129-651: Benjamin Lafayette Sisko is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise portrayed by Avery Brooks . He was the main character of the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ( DS9 ), which was originally broadcast between 1993 and 1999. The character has also appeared in various books, comics, and video games within the Star Trek franchise. Born in 2332 in New Orleans, Louisiana , Benjamin
258-560: A cult following among Trekkies greater than during its original run; by 1976, the cast described Star Trek as "the most popular series in the world". One sign of the series' growing popularity was the first Star Trek convention , which occurred on January 21–23, 1972 in New York City. Although the original expectation was that a few hundred fans would attend, several thousand turned up. Fans continue to attend similar conventions worldwide. The series' newfound success led to
387-599: A mental institution , obsessively writing the episode, synchronously, on the wall. Although it seems to be left ambiguous as to whether Benny is real or the Prophets' creation, at the end of this episode, the wormhole alien he was hunting says, "The Kosst Amojan tried to stop you with a false vision", implying that the Pah-wraiths were implanting the Russell fantasy into Sisko's mind to throw him off his mission. Due to
516-540: A tent pole for the studio when other projects failed. The Next Generation had the highest ratings of any Star Trek series and became the most syndicated show during the last years of its original seven-season run. In response to the Next Generation 's success, Paramount released a spin-off series, Deep Space Nine , in 1993. While never as popular as the Next Generation , the series had sufficient ratings for it to last seven seasons. In January 1995,
645-463: A time travel incident depicted in " Past Tense " (S3E11 & E12), Sisko is transported to early-21st-century Earth where his presence unintentionally causes the death of Gabriel Bell , an important figure in early-21st-century America. Sisko takes Bell's place to preserve the timeline. Sisko (as "Bell") instigates the Bell Riots , which helped change the course of human history. Although Sisko
774-477: A trial for war crimes and vows revenge against Sisko and Bajor . "Tears of the Prophets" was first broadcast on June 13, 1998 in broadcast syndication within the United States. It received Nielsen ratings of 4.1 percent, and an average of 3.9 million viewers This placed it in fifteenth place in the timeslot, and was the lowest rated episode of the sixth season during the initial broadcast. Prior to
903-400: A Cardassian star system, the former Cardassian leader Dukat ( Marc Alaimo ), possessed by one of the Pah-wraiths , the enemies of the Prophets, kills Jadzia (Terry Farrell) and disables the wormhole. After Jadzia's death, Sisko declares that he is leaving the station and returning to Earth. The premise of the attack on the wormhole originated as a plan to end the seventh season of DS9 , and
1032-492: A backwater position at the Federation Utopia Planitia shipyard orbiting Mars . Sisko remained a widower and single parent for many years. Eventually Sisko reluctantly accepted a posting as commander of Deep Space Nine orbiting the planet Bajor , where he eventually married a space freighter captain, Kasidy Yates . Sisko loves baseball , a sport that has largely disappeared by the 24th century but
1161-557: A big fan wanted to meet her while attending an NAACP dinner party: I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure.' I looked across the room, and there was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She told King about her plans to leave
1290-561: A campaign reminiscent of the one that saved the third season of the Original Series . Paramount renewed Enterprise for a fourth season, but moved it to the Friday night death slot . Like the Original Series , Enterprise ' s ratings dropped during this time slot, and UPN canceled Enterprise at the end of its fourth season. Enterprise aired its final episode on May 13, 2005. A fan group, "Save Enterprise ", attempted to save
1419-411: A censor down to the set to measure a woman's cleavage to make sure too much of her breast wasn't showing." Roddenberry intended the show to have a progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture of the youth movement, though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted Star Trek to show what humanity might develop into, if it would learn from the lessons of
SECTION 10
#17327834112881548-490: A contest to build a medical tricorder device was announced in 2012. Ten finalists were selected in 2014, and the winner was to be selected in January 2016. However, no team managed to reach the required criteria. Star Trek also brought teleportation to popular attention with its depiction of "matter-energy transport", with the famously misquoted phrase " Beam me up, Scotty " entering the vernacular. The Star Trek replicator
1677-521: A critical role in the intrigue of the Alpha Quadrant . His actions prove key in the security of Earth and the whole Alpha Quadrant. Examples include when he meets his former Captain, Admiral Leyton and learns that he planned on overthrowing the Federation government. Leyton framed Sisko as a shapeshifter who infiltrated Starfleet by faking a blood test. Sisko subsequently escaped custody with
1806-440: A female Trill and the current host to Dax had been assigned as the science officer to Deep Space Nine. The Dax symbiont had previously been joined to Curzon Dax; a Federation Diplomat who had been an old friend and mentor to Sisko early in his career. Indeed, Sisko would call Jadzia "old man", the same nickname he had used with Curzon. Sisko, would, at times, seek Dax's advice and she would also ask his at times. Most especially when
1935-416: A few months after the Next Generation ended, Paramount released a fourth television series, Voyager . Star Trek production reached a peak in the mid-1990s with Deep Space Nine and Voyager airing concurrently and three of the four Next Generation -based feature films released in 1994, 1996, and 1998. By 1998, Star Trek was Paramount's most important property and the profits of "the franchise" funded
2064-637: A fine line in avoiding any violation of the Prime Directive. However, Sisko warms up to and eventually embraces his fated role in the Bajoran faith. When Sisko leads the Defiant into the wormhole to intercept a Dominion fleet, the Prophets intervene. Sisko, at this point, has not fulfilled his destiny; to ensure that he survives, the Prophets erase the Dominion forces from existence. Sisko plays
2193-590: A fourth is scheduled for July 2020. The first publisher of Star Trek fiction aimed at adult readers was Bantam Books . James Blish wrote adaptations of episodes of the original series in twelve volumes from 1967 to 1977; in 1970, he wrote the first original Star Trek novel published by Bantam, Spock Must Die! . Pocket Books published subsequent Star Trek novels. Prolific Star Trek novelists include Peter David , Diane Carey , Keith DeCandido , J.M. Dillard , Diane Duane , Michael Jan Friedman , and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens . Several actors from
2322-423: A narrative adventure video game set in the Next Generation era, was released by Dramatic Labs. Star Trek has led directly or indirectly to the creation of a number of magazines which focus either on science fiction or specifically on Star Trek . Starlog was a magazine which was founded in the 1970s. Initially, its focus was on Star Trek actors, but then it expanded its scope. Star Trek: The Magazine
2451-498: A new cast portraying the crew of the original show. Star Trek was a prequel of the original series set in an alternate timeline , later named the Kelvin Timeline. This gave the film and sequels freedom from the need to conform to the franchise's canonical timeline and minimized the impact these films would have on CBS's portion of the franchise. The eleventh Star Trek film's marketing campaign targeted non-fans, stating in
2580-497: A new host was required to save it. Ezri had not been prepared to be joined and had never wanted to be, so joining with Dax was rough for her. Sisko met Ezri for the first time while he was still on extended personal leave on Earth and Ezri subsequently assisted the Sisko family in their search for a new Bajoran orb. Upon meeting Ezri, Sisko promised to help her through the transition of being joined as well as helping her come to terms with
2709-486: A new set of fans to the franchise. CBS eventually sought to capitalize on this trend, and brought the franchise back to the small screen with the series Star Trek: Discovery to help launch and draw subscribers to its streaming service CBS All Access . Discovery's first season premiered on September 24, 2017. While Discovery is shown in the United States exclusively on Paramount+ (formerly CBS All Access), for its first three seasons, Netflix, in exchange for funding
SECTION 20
#17327834112882838-437: A new starship Enterprise a century after the original series; Deep Space Nine and Voyager , set in the same era as the Next Generation ; and Enterprise , set a century before the original series in the early days of human interstellar travel. The adventures of the Next Generation crew continued in four additional feature films. In 2009, the film franchise underwent a reboot , creating an alternate continuity known as
2967-558: A new starship Enterprise with a new crew. Following Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Roddenberry's role was changed from producer to creative consultant, with minimal input to the films, while being heavily involved with the creation of The Next Generation . Roddenberry died on October 24, 1991, giving executive producer Rick Berman control of the franchise. Star Trek had become known to those within Paramount as "the franchise", because of its great success and recurring role as
3096-497: A pilot, " The Cage ", starring Jeffrey Hunter as Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike . NBC rejected "The Cage", but the executives were still impressed with the concept, and made the unusual decision to commission a second pilot: " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". While the show initially enjoyed high ratings, the average rating of the show at the end of its first season dropped to 52nd out of 94 programs. Unhappy with
3225-486: A prequel to the 2009 film, Star Trek: Countdown . In 2012, IDW published the first volume of Star Trek – The Newspaper Strip , featuring the work of Thomas Warkentin. As of 2020, IDW continues to produce new titles. The Star Trek franchise has numerous games in many formats. Beginning in 1967 with a board game based on the original series and continuing through today with online and DVD games, Star Trek games continue to be popular among fans. Video games based on
3354-400: A racially diverse crew. In early 1964, Roddenberry presented a brief treatment for a television series to Desilu Productions , calling it "a Wagon Train to the stars". Desilu studio head Lucille Ball was instrumental in approving production of the series. The studio worked with Roddenberry to develop the treatment into a script , which was then pitched to NBC. NBC paid to make
3483-461: A sense of intimacy to the proceedings. They added the sense of acknowledging Sisko's failure because of the perceived reduction in the impact of the destruction of the prophets after the death of Jadzia. Brooks said of the scene: "I know about loss. It's one of the things that we experience as part of living, part of the consequences of living", but also said that the emotions were enhanced because they were going to miss Farrell. Whilst on set, there
3612-411: A sequel. The studio forced Roddenberry to relinquish creative control of future sequels. The success of the sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , reversed the fortunes of the franchise. While the sequel grossed less than the first movie, The Wrath of Khan ' s lower production costs made it net more profit. Paramount produced six Star Trek feature films between 1979 and 1991, each featuring
3741-420: A series of standalone mini-episodes which air between Discovery and Picard seasons. A new live-action series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , a spinoff of the second season of Discovery and prequel to the original series, premiered on May 5, 2022. Lower Decks , an animated adult comedy series, was released on August 6, 2020, on CBS All Access. Another animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy , premiered on
3870-416: A significant portion of the studio's operations. Voyager became the flagship show of the new United Paramount Network (UPN) and thus the first major network Star Trek series since the original. After Voyager ended, UPN produced Enterprise , a prequel series. Enterprise did not enjoy the high ratings of its predecessors and UPN threatened to cancel it after the series' third season. Fans launched
3999-736: A son, Jake . As seen in the pilot episode " Emissary ", Sisko harbored a deep resentment towards Captain Jean-Luc Picard for years because it was Picard, as Locutus of Borg, who led the Borg attack against the Federation at the Battle of Wolf 359 . Sisko lost his wife, Jennifer , during the Borg attack, forcing Sisko to raise their young son, Jake, as a single parent. To take care of Jake, Sisko placed his Starfleet career on hold by taking up
Benjamin Sisko - Misplaced Pages Continue
4128-521: A story called "Deep Space Nine" that takes place in a universe without prejudice and bigotry . However, his publisher refuses to release the story because he makes the commander of the space station a black man. This injustice eventually drives Benny insane ; soon after, Sisko finds himself back in the 24th century, understanding his place is aboard the station but questioning the nature of reality. Later, in " Shadows and Symbols ", Sisko experiences more flashbacks to his "life" as Benny Russell, now in
4257-590: A television film every two years starting with Section 31 . Many licensed products are based on the Star Trek franchise. Merchandising is very lucrative for both studio and actors; by 1986 Nimoy had earned more than $ 500,000 from royalties. Products include novels, comic books, video games, and other materials, which are generally considered non-canon . Star Trek merchandise generated $ 4 billion for Paramount by 2002. Since 1967, hundreds of original novels, short stories, and television and movie adaptations have been published. The first original Star Trek novel
4386-550: A trilogy with " Image in the Sand " and " Shadows and Symbols ". In 2020, Den of Geek listed this episode as part of one of the best stories of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The first home media release of "Tears of the Prophets" was as a two episode VHS cassette alongside "The Sound of Her Voice" in the United Kingdom on December 28, 1998. It was later released on DVD in the United States and Canada as part of
4515-457: A wide range of spin-offs including games , figurines, novels , toys, and comics . From 1998 to 2008, there was a Star Trek –themed attraction in Las Vegas . At least two museum exhibits of props travel the world. The constructed language Klingon was created for the franchise. Several Star Trek parodies have been made, and viewers have produced several fan productions . Star Trek
4644-690: A woman named Jennifer in Babylon, New York , on Gilgo Beach , shortly after graduating from the Academy. The two eventually wed and had a son named Jake . As a Starfleet officer coming up through the ranks, Sisko was mentored by Curzon Dax , a joined Trill serving as United Federation of Planets ambassador to the Klingon Empire , when the two were stationed aboard the USS Livingston early in Sisko's career. The symbiotic nature of
4773-642: Is a multibillion-dollar industry, owned by Paramount Global. Gene Roddenberry sold Star Trek to NBC as a classic adventure drama; he pitched the show as " Wagon Train to the Stars" and as Horatio Hornblower in Space . The opening line, "to boldly go where no man has gone before", was taken almost verbatim from a U.S. White House booklet on space produced after the Sputnik flight in 1957. Star Trek and its spin-offs have proven highly popular in syndication and
4902-563: Is also widely known that Sisko wants to become an admiral ; he states this intent to Admiral Ross during his temporary assignment at a starbase under Ross' command. Sisko can also be identified as two other characters in the Star Trek universe : In the episode " Far Beyond the Stars ", Sisko considers resigning his commission after losing an old friend during the Dominion War , and the Prophets intervene, making Sisko briefly live
5031-410: Is credited in the scientific literature with inspiring the field of diatom nanotechnology . In 1976, following a letter-writing campaign, NASA named its prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise , after the fictional starship . Later, the introductory sequence to Star Trek: Enterprise included footage of this shuttle which, along with images of a naval sailing vessel called Enterprise , depicted
5160-529: Is in pre-production to take the place of one of these series. Star Trek: Prodigy was removed from Paramount+ in June 2023. The series was picked up by Netflix, and season 1 was made available on December 25, 2023. A second season aired later in 2024. Paramount is also planning to create television films for Paramount+ every two years. The first of these movies, Section 31 , will star Michelle Yeoh , reprising her role as Empress Georgiou from Discovery . It
5289-481: Is kept alive by a small group of aficionados. He keeps a baseball on the desk in his office (given to him by an alien impersonating Buck Bokai, Sisko's favorite historical baseball player, halfway through the first season), and often picks it up and tosses it around when deep in thought. When the Dominion captures DS9, Sisko leaves the ball in his office as a message that he intends to return (this can also be seen in
Benjamin Sisko - Misplaced Pages Continue
5418-448: Is noted for its cultural influence beyond works of science fiction. The franchise is also notable for its progressive stances on civil rights . The Original Series included one of the first multiracial casts on US television. As early as 1964, Gene Roddenberry drafted a proposal for the science fiction series that would become Star Trek . Although he publicly marketed it as a Western in outer space —a so-called " Wagon Train to
5547-491: Is scheduled to be released in early 2025. Twelve television series make up the Star Trek franchise: The Original Series , The Animated Series , The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager , Enterprise , Discovery , Short Treks , Picard , Lower Decks , Prodigy , and Strange New Worlds . All series in total amount to 937 episodes across 49 seasons of television. Paramount Pictures has produced thirteen Star Trek feature films. The first six films continue
5676-505: Is successful in fulfilling Bell's destiny and preserving the timeline, historical images of Bell after this point show Sisko's image. In 2009, IGN ranked Sisko as the 8th best character of Star Trek overall. In 2012, Paste Magazine rated Sisko as the #9 character of all Star Trek live-action television shows up to that time. In 2016, ScreenRant rated Benjamin Sisko as the fourth best character in Star Trek overall as presented in television and film up to that time. In 2016, Sisko
5805-464: Is the son of Joseph Sisko , chef and owner of the restaurant Sisko's Creole Kitchen. His birth mother was a human woman named Sarah, who was possessed by a Bajoran Prophet (the entities that exist inside the Bajoran wormhole ), and manipulated into marrying Joseph in order to conceive Benjamin. Sarah and Joseph were happily married until Sarah disappeared two days after Ben's first birthday, when
5934-517: The Star Wars franchise being rivals in the science fiction genre with many fans and scholars. The Star Trek franchise inspired some designers of technologies, the Palm PDA and the handheld mobile phone. Michael Jones, Chief technologist of Google Earth , has cited the tricorder 's mapping capability as one inspiration in the development of Keyhole/Google Earth. The Tricorder X Prize ,
6063-415: The Dominion . Sisko was promoted to captain on stardate 48959 during the episode " The Adversary ". Sisko is a lead character and the commanding officer of the fictional space station, Deep Space Nine . In 2369, Sisko is assigned to the Bajoran sector to command Deep Space Nine and help Bajor's recovery from the recently concluded Cardassian occupation , shepherding them toward possible membership in
6192-476: The Kelvin timeline; three films have been set in this continuity. The newest Star Trek television revival, beginning in 2017, includes the series Discovery , Picard , Short Treks , Lower Decks , Prodigy , and Strange New Worlds , streaming on digital platforms. Star Trek has been a cult phenomenon for decades. Fans of the franchise are called " Trekkies " or "Trekkers". The franchise spans
6321-404: The Original Series cast in their original roles. In 1987, Paramount responded to the popularity of Star Trek feature films by bringing the franchise back to television with Star Trek: The Next Generation . Paramount chose to distribute the new series as a first-run syndication show rather than a network program. The series was set a century after the original, following the adventures of
6450-408: The Original Series , 11 spin-off television series, and a film franchise ; further adaptations also exist in several media. After the conclusion of the Original Series , the adventures of its characters continued in the 22-episode Star Trek: The Animated Series and six feature films. A television revival beginning in the 1980s saw four spinoff series: The Next Generation , following the crew of
6579-554: The Star Trek franchise beyond Discovery to several new series, miniseries, and animated series. Kurtzman wanted to "open this world up" and create multiple series set in the same universe but with their own "unique storytelling and distinct cinematic feel", an approach that he compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe . However, the franchise would not tell a single story across multiple series, allowing audiences to watch each series without having to see all of
SECTION 50
#17327834112886708-445: The 23rd century, on a mission "to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before ". In creating Star Trek , Roddenberry was inspired by C. S. Forester 's Horatio Hornblower series of novels, Jonathan Swift 's 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels , the 1956 film Forbidden Planet , and television westerns such as Wagon Train . The Star Trek canon includes
6837-422: The Dominion are about to improve Chin'toka's defenses with unmanned weapons platforms. Meanwhile, Lt Cmdr. Worf ( Michael Dorn ) and Lt Cmdr. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) discuss their plans to have a baby. The night before the attack, Sisko receives a vision from the Prophets, who warn him not to leave the station. Sisko tells Ross about the vision, who responds that he must decide between his duty to Starfleet and
6966-583: The Federation and the Tzenkethi . Sisko eventually transferred to the USS Saratoga as its first officer. In early 2367, the Saratoga was one of the 40 Starfleet vessels involved in the Battle of Wolf 359 against the Borg . In an attempt to gain knowledge about Starfleet defenses, the Borg assimilated Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise , creating a Borg drone known as Locutus. In
7095-465: The Federation. Sisko and his son Jake reluctantly take up residence on the station. Recognizing that the assignment on DS9 is not an "ideal environment" in which to raise a son, Sisko contemplates resigning his commission. Adding to Sisko's discomfort is the presence of Captain Picard, who briefs him on his mission. Sisko continues to harbor deep resentment toward Picard for his role, however unwilling, in
7224-458: The Prophets " is the 26th and final episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the 150th episode overall. It was first broadcast in broadcast syndication in the United States the week of June 15, 1998. It was written by Ira Steven Behr and Hans Beimler , and directed by Allan Kroeker . The episode featured the death of
7353-534: The Prophets and the Pah-wraith leaves his body, entering the Orb, which turns black. Outside the station, the Bajoran wormhole implodes. On the Defiant , Sisko is shaken, sensing the attack on the Prophets; Major Kira ( Nana Visitor ) takes over and successfully commands the destruction of the weapons platforms. After the battle, they are summoned urgently back to the station. When they arrive, they are informed that
7482-579: The Prophets. Meanwhile, the Cardassian leader Damar ( Casey Biggs ) and his Dominion handler Weyoun ( Jeffrey Combs ) receive an unexpected visit from Damar's predecessor, Dukat (Marc Alaimo). Dukat discloses his plan to allow one of the enemies of the Prophets, the Pah-wraiths, to possess him. He breaks a Bajoran artifact, thereby releasing a Pah-wraith in the form of a red mist that enters his body. The attack fleet arrives at Chin'toka just as
7611-505: The US space program , working in this quality for NASA from the late 1970s until the late 1980s. In 2020, the US effort to develop a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 was named Operation Warp Speed , which was suggested by a Star Trek fan, Peter Marks. Marks leads the unit at the Food and Drug Administration which approves vaccines and therapies. Tears of the Prophets " Tears of
7740-487: The actualization of Star Trek's holodeck in the future by making extensive use of artificial intelligence and cyborgs. Star Trek -based comics have been issued almost continuously since 1967, published by Marvel , DC , Malibu , Wildstorm , and Gold Key , among others. In 2009, Tokyopop produced an anthology of Next Generation -based stories presented in the style of Japanese manga . In 2006, IDW Publishing secured publishing rights to Star Trek comics and issued
7869-485: The advancement of human transportation technology. Beyond Star Trek 's fictional innovations, its contributions to television history included a multicultural and multiracial cast. While more common in subsequent years, in the 1960s it was controversial to feature an Enterprise crew that included a Japanese helmsman, a Russian navigator, and a black female communications officer. Captain Kirk's and Lt. Uhura's kiss, in
SECTION 60
#17327834112887998-528: The adventures of the cast of the Original Series ; the seventh film, Generations , was intended as a transition from original cast to the cast of the Next Generation ; the next three films focused completely on the Next Generation cast. The eleventh film was widely considered to be a reboot of the franchise, despite being a continuation set in an alternate timeline known as the "Kelvin Timeline". Additionally, streaming service Paramount+ intends to release
8127-456: The attack on the prophets themselves had been first raised in a discussion between Rick Berman and Ira Steven Behr , and was suggested as a potential ending to a seventh season. When plans for season six were first discussed in September 1997, it was suggested once more. Screenwriter René Echevarria said that they wanted Sisko to suffer a setback, which featured an attack by the Dominion on
8256-475: The box office. CBS turned down several proposals in the mid-2000s to restart the franchise on the small screen. Proposals included pitches from film director Bryan Singer , Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski , and Trek actors Jonathan Frakes and William Shatner. While CBS was not creating new Star Trek for network television, the ease of access to Star Trek content on new streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video introduced
8385-480: The broadcast of the episode, there had been a great deal of publicity due to the imminent death of Jadzia Dax, which had not been held back as a surprise. The advertisements placed in magazines alluded to the fact, and the story had been picked up by the national press. Farrell's subsequent casting on Becker was also covered, as was her replacement by Nicole de Boer for the seventh and final season as Ezri Dax . Jamahl Epsicokhan of Jammer's Reviews thought that
8514-548: The character Jadzia Dax and the final appearance on the series of actress Terry Farrell . Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet -managed Bajoran space station Deep Space Nine . The station is adjacent to a wormhole leading to the distant Gamma Quadrant ; the wormhole is home to powerful alien beings worshiped by the Bajorans as the " Prophets ". The later seasons of
8643-442: The conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek are allegories of contemporary cultural realities. The Original Series addressed issues of the 1960s, just as later spin-offs have tackled issues of their respective decades. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, the value of personal loyalty, authoritarianism , imperialism , class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights, sexism , feminism, and
8772-573: The death of his wife. Upon Sisko's first visit to Bajor, the Kai (Bajor's spiritual leader), Opaka Sulan , labels him "the Emissary of the Prophets" and gives him one of the Bajoran Orbs , that supposedly comes from Bajor's Prophets. By studying the orb and nearby stellar phenomenon, Jadzia Dax finds a location of unusual activity in the nearby Denorios Belt. Traveling there, Dax and Sisko discover
8901-479: The death which caused problems for the writers as they wanted something suitably heroic but not clichéd. In the first draft script by Hans Beimler and Behr, which was entitled "Tears of the Gods", Jadzia was killed by Dukat but managed to save the prophets in the process. Creative consultant Michael Piller felt that Jadzia's death was not a "worthy send-off" and felt rushed. The scene where Jadzia says goodbye to Worf
9030-621: The ensuing battle, of the forty Federation starships amassed at Wolf 359 only the USS Endeavour (NCC-71805) survived. An estimated 11,000 people were lost, including Sisko's wife, Jennifer. Afterward, Sisko took a position at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars . There he oversaw the development of new ships intended to contend with the Borg threat. One such ship, the USS Defiant , was later used against
9159-409: The entities is awkward and difficult for both parties; but the encounter helps Sisko recognize that he has never allowed himself to move beyond the bitterness and grief of losing his wife, as well as his anger towards Picard. After leaving the wormhole, Sisko embraces the opportunity to move forward and command Deep Space Nine and adopts a less hostile attitude towards Picard before his departure. After
9288-405: The episode " Plato's Stepchildren ", was also daring, and is often mis-cited as being American television's first scripted, interracial kiss, even though several other interracial kisses ( e.g. on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ) predated this one. Nichelle Nichols, who played the communications officer, said that the day after she told Roddenberry of her plan to leave the series, she was told
9417-422: The episode after the end of the series. Michelle Erica Green of TrekNation called it "an episode of mythic proportion, with a tour de force performance by Avery Brooks". She praised the plot, saying that "what Sisko really did was choose tactics over intuition, or perhaps intellect over spirituality...and it was the wrong choice. This is a stunning moment for Star Trek : an acknowledgement that there are forces in
9546-425: The episode took a while to get to the point, but delivered in the end, using the death of Jadzia as a way to drop Sisko "into an abyss of despair". He thought that the melodrama surrounding Jadzia's death was exaggerated, and that the manner of the death was random, but the context of the effects of Jadzia's death "really works". He gave the episode a score of three and a half out of four. Several reviewers re-watched
9675-466: The exit of her character, Farrell said: "I don't feel cheated out of the character in the same way as I would have if the show had been cancelled, because I've gotten the opportunity to play her. And besides, it's Jadzia that's dying. Dax is living." The day after her final scene was shot, she tested for the sitcom Becker . The departure of Farrell caused problems for the writers, as they initially were not sure how to combine their original vision for
9804-450: The fabricated evidence to Senator Vreenak, a Romulan Senator visiting the station who had staunch pro-Dominion leanings. As the ruse progressed however, due to several unforeseen complications that arose along the way, Sisko was grudgingly forced to set aside his an increasing amount of his moral certainty to make the plan a success and save the Federation, such as bribing Quark, and becoming an accessory to murder twice over. Vreenak discovered
9933-569: The fifth best captain of Star Trek . In 2017, Screen Rant ranked Sisko the 3rd most attractive person in the Star Trek universe, in between Seven of Nine and Nyota Uhura . In 2019, Cinema Blend ranked Sisko the fourth best Star Trek Starfleet character of all time. Sisko was rated as one of the top seven time travelers of the Star Trek franchise by Nerdist in 2019, especially for his time traveling adventures in " Trials and Tribble-ations " and " Past Tense ". In 2018, CBR ranked Sisko
10062-486: The film did not earn as much in the North American box office as its predecessor, internationally, in terms of box office receipts, Into Darkness is the most successful of the franchise. The thirteenth film, Star Trek Beyond , was released on July 22, 2016. The film had many pre-production problems and its script went through several rewrites. While receiving positive reviews, Star Trek Beyond disappointed in
10191-425: The film's advertisements that "this is not your father's Star Trek ". The film earned considerable critical and financial success, grossing (in inflation-adjusted dollars) more box office sales than any previous Star Trek film. The plaudits include the franchise's first Academy Award (for makeup ). Two sequels were released. The first sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness , premiered in the spring of 2013. While
10320-410: The final episode of season six, and include a suitable tribute to the character of Jadzia Dax. The initial plan had Dukat stealing an orb of the prophets, intending to destroy it inside the wormhole. As with the final episode, Sisko and the Defiant were not at the station, but Jadzia had remained behind. She would have pursued Dukat into the wormhole and somehow died in the process. It was the manner of
10449-469: The first known stable wormhole ; the other end of which connects to the Gamma Quadrant . During their return trip through the wormhole, Sisko and Dax encounter the mysterious entities living within it. The devoutly spiritual Bajorans believe the wormhole to be the "Celestial Temple" and the entities to be the Prophets, respectively. These entities exist outside linear time. Sisko's first contact with
10578-654: The forgery quickly enough, and angrily departed the station, determined to expose Sisko's plan to the entire Quadrant. En route back to Romulus, however, he was assassinated by a bomb Garak had clandestinely planted in his shuttle. Ironically, it wasn't the holoprogram itself, but Vreenak's assassination that brought the Romulans into the war, since the Tal Shiar (the Romulan equivalent of the Obsidian Order) believed
10707-484: The future of the franchise. Paramount relieved Berman, the franchise producer, of control of Star Trek . In 2007, Paramount hired a new creative team to reinvigorate the franchise on the big screen. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and producer J. J. Abrams had the freedom to reinvent the feel of the franchise. The team created the franchise's eleventh film, Star Trek , releasing it in May 2009. The film featured
10836-547: The help of Odo and stopped Leyton's plans. During the Klingon invasion of Cardassia , he is crucial to exposing the shapeshifter impersonating Klingon general Martok . Sisko's exploits continue during the Dominion's invasion of the Alpha Quadrant, eventually working alongside Vice Admiral William Ross to help plan massive actions against the Dominion and their Cardassian and Breen allies. Sisko's contributions to
10965-415: The idea of reviving the franchise. Filmation with Paramount Television produced the first post–original series show, Star Trek: The Animated Series , featuring the cast of the original series reprising their roles. It ran on NBC for 22 half-hour episodes over two seasons on Saturday mornings from 1973 to 1974. Although short-lived, typical for animated productions in that time slot during that period,
11094-527: The joined Trill becomes a significant aspect to Sisko's later relationships with his science officer Jadzia Dax and counselor Ezri Dax . Sisko served aboard the USS Okinawa under Captain Leyton, who saw command potential in the young officer; Leyton promoted Sisko to lieutenant commander and made him his executive officer . It was during this assignment that Sisko and Leyton fought in the war between
11223-416: The life of Benny Russell, a science fiction short story writer in 1950s America . (The other people in Russell's life are played by Brooks' DS9 co-stars, allowing them to appear without the heavy prosthetic makeup of their alien characters and show viewers their true appearance.) Every day, Russell faces the prejudices of his world; his publisher does not even allow his photograph to be printed. He writes
11352-418: The life-form left her body. She died in an accident several years later. Joseph eventually met and married another woman, who raised Benjamin as her son. Benjamin remained unaware of these events until well into his adulthood. Ben has a sister named Judith, and at least two brothers. Sisko entered Starfleet Academy in 2350. During his sophomore year , he was in a field-study assignment on Starbase 137. He met
11481-481: The most recognizable and highest-grossing media franchises of all time . The franchise began with Star Trek: The Original Series , which premiered on September 6, 1966, on Canada's CTV network. In the US it debuted on September 8, 1966, on NBC . The series followed the voyages of the crew of the starship USS Enterprise , a space exploration vessel built by the United Federation of Planets in
11610-612: The others. CBS and Kurtzman refer to this expanded franchise as the Star Trek Universe . The second series of the expansion of the Star Trek Universe, Star Trek: Picard , features Patrick Stewart reprising the character Jean-Luc Picard from The Next Generation . Picard premiered on CBS All Access on January 23, 2020. Unlike Discovery , Amazon Prime Video streams Picard internationally. CBS has also released two seasons of Star Trek: Short Treks ,
11739-662: The past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the alien species known as the Vulcans , who had a violent past but learned to control their emotions. Roddenberry also gave Star Trek an anti-war message and depicted the United Federation of Planets as an ideal, optimistic version of the United Nations. His efforts were opposed by the network because of concerns over marketability, e.g., they opposed Roddenberry's insistence that Enterprise have
11868-487: The production costs of the show, owned the international screening rights for the show. This Netflix distribution and production deal ended right before the fourth season premiere of Discovery in November 2021. Discovery has since been exclusive to Paramount Global owned platforms. In June 2018, after becoming sole showrunner of Discovery , Kurtzman signed a five-year overall deal with CBS Television Studios to expand
11997-518: The prophets. The idea was raised that the plot would follow on from those in the episode " The Reckoning ". In that episode, a prophet and a pah-wraith each possess a person and battle on the station before being forced out of their hosts leaving a prophecy unfulfilled. It was that prophecy which the writers intended to follow up with "Tears of the Prophets". "Tears of the Prophets" was the final episode of Deep Space Nine to feature actress Terry Farrell, as her six-year contract came to an end. Farrell
12126-579: The publicized death of Jadzia Dax, it was viewed by 3.9 million viewers in the first broadcast, the lowest of the season. Admiral Ross ( Barry Jenner ) informs Captain Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) that Starfleet intends to go on the offensive in the war against the Dominion . They decide to attack the Chin'toka star system—but must attack soon, as intelligence arrives that the Cardassians and
12255-501: The reality of her situation and Sisko found comfort in having his friend back, if even indirectly. After these events, Sisko returned to duty and arranged for Ezri's transfer to the station and posting as the station's counselor. The wormhole's discovery cements in Opaka's and other Bajorans' minds the notion that Sisko is the Emissary of the Prophets, a title and set of responsibilities which initially makes Sisko uneasy, forcing him to walk
12384-557: The rebranded service Paramount+ first on October 28, 2021, and on December 17, 2021, on Nickelodeon . Prodigy is the first Star Trek series to specifically target younger audiences, and is the franchise's first fully computer animated series. Star Trek saturation would hit a new peak in 2022, with five Star Trek series airing in the same year. The Star Trek: Picard series finale aired in April 2023. Discovery's series finale aired in May 2024. A Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series
12513-473: The role of technology. Roddenberry stated: "[By creating] a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion, Vietnam , politics, and intercontinental missiles. Indeed, we did make them on Star Trek : we were sending messages and fortunately they all got by the network. If you talked about purple people on a far off planet, they (the television network) never really caught on. They were more concerned about cleavage. They actually would send
12642-567: The second season three-parter, consisting of "Homecoming", " The Circle " and " The Siege " and also the Season 5 finale, " Call To Arms "). After Jadzia Dax 's death in the Season 6 finale, " Tears of the Prophets ", he takes the baseball with him to Earth , causing Kira Nerys to worry that he will not return. Like his father, a chef , Sisko also enjoys cooking. His father owns a restaurant in New Orleans , and specialized in Creole cuisine . It
12771-427: The senator was assassinated by the Dominion after he found evidence of their planned invasion, and not by Garak, after discovering the data rod containing the holoprogram of the invasion plans that the Tal Shiar assumed he was bring back to Romulus to warn his government, and any errors or flaws in the data stored within the rod was due to from damage from the explosion and not because it was a sophisticated forgery. Sisko
12900-405: The series and tried to raise $ 30 million to privately finance a fifth season of Enterprise . Though the effort garnered considerable press, the fan drive failed to save the series. The cancellation of Enterprise ended an eighteen-year continuous production run of Star Trek programming on television. The poor box office performance in 2002 of the film Nemesis cast an uncertain light upon
13029-567: The series follow a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Dominion , an expansionist empire from the Gamma Quadrant that has already absorbed the nearby planet of Cardassia . In this episode, the Federation decides to move on the offensive against the Dominion. Captain Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) is warned by the Prophets not to leave Deep Space Nine , but decides to ignore their warning. As Starfleet attacks
13158-463: The series garnered the franchise's only Emmy Award in a "Best Series" category—specifically Outstanding Entertainment Children's Series ; later Emmy awards for the franchise would be in technical categories. Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry began developing a new series, Star Trek: Phase II , in May 1975 in response to the franchise's newfound popularity. Work on the series ended when the proposed Paramount Television Service folded. Following
13287-435: The series include Star Trek: Legacy and Star Trek: Conquest . An MMORPG based on Star Trek called Star Trek Online was developed by Cryptic Studios and published by Perfect World . It is set during the Next Generation era, about 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis . The most recent video game was set in the alternate timeline from Abrams's Star Trek . On April 23, 2023, Star Trek: Resurgence ,
13416-414: The series.] I never got to tell him why, because he said, 'You can't. You're part of history.' After the show, Nichols used this public standing to speak for women and people of color and against their exclusion from the US human space program; NASA reacted by asking her to find people for its future Space Shuttle program. Nichols proceeded and successfully brought the first non-white people and women into
13545-506: The show's ratings, NBC threatened to cancel the show during its second season. The show's fan base , led by Bjo Trimble , conducted an unprecedented letter-writing campaign, petitioning the network to keep the show on the air. NBC renewed the show, but moved it from primetime to the " Friday night death slot ", and substantially reduced its budget. In protest, Roddenberry resigned as producer and reduced his direct involvement in Star Trek , which led to Fred Freiberger becoming producer for
13674-475: The show's third and final season. Despite another letter-writing campaign, NBC canceled the series after three seasons and 79 episodes. After the original series was canceled, Desilu, which by then had been renamed Paramount Television , licensed the broadcast syndication rights to help recoup the production losses. Reruns began in late 1969, and by the late 1970s the series aired in over 150 domestic and 60 international markets. This helped Star Trek develop
13803-504: The stars"—he privately told friends that he was modeling it on Jonathan Swift 's Gulliver's Travels , intending each episode to act on two levels: as a suspenseful adventure story and as a morality tale. Most Star Trek stories depict the adventures of humans and aliens who serve in Starfleet , the space-borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of the United Federation of Planets . The protagonists have altruistic values, and must apply these ideals to difficult dilemmas. Many of
13932-433: The station is moved to the mouth of the wormhole to firmly claim it for Bajor, it becomes a new hub of scientific, commercial and political activity. Sisko at first clashes with Major Kira Nerys and on more than one occasion has to rein her in by asserting his authority. However, as time passed, the two came to have great respect for and trust in each other. Their relationship reached a new level of personal comfort when Sisko
14061-522: The success of the science fiction movies Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind , Paramount adapted the planned pilot episode of Phase II into the feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The film opened in North America on December 7, 1979, with mixed reviews from critics. The film earned $ 139 million worldwide, below expectations but enough for Paramount to create
14190-520: The symbiont belonging to one of Dax's previous hosts wives arrived in a new host and Dax felt conflicted. When the Dax Symbiont was passed on to a new host due to the death of Jadzia, Sisko acted as something of a mentor to the new host, Ezri Dax. Ezri was a young and inexperienced officer that had been joined to Dax when the symbiont's health seriously declined en route to the Trill home planet and
14319-512: The television series have also written or co-written books featuring their respective characters: William Shatner , John de Lancie , Andrew J. Robinson , J. G. Hertzler and Armin Shimerman . Voyager producer Jeri Taylor wrote two novels detailing the personal histories of Voyager characters. Screenplay writers David Gerrold , D. C. Fontana , and Melinda Snodgrass have also penned books. A 2014 scholarly work Newton Lee discussed
14448-497: The themes of revenge in the case of Dukat, and also the conflicting nature of religion and military duty with Sisko. Dukat had been present on the station in the episode " Sacrifice of Angels " when it was retaken by the fleet of the Federation-Klingon alliance, and suffered a nervous breakdown following the death of his daughter Tora Ziyal . In the episode " Waltz ", he escapes from Federation custody whilst en route to
14577-458: The third best Starfleet character of Star Trek, in between Janeway and Picard. Star Trek Star Trek is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry , which began with the series of the same name and became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon . Since its creation, the franchise has expanded into various films , television series , video games , novels , and comic books , and it has become one of
14706-538: The universe which cannot be coerced, manipulated, or […] talked into submission by Starfleet captains." She hoped that the repercussions from the episode would lead into the seventh series. In 2015, Geek.com recommended this episode as "essential watching" for their abbreviated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine binge-watching guide, noting its depiction of futuristic space battles. In 2018, SyFy included this episode on their Jadzia Dax binge-watching guide for this character. They also recommended watching it as part of
14835-490: The war effort are sometimes more surreptitious, such as his clandestine work with former Obsidian Order operative Elim Garak . Specifically, Garak and Sisko work to bring the Romulans into the war by creating an elaborate ruse. He and Garak, with the help of a petty criminal, create a sophisticated holoprogram, specifically the recording of a high-level Dominion meeting planning the invasion of Romulus. They were to then give
14964-608: The weapons platforms are activated. As the fleet is being destroyed, on board the USS Defiant , Elim Garak ( Andrew Robinson ), a Cardassian working with Starfleet, infers that the platforms can be taken offline if the Defiant finds and destroys their central power source. On Deep Space Nine, Dax is visiting the Bajoran Temple when Dukat, possessed by the Pah-wraith, suddenly transports in; he hits her with bolts of energy from his hands and she collapses. He opens an Orb of
15093-506: The winner, but in a last effort, Sisko throws himself and Dukat into the fiery abyss of the Bajoran Fire Caves, and Sisko is pulled into the Prophets' plane of existence to live with and learn from them. Sisko imparts a farewell to his new—and pregnant— wife, Kasidy Yates , informing her that although he does not know when, he will eventually return to her. Sisko was first married to Jennifer Sisko , with whom he had
15222-454: The wormhole is gone and all the Bajoran orbs have turned dark. Dr. Bashir is able to save the Dax symbiont that shares Jadzia's consciousness, but not Jadzia herself. She survives long enough to say goodbye to Worf. Over Jadzia's coffin, Sisko decides that he must take a leave of absence on Earth. He departs with his son, Jake ( Cirroc Lofton ), leaving Kira in charge of DS9 . The concept of
15351-480: Was Mission to Horatius by Mack Reynolds , which was published in hardcover by Whitman Books in 1968. In 1968, Gene Roddenberry cooperated with Stephen Edward Poe, writing as Stephen Whitfield, on the nonfiction book The Making of Star Trek for Ballantine Books . Among the most recent is the Star Trek Collection of Little Golden Books . Three titles were published by Random House in 2019,
15480-514: Was a magazine published in the U.S. that ceased publication in 2003. Star Trek Magazine , originally published as Star Trek Monthly by Titan Magazines for the United Kingdom market, began in February 1995. The magazine has since expanded to worldwide distribution under the name Star Trek Explorer . Other magazines through the years included professional, as well as magazines published by fans, or fanzines . The Star Trek media franchise
15609-532: Was a suggestion by set director Laura Richarz that the coffin was the same prop as used for the photon torpedo which Spock 's body was loaded into in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; Mike Okuda later explained that several new torpedo props were made for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , so they could not be sure if the Spock torpedo was the one used or not. The episode deals with
15738-401: Was added, and Echevarria encouraged showing Jadzia dying on screen. There were concerns about the number of steps required by Dukat to attack the wormhole, and it was Ron Moore who suggested the inclusion of the pah-wraiths once more. Echevarria then raised the idea of having Dukat possessed, as seen with Kira and Jake Sisko in "The Reckoning". The scene with Worf at the end of the episode
15867-406: Was again suggested for the end of season six when planning began for that season. The imminent departure of Farrell caused problems for the writers as they sought to include both elements into the episode. The episode raised themes of revenge and the conflict between military service and religion. Although the critics' reviews were positive and the episode received a high level of press coverage due to
15996-433: Was broadcast worldwide. The show's cultural impact goes far beyond its longevity and profitability. Star Trek conventions have become popular among its fans, who call themselves " trekkies " or "trekkers". An entire subculture has grown up around the franchise, which was documented in the film Trekkies . Star Trek was ranked most popular cult show by TV Guide . The franchise has also garnered many comparisons of
16125-504: Was enraged when he figured out that Garak was behind the assassination, but later admitted with a note of bitterness that Garak was right, in that two deaths and an uneasy conscience was a very small price to pay in order to save the entire Alpha Quadrant. Sisko fulfills the Prophets' destiny for him in the series finale, " What You Leave Behind ", by confronting the Kosst Amojan -possessed Gul Dukat . They fight, and Dukat seems to be
16254-401: Was injured during a battle with the Dominion and Kira did her best to care for him; telling him a story and praying to the Prophets in process. During this, she realized that Sisko had kept her at a certain professional distance because of his role as the Emissary but this softened after this event. Sisko's assignment to the station also saw him reunited with an old friend in a new form. Jadzia,
16383-612: Was kept, and a death chant was written initially in English based upon the Native American chant Only the Earth Endures . It was subsequently translated into Klingon for the script, but Behr thought it was a shame that the audience would not be able to understand the meaning behind the words. The scene with Sisko and Jadzia's coffin was shot on a closed set, with Avery Brooks being the only actor on set in order to give
16512-546: Was ranked as the 2nd most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science fiction universe by Wired magazine . In 2017, The Washington Post ranked Sisko as the second best Captain of Star Trek , and compared him to the American WW2 General and US President Eisenhower . They note how he tried to raise his son on the wayward space station despite being widowed, while contending with crew of dubious loyalties. In 2017, Space.com ranked Sisko
16641-407: Was tired of the long hours and the constantly changing schedule. Rick Berman said the only two options were to stay as main cast or be written off the show. Farrell would have preferred to be made a recurring character so that she would not be in every episode. The writers felt that due to the ongoing Dominion War in the series, that there was no alternative other than to kill off the character. On
#287712