Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was never a traditional Starfleet Captain. Before becoming the commander of the Deep Space Nine Space Station, then-Commander Sisko considered resigning his Starfleet commission. Later, some of the best episodes in DS9, like "In the Pale Moonlight," revolve around Captain Sisko not acting like a proper Starfleet captain. Truly, Captain Sisko could never have been a Starfleet Admiral. Captain Sisko was always more than just a Starfleet officer, caring for his son and the people of Bajor just as much if not more than official Starfleet policy, and that is what made him one of Star Trek's best captains.
Of course, personality is not the only reason Benjamin Lafayette Sisko was more than just a Starfleet captain - Captain Sisko was also the Emissary of the Prophets. The non-linear beings that inhabit Deep Space Nine's stable wormhole and serve as Bajor's Prophets chose Captain Sisko to represent them and the interests of Bajor, and the intrests of Bajor are not always the same as the interests of the Federation. This meant that, throughout Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko had to choose between his Starfleet duties and his Emissary duties. In the end, however, Captain Sisko chose Bajor.
Captain Sisko Failed His Original Star Trek: DS9 Mission, But He Had To
It Would Have Been A Bigger Betrayal If He Had Succeeded
Starfleet Command sent Captain Sisko to Deep Space Nine with the eventual goal of bringing Bajor into the Federation. In that regard, Captain Sisko was a complete failure. At the start of Deep Space Nine, Bajor was just coming out of 50 years of brutal Cardassian occupation. Indeed, the actual space station, Deep Space Nine, was wrecked from the Cardassian withdrawal when then-Commander Sisko arrived. He was supposed to represent Federation interests in the reconstruction of Bajor, leading them closer to the Federation. Instead, Captain Sisko helped lead Bajor towards liberation.
When Ben Sisko became the Emissary of the Prophets, they charged him with the protection of Bajor. At the start of the Dominion War, they gave him a vision that showed the only way to keep Bajor safe from Dominion attacks was to keep them out of the a fighting, and therefore out of the Federation. In fact, Captain Sisko directly intervened as the Emissary to keep Bajor out of the Federation in "Rapture." Arguably, this means Captain Sisko betrayed his Starfleet commission. Nevertheless, he stayed true to the needs of the Bajoran people by saving them from a second occupation.
26 Years After DS9, Bajor Still Hasn’t Joined The Federation
But There Is Some Evidence That It Will Join Eventually
When Deep Space Nine ended in 1999, the only show progressing the Prime Star Trek timeline was Star Trek: Voyager, which ended in 2001 without comment on Bajor. For over a decade, then, audiences had no information on whether or not Bajor would eventually join the Federation. Now, however, shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Prodigy have all advanced the Prime Timeline, and none of them have shown Bajor as a member of the Federation.
The only clue about Bajor and the Federation comes from a single scene in Star Trek: Discovery season five. In "Lagrange Point," a star chart is briefly visible with Federation planets labeled with stars. In the bottom left corner, Bajor is marked with a star, suggesting that by the 32nd century, Bajor is a full Federation member. But this single image from the far future hardly seems like a satisfying resolution to the question of Bajor's Federation status. As it stands, the future of Bajor remains unwritten.
Captain Sisko Actually Fulfilled His True Star Trek: DS9 Mission
He Had A Higher Calling Than The Federation, And Captain Sisko Totally Succeeded
Early in Deep Space Nine, Captain Sisko rejected his role as the Emissary of the Prophets. Over time, however, he grew to love both Bajor and its people, and, even if he didn't think of the Prophets as Gods, respected their desire to protect Bajor. In short, Captain Sisko grew to embrace his role as Emissary. Although Captain Sisko came to Deep Space Nine as a Starfleet officer, over the course of seven seasons his identity became tied more to Bajor than to the Federation.
That is not to say that Captain Sisko wasn't an incredibly effective Starfleet Captain - he arguably won the Dominion War for the Federation - but as the Emissary Ben Sisko had to be more than just a captain. When the Wormhole Aliens chose then-Commander Sisko as the Emissary of the Prophets, they knew something that audiences would only learn over time. Namely, Captain Sisko's true mission at Deep Space Nine was not to bring Bajor into the Federation, but to protect Bajor.
Captain Sisko's true mission at Deep Space Nine was not to bring Bajor into the Federation, but to protect Bajor.
By the end of Deep Space Nine, Bajor is the strongest it has been in years, Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is in command of Deep Space Nine, and the Dominion is no longer a threat. Compared to where the series started, it is clear that while Captain Sisko may have failed at his original mission, he accomplished his true calling on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
