Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed that Captain Benjamin Sisko's (Avery Brooks) mother isn't who he thought, and Sisko's real mother was a Prophet of Bajor. Since the series premiere of DS9, Sisko was pulled in two directions, between his duty as a Starfleet Officer and his growing responsibility as the Emissary, one of Bajor's religious leaders. Sisko's true nature and destiny was finally explained in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, central to which was the identity of Ben's true birth mother.
The expansive cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine grew to include members of Captain Benjamin Sisko's family. Besides his teenage son, Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), Ben's father, Joseph Sisko (Brock Peters), was an important player in his life. Joseph was the patriarch of the Sisko family, which included Ben's unseen sister, Judith Sisko, and their two younger brothers. However, Joseph's unnamed wife passed away before DS9 began, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7 revealed Joseph Sisko had a previous wife, Sarah Sisko (Deborah Lacey).
Captain Sisko’s Real Mother, Sarah, In Star Trek: DS9 Explained
Sarah Sisko Was A Prophet Of Bajor
Sarah Sisko was the true mother of Captain Benjamin Sisko, as revealed in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7's premiere, "Image in the Sand." Sarah Sisko was a human woman who was possessed by one of the Prophets of Bajor in the early 2330s. The Prophet ensured Sarah met and fell in love with Joseph Sisko so that they could conceive a son, Benjamin. However, soon after Ben's first birthday, the Prophet left Earth and Sarah regained control of her body.
"The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko" by Derek Tyler Attico names Joseph's second wife Elizabeth Cohen Sisko, although this is not canonical.
Freed from her otherworldly possession, Sarah soon left Joseph and Ben as she didn't really love Joseph. Sarah moved to Australia and became a holophotographer, but died in an accident in 2336. The heartbroken Joseph married a second time, and his unnamed wife cared for Ben as his mother, as well as her three other children with Joseph until her death years before the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Benjamin didn't know about his true mother, Sarah Sisko, until the start of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7.
Sarah Gave Sisko Powers As Emissary Of The Prophets
Benjamin Sisko Had A Greater Destiny Beyond Being A Starfleet Captain
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's revelation that Sarah Sisko was possessed by a Prophet of Bajor means that Benjamin Sisko is part human and part Prophet. Essentially, Captain Sisko is a demigod, and Ben fully came into his powers when he became one with the Prophets at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Among his powers as the Emissary, "The Sisko", as the Prophets called him, could speak to and summon the Bajoran gods, and he could access ancient and powerful Bajoran orbs.
When Captain Sisko ascended to become one with the Prophets, he became an immortal nonlinear being who was no longer bound by space or time. However, Sisko's powers as the Emissary and as a Prophet were supernatural in nature, and they didn't manifest in physical abilities like super strength. Captain Sisko's powers were bound to protecting Bajor and its people. Although Sisko was born on Earth, he was always part Bajoran god from his mother Sarah Sisko, which explains Ben's loyalty and love of Bajor throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
