time. O'Brien was there as well, but Colm wasn't available, and that was a shame, because we had some fun stuff between O'Brien and Bashir ". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 106)

Production [ ]

John Eaves sketch of Jake's house

• Although this episode aired the week before " Hippocratic Oath ", it was actually filmed after it. The reason for this was that after " The Way of the Warrior " wrapped, the next episode scheduled to go into production was "The Visitor", to be directed by Rene Auberjonois , followed by " Hippocratic Oath " to be directed by David Livingston . However, a last minute change in Colm Meaney 's film schedule meant that " Hippocratic Oath " now had to be shot first so that Meaney was available. As such, the episodes switched position in the production schedule. It is worth noting however that although the episodes switched weeks, the directors didn't, so Livingston ended up directing this episode and Auberjonois directed " Hippocratic Oath ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 267)
• Kira wears a new uniform from this episode onward. The shoulder pads of the old uniform have been reduced and the neck opened. The color is also a little darker and Kira now wears high heels. According to costume designer Robert Blackman the new outfit was " more body conscious ". Actress Nana Visitor appreciated the change, as the previous uniform had made it more difficult to move. However, Ira Steven Behr recalled that some fans on the internet accused the producers of trying to turn Kira into a " Baywatch babe ", an idea that he strenuously denied. This red uniform (instead of orange) was worn by Kira for the rest of the series. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 257)
• The music of the "The Visitor" was composed by Dennis McCarthy . Parts of the score form part of The Best of Star Trek, Volume One ; a track also appears in McCarthy's disc in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Collection .
• Illustrator John Eaves based the design for Jake's house on the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. ( Deep Space Nine Sketchbook: John Eaves , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features)
• Tony Todd , who portrayed Worf's brother Kurn , was cast as the older Jake after it was deemed too difficult to make Cirroc Lofton appear to be in his seventies. He revealed that when filming the episode, he was mourning his aunt, who raised him as child, and had died only three months before. " This script got me out of my shell. It's like she was whispering to me 'Go back to work.' … Doing this was as close to heaven as I can imagine. " [1]
• Todd reprised the role of Kurn later in the fourth season in " Sons of Mogh ". Todd commented " I really felt blessed that I was able to do two different roles on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine this year which may or may not be a small feat ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine , issue 13)
• Rachel Robinson , who played Melanie, is the daughter of Andrew Robinson , who played Garak .
• Future uniforms and combadges worn in this episode were reused from " All Good Things... ". Costume designer Robert Blackman commented that the time frame was similar so it was considered appropriate to re-use. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 273)
• This is the first episode to feature O'Brien's embroidered rank insignia, similar to the US Navy with stripes denoting rank.

Continuity [ ]

• Jake began writing Anslem , under Onaya 's influence later in the season, in " The Muse ".
• The Dominion War did not happen (as of the 2390s ) in the alternate timeline . Nog states that " I think they (the Klingons) were happy to have us test the waters in the Gamma Quadrant after all these years – find out how the Dominion would react to ships coming through ."
• The shot in the upper pylon , with Jake staring out into space, and Kira approaching him from behind to comfort him, seems to predict the very final shot of the series, in the episode " What You Leave Behind ". The only difference is that the shot in the final episode is from outside the station whereas this one is from inside. Despite the difference in camera position however, the blocking of the actors is very similar in both shots.
• Similar to the later Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Twilight ", as well as the Star Trek: Voyager episodes " Time and Again ", " Year of Hell ", and " Year of Hell, Part II ", this is a sort of "bad dream" episode, in that the plot resolution prevented the main part of the story from occurring. However, because Jake continued to write, it is still entirely possible that Melanie will become a fan of his in the main timeline.
• The episode is similar to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " The Inner Light " in that they both feature a character living an entire life up to old age, the difference being that unlike Jean-Luc Picard , Jake lived as himself. Picard also retained all memories of his life as Kamin after the incident while Jake didn't remember anything of his life as his older self.
• This is the first episode where Kira Nerys is seen wearing the red uniform (instead of orange) that she ends up wearing for the rest of the series.

Reception [ ]

• According to most of the staff on the show, this was one of the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes they worked on. Avery Brooks and Cirroc Lofton cite this as one of their favorite episodes, along with " Far Beyond the Stars ". Director David Livingston says simply, " "The Visitor" is the best piece of material I've ever been able to direct, in terms of the script ." ( Hidden File 05 , DS9 Season 4 DVD special features) Ira Steven Behr says, " "The Visitor" was that certain kind of Star Trek episode that really appealed very strongly to certain people. It's a whole heart-on-the-sleeve, sentimental, emotional, personal story ." Similarly, producer Steve Oster enthuses, " It was wonderfully written, wonderfully performed. But I think everyone was surprised at the audience reaction. No one expected it to have the emotional impact that it did ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 269)
• Many fans of Deep Space Nine have also counted this among their favorite episodes; in a 1996 issue of TV Guide , it was voted the best Star Trek show ever. TV Guide called this result a " shocker, " surprised that " the least popular incarnation of Star Trek has produced the most popular show. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 269-270)
• TV Guide ranked this as the tenth best Star Trek episode for their celebration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. The reviewer wrote " Easily Deep Space Nine's finest hour and the most haunting, heartfelt Trek installment ever ". ( TV Guide August 24, 1996)
• In 2020, Lofton commented: " All these years later, you know what’s going to happen. You know what it’s about. I’ve read the script. It’s been 25 years but yet still I’m dripping tears watching this episode. I can’t make myself not feel these emotions. You feel the loss. You feel the emptiness. You feel the regret. You feel all of those emotions and then you reflect on your own life and the people that you love and what it means to have them in your life or lose them. If you have any feelings at all, they will be activated by watching this episode ". [2]
• Avery Brooks sees this episode as an important milestone in the manner in which American TV depicts non-white families. Speaking of the relationship between Sisko and his son Jake , Brooks says " I'm glad that relationship is there. It is, even in the most naive mind, a sin of omission that we have not looked at this side of people raising their children in other television shows, and having some cultural resonance other than that of white Americans. It's something that we have to see more often, the relationship of a brown man and his son. Because historically, that's not how it began in this country for brown families who didn't have the freedom of their own will and volition, let alone the ability to hold their families together ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 270)
• Ira Steven Behr particularly liked the way this episode deals with love, a love that spans a lifetime, because it is not a romantic love, but a filial love, which is not something that is seen as much as romance: " A love stronger than death. Usually that's romantic love, but for this show, this series, we chose the love between a father and son. And it worked like gangbusters. Everyone could relate to it ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 270)
• Reviewing the first part of the fourth season, Rick Berman commented " Our second episode 'The Visitor', was a warm and sweet episode while still having a great science fiction premise. I believe it will remain a very strong Star Trek episode for years to come ". ("Star Trek Update with Rick Berman", Star Trek: Communicator  issue 105 , p. 12)
• After this episode aired, there was much online speculation that writer Michael Taylor must have been a pseudonym for Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor . Both were known for writing emotionally driven stories with a lot of heart, but no one had ever heard of freelancer Michael Taylor, and some fans assumed that the producers were playing a joke on them. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 269)
• Cinefantastique ranked "The Visitor" as the third best episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, No. 4/5, pp. 97-98)
• In her book Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before (paperback ed., p. 203), J.M. Dillard described this episode as "poignant."

Apocrypha [ ]

• Nog is also depicted as a Starfleet captain in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Millennium (where he is a protege of Jean-Luc Picard ), Star Trek Online and in the "season eight" storyline in What We Left Behind .
• Melanie appears in the framing story of the Prophecy and Change anthology.
• Korena appears again as Jake's wife in the Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novella Fragments and Omens , and the novels Rough Beasts of Empire , Raise the Dawn , and The Good That Men Do .
• This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Series. The award was won by VOY : " Threshold ".
• It was also nominated for a Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation," which was won by the Babylon 5 episode " The Coming of Shadows ". "The Visitor" was also up against Apollo 13 , Toy Story and 12 Monkeys for the Hugo Award. [3]

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 4.2, 11 March 1996
• As part of the DS9 Season 4 DVD collection
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Alternate Realities collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko

Also starring [ ]

• Rene Auberjonois as Odo
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Commander Worf
• Terry Farrell as Lt. Commander Dax
• Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Armin Shimerman as Quark
• Alexander Siddig as Doctor Bashir
• Nana Visitor as Major Kira

Guest stars [ ]

• Tony Todd as the adult Jake Sisko
• Galyn Görg as Korena
• Aron Eisenberg as Nog
• Rachel Robinson as Melanie

Co-star [ ]

• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Patrick Barnitt as Bajoran officer
• Scott Barry as Bajoran officer
• Ivor Bartels as operations officer
• Ivy Borg as Rita Tannenbaum
• Robert Cox as Promenade bystander
• Brian Demonbreun as command officer
• Kathleen Demor as operations officer
• Randy James as Jones
• Mark Lentry as command lieutenant
• David B. Levinson as Broik
• Mary Mascari as Bajoran woman
• Mary Meinel-Newport as Bolian woman
• James Minor as operations officer
• Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn
• Michael Wajacs as Bajoran civilian
• Vulcan ensign
• Female operations officer

References [ ]

47 ; 2355 ; 2373 ; 2374 ; 2381 ; 2389 ; 2392 ; 2395 ; 2405 ; 2408 ; 2422 ; Anslem ; Bajor ; Bajoran ; Bajoran sector ; Bajoran system ; Bajoran wormhole ; baseball ; bayou ; Betar Prize ; biography ; branch ; candle ; Cardassian ; career ; chair ; champagne ; clock ; coffee ; Collected Stories ; commander ; commanding officer ; Commodore Hornblower ; containment field ; Corsican ; cover ; cup ; Deep Space 9 ; deflector array ; dermal regenerator ; divorce ; docking pylon ; Dominion ; dom-jot ; dream ; Earth ; elastic cord ; Emissary of the Prophets ; engineering ; Federation ; first aid kit ; French ; French Quarter ; front line ; Gamma Quadrant ; graduation ; gravimetric field ; graviton pulse ; holosuite ; Hornblower, Horatio ; interphasic compensator ; ion surfing ; Jake-o ; Klingon ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon High Council ; latinum ; listener ; Louisiana ; Melanie's friend ; memorial service ; monster ; moon ; Morn's ; muse ; mutual defense pact ; New Orleans ; novel ; paragraph ; parson ; pen ; Pennington School ; posthumously ; Promenade ; Prophets ; Quark's ; Quark's moon ; rain ; red alert ; redfish ; religious figure replicator ; Rom ; Saltah'na clock ; scientific research ; scrape ; separation ; short story ; sickbay ; Sisko, Jennifer ; Sisko, Joseph ; Sisko's Creole Kitchen ; slug ; Smallbridge ; Spain ; subspace flux isolator ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Science ; subspace ; subspace inversion ; subspace mechanics ; Takarian mead ; tea ; temporal displacement ; temporal signature ; toast ; war ; warp core ; warp core breach ; warp core ejection system ; warp coil ; Wellesley, Arthur ; Wellesley, Barbara ; writer ; Yoruba mask

Starship references [ ]

Antares -class ( freighter ); Bajoran vessel ( 2373 transport , 2374 transports ); Danube -class ( runabout ); Defiant , USS ; Defiant -class ; Leeds , USS ; Nebula -class ; Nog's starship ; Rio Grande , USS

External links [ ]

• " The Visitor " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Visitor " at Wikipedia
• " The Visitor " at the Internet Movie Database
• " The Visitor " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• "The Visitor" script at Star Trek Minutiae
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Rules of Acquisition

'The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko' reveals untold history of Starfleet’s fearless war captain (exclusive)

Titan Books brings Sisko's remarkable story to the masses this October.

It's high time that the stoic Capt. Benjamin Sisko was given his moment in the "Star Trek" limelight after the character's classic run on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." 

Now the character brought to life by actor Avery Brooks can be seen in IDW Publishing's newly launched flagship " Star Trek " comic book series, where he returns from the Bajoran wormhole to save the galaxy from mysterious god killers.

To add to the Sisko-centric offerings and salute the 30th anniversary of "Deep Space Nine," London-based Titan Books is presenting a new, 304-page fictional prose novel titled " The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko " this fall, written by veteran "Star Trek" journalist and author Derek Tyler Attico.

Related: 'Star Trek' movies in order: Chronological and release

Here’s the official synopsis:

Benjamin Sisko tells the story of his career in Starfleet, and his life as a father and Bajor’s Emmissary of the Prophets. Charting his rise through the ranks, his pioneering work designing the Defiant-class, his critical role as ambassador and leader during the Dominion War, and his sacred standing as a religious leader of his adopted home.

Discover the hidden history of his childhood and early career in Starfleet, and the innermost thoughts of the man who discovered the Gamma Quadrant, made first contact with the wormhole aliens, and united Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan forces to defeat the Dominion Empire. See Sisko’s personal take on his confidants Lieutenant Dax and Major Kira Nerys, the enigmatic Garak, and his adversaries, Gul Dukat and Kai Winn, as well as his fatherly advice for his son Jake. 

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From the pages of Anselm to the writings of Benny Russell, from father to son, Sisko’s story is a unique phenomenon in Starfleet and human history, told in the unique way only he can.

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For Attico, composing a gratifying autobiography for a legacy character like Benjamin Sisko was an honor that turned out to be both exhilarating and challenging.

"It has been 30 years since the premiere of ' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ,' and Captain Benjamin Sisko is still unlike any captain we've seen before," Attico told Space.com. "He has a healthy relationship with his father and is an older brother with three younger siblings. He's been a widow, has a son and is happily remarried. The Bajoran people say he's the Emissary of their Prophets, and his birth mother exists outside of linear time. With all this in his life, Ben Sisko still has a sense of balance rarely seen or shared among Starfleet captains.

"Ben is already a complex man with a rich history and a strong sense of character, duty and family when we meet him. So as I constructed his origins, I knew that his family and the experiences that molded Ben needed to represent the authenticity, strength and love we see in Sisko as an adult. 

"And in creating Ben's past, questions needed to be answered. Why didn't we ever see his siblings? What is New Orleans like in the 24th century? What was it like building the USS Defiant ? These are just a few of the questions I've asked and answered. 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko' will have something in it not only for fans of Sisko and 'Deep Space Nine' but for everyone that enjoys 'Star Trek.'"

Titan Books' "The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko" arrives on Oct. 10, 2023.  

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Jeff Spry is an award-winning screenwriter and veteran freelance journalist covering TV, movies, video games, books, and comics. His work has appeared at SYFY Wire, Inverse, Collider, Bleeding Cool and elsewhere. Jeff lives in beautiful Bend, Oregon amid the ponderosa pines, classic muscle cars, a crypt of collector horror comics, and two loyal English Setters.

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Star trek: deep space nine.

S5.E11 ∙ The Darkness and the Light

S5.E12 ∙ The Begotten

S5.E13 ∙ For the Uniform

S5.E14 ∙ In Purgatory's Shadow

S5.E15 ∙ By Inferno's Light

S5.E16 ∙ Doctor Bashir, I Presume

S5.E17 ∙ A Simple Investigation

S5.E18 ∙ Business as Usual

S5.E19 ∙ Ties of Blood and Water

S5.E20 ∙ Ferengi Love Songs

S5.E21 ∙ Soldiers of the Empire

S5.E22 ∙ Children of Time

S5.E23 ∙ Blaze of Glory

S5.E24 ∙ Empok Nor

S5.E25 ∙ In the Cards

S5.E26 ∙ Call to Arms

S6.E1 ∙ A Time to Stand

S6.E2 ∙ Rocks and Shoals

S6.E3 ∙ Sons and Daughters

S6.E4 ∙ Behind the Lines

S6.E5 ∙ Favor the Bold

S6.E6 ∙ Sacrifice of Angels

S6.E7 ∙ You Are Cordially Invited

S6.E8 ∙ Resurrection

S6.E9 ∙ Statistical Probabilities

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Published Sep 20, 2024

Star Trek's History with Practical Jokes

For a post-scarcity utopia largely devoid of interpersonal conflict, we can learn the purpose pranking serves.

StarTrek.com

The switch from a terrestrial calendar to the stardates system means that, for most of the various crewmen living and working in the Federation, there's no such thing as April. Therefore, there's no such thing as April 1, and further, no such thing as April Fool's Day.

Although there's no longer a specific day devoted to playing practical jokes on your fellow humanoids, the prankster spirit of the holiday lives on. Somewhat surprisingly for a post-scarcity utopia largely devoid of interpersonal conflict, characters throughout the Star Trek franchise delight in pranking one another, with examples peppered throughout the various shows and movies. It turns out that pranks are about a lot more than simply having fun at the expense of other people, and through the way they've been used on Trek , we can learn a lot about the purpose pranking serves here on Earth.

Here are the eight most important pranks in the history of Star Trek .

Dax Moves Odo's Stuff (A Few Centimeters)

"Homefront"

As a Changeling, Odo is acutely aware of the size, shape, and — most importantly — the positioning of all the objects around him. Which is why he found it so irritating when, on four separate occasions, Jadzia Dax broke into Odo’s quarters while he regenerated in his gelatinous state to move everything the slightest amount. Nobody but Odo ever would have noticed such a change, which shows what a brilliant prankster Dax is. Some of the best pranks should be artisanal, carefully crafted for the person on the receiving end. Jokes like tying someone’s shoelaces together are as simple as they are uncreative, and a truly tailor-made prank should tell the person being pranked ‘hey - I know you, I understand you, which I can prove by irritating the crap out of you.’

In Dax’s mischievous sort of way, she was showing Odo that she cared enough about him to learn all of his little idiosyncrasies, and really understood him as a person. Since, at the time, Starfleet was growing increasingly paranoid about the threat the Founders posed, Dax taking the time to annoy Odo the same way she would any of her other friends is, secretly, kind of sweet.

Dr. Zimmerman Pranks The Doctor

"Life Line"

When The Doctor transmitted his program to the Alpha Quadrant to save his creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, the latter didn't want The Doctor's help. After all, the EMH Mark 1 was a notorious failure, renowned throughout Starfleet for its brusque, prickly manner as a physician.

Eventually, Voyager 's holographic physician wore Zimmerman down though, and the first crack in the facade came when Zimmerman rigged The Doctor's medical tricorder so that it believed everything scanned to be a Vulcan marsupial.

Ultimately, the best pranks serve as acts of friendship — either deepening an existing one or, in this case, beginning a new one.

Kirk Reveals He Was Bullied

"Shore Leave"

Not all pranks are meant in good spirits, however.

In The Original Series episode " Shore Leave, " the eponymous planet begins summoning a copy of Finnegan, an upperclassman who tormented Kirk throughout his Academy days. A window into a time in Kirk's life when he wasn't the coolest cat on campus, it also showcases the lingering harm you can cause someone when you prank people with bad intentions.

Jake Potts Pranks His Brother

"Brothers"

In " Brothers ," a homing signal activated by Dr. Soong triggers a hidden program in Commander Data, forcing everyone's favorite android to take over the Enterprise with truly terrifying rapidity. It would have been very much a no-harm-no-foul kind of situation, except that up in Sickbay, little Willie Potts was dying of parasites.

Jake Potts, his older brother, had tricked Willie into thinking he'd accidentally killed him, and in his shame and terror, Willie ran and hid, eating local fruits that caused his medical predicament. Data's hijacking waylaid the Enterprise while they were en route to get Willie life-saving medicine. Willie ended up all right in the end, but it showcased one outcome of the all-too-common occurrence of taking a joke too far.

Harry Kim Kisses a Cow

"Spirit Folk"

Tom Paris and Harry Kim grew to be closer to brothers than friends over their time in the Delta Quadrant, and one of the hallmarks of their relationship was jokes, ribbing, and pranks. Once, while Harry was enjoying a holo-date on the Fair Haven holoprogram, Tom replaced Harry's female companion for the evening with a dairy cow right as Harry closed his eyes and went in for a kiss.

As is often the case on Trek , this simple moment snowballed into an ever-expanding avalanche of unintended consequences, as the glitching holograms of the simulation began seeing through the perceptual filters and believed themselves to be beset by " Spirit Folk ."

Jake and Nog Unleash the Garanian Bolites

"A Man Alone"

The sheer number of things that result from this simple moment are hard to overstate. In " A Man Alone ," only the fourth episode of Deep Space Nine , Jake Sisko decides to befriend Nog, one of the only other children aboard the entire station. Nog quickly gets Jake in trouble with the law by releasing some Garanian bolites onto an unsuspecting couple walking the Promenade, who rightly freak out when their skin first starts itching, and then changing all the colors of the rainbow.

This moment catches the attention of Keiko O'Brien, who decides to open a school aboard the station to help curtail the criminal idleness of the younger generation. Her teaching methods — including her decision to stick to secular practices when discussing the wormhole rather than hewing to traditional Bajoran religious beliefs — led to an anti-Starfleet uprising aboard the station that culminated in the classroom getting bombed by extremists, while also starting the political career of Vedek (later Kai) Winn.

This prank serves as a bonding experience for Jake and Nog, one of the most important friendships of the entire franchise. Without this prank, Jake would never have helped teach Nog to read, and Nog would likely have never become Starfleet's first Ferengi officer . Furthermore, seeing Nog strike out on his own helped inspire his father to stand up to his brother Quark more, eventually leading to Rom becoming a labor leader , and subsequently quitting the bar to become part of the station's maintenance crew. In that new role, Rom was able to devise self-replicating spatial mines that held the Dominion on the other side of the wormhole for months. Essentially, Garanian bolites saved the Alpha Quadrant.

Nog Spills a Bucket of "Odo" on Jake

"The Storyteller"

Pranks remained a part of Jake and Nog's friendship as it grew, like in this joke where Nog, while supposedly helping Jake steal Odo’s bucket, pretends to trip and spills the contents of the bucket all over Jake. Jake, thinking he’s just been doused with a bucket of Odo, starts freaking out, before Nog reveals that he filled the bucket with oatmeal from the replicator. This prank is nowhere near as important as Jake and Nog’s prank with the Garanian bolites, but it makes the list for two reasons. One, it’s a really funny prank, and two, it’s always good to remember the simple delight of seeing Aron Eisenberg laugh with all the energy he brought to the role of Nog.

Dr. Crusher Takes an (Involuntary) Swim

Star Trek Generations

When Worf got knocked into the icy waters of the (holographic) Atlantic during a gathering to celebrate his promotion, the Enterprise 's senior staff was wracked with laughter. When Data expressed his confusion as to why someone falling into a freezing ocean would be funny, Dr. Crusher explains that you simply need to get caught up in the moment and do something spontaneous. Data responds by shoving Beverly into the water, which nobody thinks is funny.

This moment was the straw that broke the camel's back for Data, who had long struggled to master human concepts like humor. As this list has showcased throughout, pranks and jokes are a key component to building and deepening friendships, and Data had forever found himself on the outside looking in at such interactions. Data decided to finally install the emotion chip that Dr. Soong had intended for him years earlier, which affected every decision he made throughout First Contact , Insurrection , and Nemesis .

The 8 Best Practical Jokes in Star Trek History

Armed with this list and the lessons it contains, you can start planning pranks of your own — though without access to a holodeck, Garanian bolites, or an easy way to replicate three gallons of oatmeal, you're going to have to work a little harder to pull them off.

Just remember that the best pranks are done among friends, in the spirit of friendship.

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This article was originally published on April 1, 2020.

Sean Kelly (he/him) is a freelance writer based in St. Louis. He occasionally gets depressed that he’ll never know what raktajino tastes like.