Star Trek's Captain Sisko Retcon Made No Sense, But Led To One Of DS9's Best Recurring Characters

In a move that didn't make much sense at first, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine retconned an important part of Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) history, but the confusing change led to the creation of one of Deep Space Nine's best recurring characters. The life of a Starfleet commanding officer often means difficulty in maintaining family relationships, as seen with both Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), who prioritize their Starfleet careers over family. Unlike Kirk and Picard, however, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's then-Commander Sisko was a family man from DS9's very first episode.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's premiere, "Emissary", established that Sisko's love for his family is a core part of his character. Benjamin is still grieving the loss of his wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell), until the Bajoran Prophets remind Ben that he must live in the present. Sisko focuses on parenting his son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), deftly balancing the difficulties of raising a teenager in deep space with the duties of commanding the station. Ben Sisko and Jake's loving father-son relationship has its roots in Ben's relationship with his own father, Joseph Sisko (Brock Peters).

Captain Sisko's Father Is Heavily Implied To Be Dead In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Early Seasons

Curiously, Captain Sisko's father is heavily implied to be dead in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's early seasons. Ben speaks of his father in the past tense in "Emissary", saying "my father was a gourmet chef." Commander Sisko brings up his father's illness in conversation with Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 12, "The Alternate", when Odo's father figure, Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan), is poisoned by toxic gas. Sympathetic to Odo's situation, Sisko describes reacting to his own father's illness with a detached finality, as though it happened long ago.

" When my father became ill, I can remember how small and weak he looked there, lying on the bed. He'd been so strong, so independent. It always seemed to me there was nothing he couldn't do, but in the end, I realized there was nothing that he could do . "

- Captain Benjamin Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 12, "The Alternate"

The language used to describe Joseph Sisko early in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is pretty vague. Ben's father is referred to in the past tense, but it's never stated outright that Joseph is dead, so there's room for interpretation. For example, if Sisko's father was still fighting a serious illness and hadn't recovered, then Benjamin saying his father was a great chef in "Emissary" could be interpreted as Joseph's career being over instead of his life. It's a reach, but giving early descriptions of Sisko's father some leeway means Joseph Sisko can actually appear in DS9 later on.

Sisko's Father Ended Up Becoming One Of DS9's Great Recurring Characters

Star Trek: DS9 Shows, Not Tells, The Sisko Family's Strong Ties

Joseph Sisko became one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's great recurring characters, with Brock Peters appearing as Joseph Sisko in six episodes of DS9. After being presumed dead by DS9's audience, Ben Sisko's father first appears on-screen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episodes 11 & 12, "Homefront" and "Paradise Lost", refusing to submit to a blood test that would confirm he's not one of DS9's Changeling impostors. Joseph's stubborn insistence on his personal autonomy fits perfectly with the way Benjamin described his father to Odo, and creates tense conflict between the two elder Sisko men.

Subsequent appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine confirm that Joseph Sisko is willfully independent and deeply protective of his family. With this insight into the Sisko family, it's clear Captain Sisko inherited Joseph's strong values. Joseph reaches out to Benjamin to convince Jake to leave when the Dominion occupy DS9 in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 1, "A Time to Stand". Deep Space Nine season 7's 2-part opener sees Joseph revealing the truth about Ben's real mother as a Prophet, which has far-reaching implications for the fate of Bajor and Captain Sisko's role as the Emissary.

How Deep Space Nine Explained Sisko's Father Being Alive

Star Trek's Medical Technology Saved Joseph Sisko's Life

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine explained that Captain Sisko's father is alive and well in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 11, "Homefront". When Ben and Jake come to Earth, Joseph Sisko has recently received several artificial organs as part of his intense medical treatment, not unlike Captain Jean-Luc Picard's artificial heart in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Instead of resting, Joseph is stubbornly on his feet again and deeply committed to running Sisko's Creole Kitchen. Joseph even puts Jake to work, ready to pass down the Sisko family's penchant for good cooking.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine often shows that understanding how people are influenced by their cultural backgrounds helps us understand who they are today. That's as true for several alien species as it is for individuals, so getting to see Captain Sisko's father on-screen lets DS9's viewers understand how the values that Ben Sisko grew up with created the Captain Sisko we know and love. Ben Sisko's father being dead initially seemed like an important part of Sisko's backstory, but it's fortunate that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine got around those implications by retconning Joseph Sisko back to life.