I have a theory about why, in-universe, Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) decided to shave his head bald and grow a goatee in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Sisko was a Starfleet Commander when he was assigned to run Deep Space Nine, a former Cardassian space station orbiting the planet Bajor. Commander Sisko began Star Trek: Deep Space Nine clean-shaven and with a full head of hair, and there wasn't a direct explanation within the series for what prompted Benjamin to drastically change his look (for the better).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4's premiere, "The Way of the Warrior," introduced the new-look Captain Benjamin Sisko. Although it took three seasons of DS9, Sisko was finally promoted to Captain, but the transformation wasn't complete until Ben shaved his head and grew his goatee. In addition, Sisko gained command of his own starship, the USS Defiant. All of these additions put Sisko on equal par with his fellow Star Trek Captains like Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). But what prompted Ben to adopt a chrome dome and facial hair? It may have been because he time-traveled to 2024 San Francisco.
My Theory On Why Captain Sisko Became Bald On Star Trek: DS9
Sisko made a drastic change to his look
I think Captain Sisko shaved his head bald and grew a goatee to throw people off the scent that he looks like Gabriel Bell. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3's "Past Tense" two-parter, Commander Sisko, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig), and Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) found themselves in 2024 San Francisco, where Sisko and Bashir got caught up in the infamous Bell Riots. Gabriel Bell (John L. Bennett) was killed and Sisko impersonated him to ensure history unfolded as it should. When DS9's crew returned to the 24th century, they found history believed Commander Sisko was Gabriel Bell.
It's possible that Commander Sisko decided to alter his appearance to prevent him from being equated to Gabriel Bell. At the very least, his experience as Gabriel Bell must have prompted Sisko to switch up his look. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 22, "Explorers," Ben grew out his goatee. This was the first step in his personal revamping. By the start of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, Sisko's new bald and goateed persona was complete, and this remained his look for the rest of DS9.
Benjamin Sisko's new look coincided with his long-deserved promotion to Captain.
Why Paramount Didn’t Want Captain Sisko To Be Bald
Avery Brooks got what he wanted
Paramount resisted Avery Brooks' desire for Captain Sisko to be bald. One reason was that Star Trek already had a famously bald Captain: Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard. Another was that a bald and goateed Avery Brooks starred in Spenser for Hire and A Man Called Hawk before headlining Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the studio thought the look wasn't appropriate for Sisko. But Avery Brooks and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine executive producer Ira Steven Behr prevailed, just as they had in getting DS9 its own starship and Sisko finally receiving a promotion to Captain.
With his new look, Sisko became even more commanding and impressive.
Avery Brooks shaving his head and growing a goatee unquestionably infused a new dynamism into his performance as Captain Sisko. With his new look, Sisko became even more commanding and impressive. The goateed and bald Captain Sisko could be intimidating in a room full of Klingons, but Brooks was as warm and compassionate as ever to his friends and his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton). Captain Sisko never really explained why he shaved his head bald and grew a goatee in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but one thing is for sure: No one would confuse him with Gabriel Bell from then on.
