The Best Captain Sisko Episodes from Star Trek Deep Space Nine

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"When I first took command of this post, all I wanted was to be somewhere else. Anywhere but here. But now, five years later, this station has become my home. And you all of you have become my family and leaving this station, leaving you, is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But this war isn't over yet. I want you to know that, while we were keeping the Dominion occupied, a Starfleet/Klingon task force crossed the border into Cardassia and destroyed the Dominion shipyards on Torros III. Your sacrifices, our sacrifices, made this victory possible. But no victory can make this moment any easier for me and I promise, I will not rest until I stand with you again. Here. In this place. Where I belong."

Captain Sisko addresses his crew, "Call to Arms", Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko was the main protagonist of the television series Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Deep Space Nine was the fourth series in the Star Trek franchise and the first to be set onboard a space station and to feature a black man in command. It ran for seven seasons between 1993 and 1999 and starred Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko. Captain Sisko was a single father, widower, combat officer, Emissary of the Prophets, and the commanding officer of starbase Deep Space 9. He helped to discover the Bajoran wormhole and played a critical role during the Dominion War. In this article, I will look at some of his most prominent episodes and stand-out moments.

1. Far Beyond the Stars


Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 13
Air Date: 11 February 1999
Story: Marc Scott Zicree, Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler
Directed by: Avery Brooks
Best Quote:

"Call anybody you want, they can't do anything to me, not any more, and nor can any of you. I am a Human being, dammit! You can deny me all you want but you can't deny Ben Sisko – He exists! That future, that space station, all those people – they exist in here! In my mind. I created it. And everyone of you knew it, you read it. It's here. Do you hear what I'm telling you? You can pulp a story but you cannot destroy an idea, don't you understand, that's ancient knowledge, you cannot destroy an idea. That future – I created it, and it's real! Don't you understand? It is real. I created it. And it's real! IT'S REAL! Oh God!"

Benny Russell (Benjamin Sisko) has a breakdown, "Far Beyond the Stars", Star Trek Deep Space Nine

“Far Beyond the Stars” is a favourite among the fans and cast of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. It has been described as “remarkable” and “perfect science fiction” and is considered to be one of the best episodes of Star Trek ever made. Avery Brooks has commented that “Far Beyond the Stars” is his favourite episode and meant a lot to him at the time.

The episode begins with Captain Sisko learning that a friend of his has died in the war against the Dominion. This devastates him and makes him wonder if all is hopeless and if he should step down from his position and let someone else make the tough decisions. In that moment, he experiences a vision from the Prophets, the god-like aliens that live inside the Bajoran wormhole. Suddenly, Sisko is not himself anymore. He is a struggling science fiction writer living in New York in the 1950s named Benny Russell.

Russell works as a writer at a science-fiction magazine where he writes stories based off sketches that the magazine illustrator does. When he is shown a sketch of a space station one morning, Russell is captivated by it. He offers to write a story to appear alongside it in the next issue of the magazine. Later that evening, he sits down at his typewriter and begins to write a story set in the far and distant future about a black man named Captain Benjamin Sisko who is command of a space station. Russell looks up from his window and sees Captain Sisko staring back at him. He is so inspired he gets back to writing. He becomes so wrapped up in the character he starts to experience hallucinations of himself as Captain Sisko onboard Deep Space Nine. This makes him start to question his sanity.

Later in the episode, after surviving a beating from the police, Russell hands in his Ben Sisko story to his publisher desperate to see it published. His editor arrives with no magazine and tells Russell that there will be no issue that month because the publisher took issue with the fact that the hero of Russell’s story wasn’t a white man. He also tells him that he’s fired. This causes Russell to have a nervous breakdown. Avery Brooks delivers the performance of a lifetime in this scene. His acting skills are phenomenal. He was so committed to the role of Benny Russell he disappeared completely into the character. His performance was so riveting the director didn’t want to call cut and he stunned his co-stars with how emotional he became.

2. In The Pale Moonlight


Episode Details: Season 6, Episode 19
Air Date: 15 April 1998
Story by: Peter Allan Fields & Michael Taylor
Directed by: Victor Lobl
Best Quote:

"So... I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all... I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. Garak was right about one thing; a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So, I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it... Computer, erase that entire personal log."

Captain Sisko struggles with feelings of remorse, "In the Pale Moonlight", Star Trek Deep Space Nine

“In the Pale Moonlight” has been called the darkest episode of Star Trek ever made. The episode begins with Captain Sisko staring straight down the camera at the audience. He attempts to record a Captain’s personal log but he is so unsettled he struggles to recall what the date is. His mood is anguished, tense. He feels the need to confess. The rest of the episode is told from the point of view of Captain Sisko as he narrates his participation in a nefarious scheme designed to fabricate evidence to trick the Romulans into joining the war on the Federation’s side.

The Federation is losing the war and Captain Sisko is desperate to do whatever it takes to save the Alpha Quadrant. He comes to the conclusion that the only way to achieve victory would be to bring the Romulans into the war but that would mean getting them to give up their non-aggression pack with the Dominion. Sisko knows that he will need evidence to convince the Romulans so he enlists Garak to help. Garak is an exiled Cardassian former spy who lives on board Deep Space Nine. Sisko knows that Garak cannot be trusted, but he feels like he is out of options. Garak tells him that he is willing to help, but warns him that it will be a very messy, bloody business and asks him if he is prepared to deal with that. Sisko tells him that he is.

What unfolds is a Machiavellian plot involving criminals, fabricated evidence, abuse of power, bribery, lies and murder that forces Sisko to betray the Federation to achieve his goal of getting the Romulans to join the war against the Dominion. The scheme works but it costs Sisko his morals and his self-respect. When he goes to confront Garak about what they've done, his co-conspirator doesn't deny a thing and reminds him that it was his decision to involve him in the first place. He tells him that he will have to learn to live with the consequences of his actions.

What makes this episode so great is how it defies Gene Roddenberry’s hopeful vision of a utopian future where war, greed, money, and violence do not exist. Star Trek Deep Space Nine pulled back the curtain on that idealistic vision and exposed the dark and gritty reality of Starfleet, the Federation, and war. “In the Pale Moonlight” explores the innocence of Captain Sisko and demonstrated that in order to win wars sometimes you have to make some very difficult decisions that will hurt people that you will have to learn to live with. The episode ends with Captain Sisko trying to convince himself that he can learn to live with what he’s done before he changes his mind and decides to delete his entire personal log.

3. For The Uniform


Episode Details: Season 5, Episode 13
Air Date: 3 February 1997
Story by: Peter Allan Fields
Directed by: Victor Lobl
Best Quote:

"YOU BETRAYED YOUR UNIFORM!"

Captain Sisko threatens Michael Eddington, “For the Uniform”, Star Trek Deep Space Nine

One of the things that I have always liked about Captain Sisko was how Avery Brooks played him as a messy, complicated character, who carried around a lot of grief and bitterness and was always trying to hold back his temper. He’s the sort of man who isn’t afraid to punch out Q and to make morally questionable actions if it solves a problem. “For the Uniform” is one of my favourite Captain Sisko episodes because it features one of his most controversial moments. The episode focuses on Captain Sisko who is searching for his former chief of security, Michael Eddington, who is now the leader of a terrorist group called the Maquis.

The Maquis were formed in opposition to the Cardassian occupation of former Federation colonies in the Demilitarized Zone. Eddington wasn’t the only Starfleet officer that Sisko knew who resigned their position to join the Maquis. Sisko felt hurt and humiliated by Eddington’s actions because he felt that he had betrayed his oath to Starfleet. Fuelled by anger, Sisko became obsessed with tracking down Eddington and being the one to personally bring him to justice. After months of searching for Eddington, Sisko starts to piece together clues about what motivates him. He learns that he pictures himself as Valjean, the hero of Les Miserables, and views Sisko as the villain, a French police officer named Javert, who spends years trying to bring Valjean to justice for committing a trivial offence. Siskos decides that the best way to catch Eddington is to take on the role of villain and use his own strategies against him. He orders his crew to prepare biogenic weapons that would release a toxic chemical into the atmosphere of planets that would be deadly to humans but harmless to Cardassians. Sisko then broadcasts a message revealing his intentions to the Maquis.

Eddington responds and dismisses it as a bluff. Sisko follows through with his threat and orders his crew to launch the missiles which poison the atmosphere of a Maquis settlement. Eddington is outraged and accuses Sisko of going against his own morals and beliefs to satisfy a personal vendetta. Sisko rises out of his chair, trembling with rage, and bellows back at him “YOU BETRAYED YOUR UNIFORM!” Eddington throws his insult back at him, and then agrees to surrender. Captain Sisko’s actions in this episode sparked a lot of criticism at the time with many people questioning if he had committed a war crime. I really like that Sisko threw out the rule book to get Eddington. He made a bold and difficult choice in an effort to serve what he believed to be the greater good.

4. Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang


Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 15
Air Date: 24 February 1999
Story by: Ira Steven Behr & Hans Beimler
Directed by: Mike Vejar
Best Quote:

"You want to know? You really want to know what my problem is? I'll tell you. Las Vegas nineteen sixty two, that's my problem. In nineteen sixty two, black people weren't very welcome there. Oh, sure they could be performers or janitors, but customers? Never."

Captain Sisko criticises Vic Fontaine, "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang", Star Trek Deep Space

In the episode “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang” Captain Sisko steps out of his comfort zone to help his senior staff team up to protect their friend Vic Fontaine, a self-aware hologram, after a group of gangsters take over his jazz lounge and boot him from the club. Sisko is critical of his staff for getting involved at first and hesitant to join in because Vic’s program was modeled after 1962 Las Vegas and that makes him uncomfortable. He doesn’t think that they should ignore the fact that in real-life black people would’ve been allowed in a place like Vic’s back then because they didn’t have the same civil rights as white people at the time.

His partner, Kassidy Yates, doesn’t dismiss his concerns. She tells him that going to Vic’s won’t make them forget who they are or where they come from. It reminds them that they are no longer bound by any limitations except the ones that they impose on ourselves. Her words cause Sisko to soften up to the idea of helping out Vic and he decides to join his staff in their endeavours. Their heist is successful and the episode ends with Captain Sisko and Vic Fontaine singing a duet of “The Best is Yet to Come” together.

I really liked Captain Sisko’s commentary about historical accuracy and racism in this episode. A decision was made to include the scene because the writers of the episode didn’t want younger members of the audience to think that 1962 Las Vegas was a place where you could find a lot of black people enjoying themselves at hotels, casinos, and at nightclubs alongside white people. I liked that Sisko was able to share his concerns with Kassidy, a woman from the same racial background as him, and that he wasn’t forced to explain his point-of-view to an outsider who might not understand. I thought it was good that Kassidy listened and responded with her own perspective on things and was able to make Sisko change his mind.

The scene where Sisko shares a duet with Vic Fontaine is so much fun. In addition to being an actor, Brooks is also a deep baritone singer, who grew up in a family that loved music. Brooks has performed on stage, recorded albums, and performed with some of the greatest musicians in the world. James Darren, the actor who played Vic Fontaine, had nothing but praise after sharing the stage with Brooks for their duet. Brooks enjoyed getting the chance to sing a song on the show, but said if he had been given the chance to pick the song, he would have sung something that had a lot more swing.

More Star Trek Articles by Marisa
The Best Garak Episodes from Star Trek Deep Space Nine
The Best Doctor Episodes from Star Trek Voyager
The Best Harry Kim Episodes From Star Trek Voyager

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