DS9 Stories/News: Men I’ve Loved: Benjamin Sisko

Source: http://www.amaya-radjani.com/2011/09/men-ive-loved-benjamin-sisko.html

Command never looked so good

My friend Ankhesen, a devout Trekkie, introduced me to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine earlier this year.  Over the summer, I Netflix’d the entire series; seven years’ worth of episodes and had a mammoth sci-fi/fantasy marathon.  This marathon included the Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits, Thriller & Night Gallery, but more on those shows later.  Anyhoo, I’m a fan of TOS & TNG, but never gave DS9 any thought until Ankh showed me a few episodes.  And I fell madly in love with Captain Benjamin Sisko and bought the entire 7-season series for a great price at Cheqoot.com.

Before I express my admiration and lust love for the sexy Captain Sisko, I should provide you some context. Deep Space Nine is the best of the Trek shows I’ve seen, and Ankh assures me that it’s the best of the entire lot.  The writing is top notch, as is the acting, directing, editing and set designs.  There are also strong female characters; these women fight, command starships & freighters, govern planets, and act as spies.  One is a former terrorist and another is an intergalactic warlord. The show tackled issues of racism, sexism, faith, religion, slavery and corruption, as well as other hot-button topics.  It’s a very dark show; the series spends nearly five years on an epic war with the Federation and its allies battling a hardcore violent faction known as the Dominion (which is run by a badass changeling chick I call Gertrude).  You see the Federation get their asses kicked on a regular basis; Starfleet vessels are routinely destroyed and people murdered.  The series finale contains a grisly scene in which three men are standing amid a pile of rubble and dead bodies.  DS9 is not idealistic like TOS & TNG; you see real shit happening in this show and there are parallels as well as portents to our own society.

Sisko; seasons 1-3

The only real drawback is the costume/wardrobe department, who should have had their asses kicked from here to Jupiter for the hot fire mess that was DS9’s apparel.  They had a real opportunity to do some really fantastic things with character attire, but failed miserably.  I can only assume that the producers chose to put the money into the writing & directing and left a bare minimum for wardrobe.  There is absolutely no reason for anyone in the 24^th century to look this damn hideous:

…

Jake typically looked like a pack of crayons

I mean, for real.  But I should point out that it was usually the human outfits that were ugly.  They got things right with most of the other races (especially the Klingons).  There was also the ridiculousness of Starfleet officers clearly being off duty and still attired in those hot-ass uniforms. As if!  You see Captain Sisko (who is also an architect and chef) cooking elaborate meals while still wearing his Starfleet uni.  *snorts* I call bullshit.

…

DS9 introduces us to a wonderful cast of characters that include Ferengi, Klingons, Trills, Breen, Romulans, Bajorans, Cardassians, and changelings.   The star of the show, however, is a man named Benjamin Sisko, captain of the space station.  Captain Sisko is portrayed by the excellent actor Avery Brooks.  The show starts with Sisko as a grieving husband and loving father who is duty-bound to take over a raggedy Bajoran space station.  He has a wonderful relationship with his son Jake; there are plenty of hugs, kisses and adventures between them.  It’s rare to see a black man in such a positive role, and I relished every second of it.

Sisko is an honorable, ethical guy who is devoted to his son, dedicated to his career as a Starfleet officer, and is the voice of the Prophets, the Bajoran gods.  He has a commanding presence and is highly respected by everyone he encounters, especially his enemies.  I liked him a lot in Seasons 1-3, but fell in love with him at the start of Season 4.  This is when the war between the Federation & the Dominion heated up and the show’s writers kicked the storytelling into high gear.  It is also when Avery Brooks, who spent the first three seasons with hair on his head and not on his face, decided to go bald and goateed; a look I find intensely attractive.  It gave his character a powerful edge; an extra marvelous oomph! that made me pay close attention every time Sisko was on the screen. Which, for the most part, was nearly all the time.

Sisko; seasons 4-7.

But the captain isn’t perfect; he sacrifices much for peace, including his own happiness and self-respect.  He violates orders, lies, cheats, bribes others, and is an accessory to murder, among other things.  He even becomes a Klingon to accomplish a mission (but this is NOT a bad thing; Klingons are fucking awesome).  But this made Sisko more appealing to me because he’s flawed just like any other person.  It gave him a depth that I haven’t seen in any other Starfleet captain and made DS9 that much better.

Sisko also has some of the best lines in the show.  Here are a few of my favorites:

“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.”  –In the Pale Moonlight, Season 6

“Brag all you want, but don’t get between me and the bloodwine!”  –Apocalypse Rising, Season 3  (He’s a Klingon in this episode)   

“Haven’t you seen a Klingon before?”

“Kasidy Yates, where are you going?”  –For the Cause, Season 4  (Kasidy is Sisko’s boo)

“It’s not every day that you meet the girl you’re going to marry.” –Emissary, Season 1

“You betrayed your uniform!”  –For the Uniform, Season 5

“He played me all right. And what is my excuse? Is he a Changeling? No! Is he a being with seven lifetimes of experience? No! Is he a wormhole alien? No! He’s just a man, like me – arrgh! And he beat me!” –For the Uniform, Season 5

“Go on! Shoot me!”

“Do you know what the trouble is? The trouble is Earth. On Earth, there is no poverty, no crime, no war. You look out the window of Starfleet Headquarters and you see Paradise. Well, it’s easy to be a saint in Paradise.”  –The Maquis, part 2, Season 3

I could go on, but you get the idea.  Captain Benjamin Sisko is The Man.  More television shows should be bold enough to have characters like him, and write shows with as much depth and realism as Deep Space Nine.  It would certainly be a massive improvement to the dreck that inundates current TV.  Heaven knows I’d start watching it again.

DS9 Stories/News: Garak Talks…

In this interview Robinson discusses the experience portraying such a complex character as well as the differences he saw between Deep Space Nine and the other Star Trek series. He also discusses his Star Trek experiences off-camera, including directing episodes of DS9 and Voyager and writing the Garak-focused novel A Stitch In Time.

By Marcello Rossi

May 18, 2011

Source: http://www.startrek.com/article/andy-robinson-interview-inside-star-trek-magazine

Let’s talk about your multi-dimensional character, from simple tailor to secret agent. What was it like from an acting point of view? Which were the challenges?

Was there something that you put in this character…  your acting experience?

Robinson: It was deceptively complicated playing Garak. Obviously, one of the complications was all the makeup and the costume, which was very uncomfortable, very confining, and the makeup, which I had a bit of a claustrophobic reaction to it at the beginning. But I got over that. That was fine, and as a matter of fact, the look of the character is what was enormously helpful because he looked so unique. It was kind of wonderful for an actor to have a character that looks like that. It’s a gift! I think more challenging was that the character… whatever the character said is not what he meant. We have an expression: subtext. That much of the truth of Garak was like a glacier: you saw only the tip of the glacier, but then, underneath the tip, was the very complicated truth of his life. So, playing that subtext, living with that subtext, presenting that subtext behind a mask of affability, of friendliness, of congeniality, I think that was both the challenge and the pleasure of the character.

The relationship with the other cast members? Did you become friends with someone?

Robinson: I knew some of the cast members even before we started the show. René Auberjonois; I’ve known him for many, many years, Armin Shimerman is someone that I became good friend with, and of course Alexander Siddig, or at the beginning, when he was Siddig El Fadil. He and I became very close friends, and he’s doing wonderful work now in various films. It was a very strong acting company, with very strong personalities and I think probably the strength of the show was the ensemble of these actors. To have a really great ensemble is not necessary that people like each other as long as they respect each other, and there was an enormous amount of respect for the actors on that show.

According to you, what are the differences between Deep Space Nine and the other Star Trek series?

Robinson: I think the biggest difference between DS9 and the other Star Trek series is that Deep Space Nine was more nuanced, had more ambiguity. Rather than being black and white, there are more grays. I was surprised; even the new Star Trek movie, I guess they had to… it adheres to the old format of the evil villain who’s angry at everyone and wants to destroy a world, even though they don’t understand quite why he wants to destroy it. And I think that people who really liked Deep Space Nine are people who like ambiguity, and like when the characters are not either good or evil, where they are like most of us: they are complicated people with a little bit of each in each of those characters. Plus, obviously, it didn’t take place on a spaceship going to one planet after another; it took place on a space station, which I also found much more interesting as well. In that sense it was kind of like the last frontier, at the edge of the unknown, and with all these very interesting types of characters that would appear, and these dramas that would play out.

I also feel that Deep Space Nine had more theme, and by that I mean they dealt with very difficult issues. Like there is an episode, it’s one of my favorites; it’s called “The Wire,” where Garak is addicted to this drug. And it was basically about drug addiction. There was another episode where Avery Brooks and I, where Captain Sisko comes to Garak for help with the Romulans and basically it exposes the American innocence, that we want to do these things in the world, but we’re not really willing to take the consequences of our actions, and sometimes we have to do very dirty things, and we have to hurt people, and we pretend that that doesn’t exist, that Americans would never do that. We dealt with issues like that and I don’t think… you know… the other shows really went as far as we did.

“In the Pale Moonlight” is a very good episode…

Robinson: It’s a wonderful episode!

Can you tell us something about your directorial experience on DS9, and also on some episodes of Voyager? What was it like?

Robinson: At first it was very difficult, because there is so much technical work that has to be done on these shows. Blue screen, green screen. At the beginning I was very intimidated by the technical requirements of directing. It’s not just directing actors; it’s a little more complicated than that. But then, in the end, it came down to it: it was directing actors. Sometimes, directing your friends is… maybe I’d rather direct people I don’t know, but they were great. But they were all very kind to me, especially when I first started, because that’s when I first started directing films, on Star Trek. It was a gift! I’m grateful to the producers allowing me to direct episodes.

You wrote a novel about Garak, about your character. Why? And what was it like to be a writer?

Robinson: I started writing about Garak because, coming to the Star Trek franchise and being cast as an alien, a Cardassian, I had no idea what that was. I barely know about human beings. But then suddenly to be cast as an alien… it was a challenge. So I decided to write about the character and create the world of the character and I did this in the form of a diary that Garak kept: every day he would write about his experiences and so forth. And then I started going to conventions, like this one, and I started reading from the diary and the fans, the audiences loved it. So I started writing more, and I started crafting it more and, like a lot of people, I’ve always wanted to write a novel! That’s when I started working into a novel. Then the people at Simon and Schuster, the publisher, agreed to let me do it, and it was a bit of a big deal because I was the first actor to write a novel without what they call a ghost writer, or with someone else writing it for me. Because I wanted to write it by myself, I didn’t want anybody else writing it.

A generic question about science fiction: what are the advantages and what the disadvantages of working in a science fiction show?

Robinson: If the science fiction is really good, if it comes from the imagination. If we are imagining a world that’s an extension of this world and an extension of our behavior and an extension of the choices that we’ve made, I think that’s the most interesting science fiction. It’s much more difficult if the science fiction is more fantasy, where it really doesn’t have basis in the reality of our lives and the reality of our world. I think that’s why I liked very much working on Deep Space Nine, because I think that the station was a metaphor for our world, but obviously projected into the future. I think that has a power and people are attracted to that, because if they can see something that’s honestly projected into the future, not something that’s sort of airy-fairy… it turns them around a little, it re-orients the way they think about this world.

DS9 Stories/News: Captain’s Log – The Best of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Source: http://trek.fm/captains-log/2011/10/14/the-best-of-star-trek-deep-space-nine.html

by Christopher Jones

Asking a fan to name the five best episodes of a Star Trek series is like asking Quark which Rules of Acquisition are the best. There are too many that lead to profit to choose just five. Neverthless, I’m going to set out to name five of the best episodes from DS9.

The Visitor

The only episode of Deep Space Nine to be nominated for the Hugo Award, “The Visitor” is a story that works with or without the Star Trek elements, and that makes it pure science fiction at its best. This account of Jake Sisko’s life following the apparent death of his father tugs on the heartstrings and effectively conveys to the viewer that enormous sense of loss, anguish, and guilt. Feeling responsible for the accident that caused Captain Sisko to lose his life, Jake spends years looking for a way to bring him back. He studies science at the cost of his writing career, his marriage, and his health. In the end he comes to find that only his own death can restore things to the way they were, and he sacrifices himself to save the person he loves most.

Far Beyond the Stars

In 1998, during Black History Month, DS9 aired one of the most creative stories in Star Trek history. Under the stress of the Dominion War, Sisko loses consciousness and finds himself in 1953 New York working as an SF writer named Benny Russell. “Far Beyond the Stars” is the tale of Russell’s struggle as a black writer in the 1950s who must conceal his identity and who fights to publish his story about a future space station and its black commander. More than just another commentary on racism, “Far Beyond the Stars” explores the feeling of insiginificance humanity faces as we learn how vast the universe really is, and delivers one of DS9’s most memorable quotes when the Preacher tells Benny “You are the dreamer—and the dream.” Without a doubt one of Star Trek’s finest moments.

Past Tense

Halfway through DS9’s third season came this two-part episode that was a glimpse of the greatness to come. Like “The City On the Edge of Forever” 28 years earlier, “Past Tense” tackles the issue of homelessness and poverty. But unlike TOS’s foray, “Past Tense” delves into the societal and governmental reaction to the problem, revealing the cold shoulder that most of the “haves” of the world turn on the “have-nots,” and the possible long-term consequences. The story is set in the year 2024—Sisko, Bashir, and Dax having been thrown back in time by a transporter malfunction—and thus says something about the urgency of the problem as it faces American society. Thrown into special “districts” of San Francisco—essentially walled prisons—people whose only crime is not having a job finally reach the breaking point and revolt. Caught in the middle, it is up to Sisko to protect the timeline when a historical figure is killed prematurely. Forgetting all the nonsense about the transporters and the timeline, no viewer can fail to stop, if only for a moment, and think about this injustice of our society. Effective storytelling.

Sacrifice of Angels

What appeared to be the culmination of the Federation-Dominion War proved to simply be one of several turning points in the conflict. Nevertheless, “Sacrifice of Angels” is about as exciting as they come and features special effects of a quality rarely seen on television (in those days). But beyond these fun superficial elements is a story a love, betrayal, and loss. As the long-lived tension between Gul Dukat and his daughter reaches its apex, it appears that a happy resolution is at hand when she admits that she loves him. At that moment we are granted a glimpse into the heart of an evil man, and see a tiny, flickering flame of goodness. But when it becomes clear that the title refers not to the destruction of the Prophets and the wormhole, but to the death of Ziyal at the hands of Dukat’s assistant, Damar, the house of cards comes tumbling down. In the end, one of the most powerful scenes in the Star Trek canon comes when a broken, dejected Dukat morosely returns Sisko’s baseball, saying only “I forgive you.”

Trials and Tribble-ations

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Trek, both DS9 and Voyager produced special episodes. And while Voyager’s “Flashback” was great, it was “Trials and Tribble-ations” that had its cake and ate it, too. Marrying the best of the past with the best of the present, DS9 used techniques perfected in Forrest Gump to send Sisko and crew back to Deep Space Station K-7 where they witness firsthand the events of the classic TOS episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.” The original Enterprise never looked so beautiful, and comic moments abound. One of the many highlights is when Worf is questioned about the difference in appearance between current Klingons and those of TOS. His response? “We do not discuss it with outsiders.” If you’ve never seen this one, do yourself a favor and watch it tonight. A fabulous tribute.

Other Favorites

In addition to these five, here are some other episodes that I consider the best of Deep Space Nine:

“A Time to Stand”
“Babel”
“Badda Bing-Badda Bang”
“Call to Arms”
“Crossover”
“Defiant”
“Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”
“Homefront”
“If Wishes Were Horses”
“In the Pale Moonlight”
“Little Green Men”
“Paradise Lost”
“Playing God”
“Rapture”
“Rejoined”
“Shattered Mirror”
“Tears of the Prophets”
“Through the Looking Glass”
“Visionary”
“What You Leave Behind”
“Whispers”

So those are my picks for the best of DS9. Certainly there are many others that I love and that are great examples of Star Trek. Think of this as a starting point. No doubt you’ll disagree with some of my picks, and you may even think I’m a Cardassian vole for leaving your favorite off the list. But that passion and debate is what has allowed Star Trek to endure for 45 years. So feel free to add to the comments* below and let me know which episodes are your favorites and why you love them.

DS9 Stories/News: The DS9 Auction List (10)

The Official Deep Space Nine Magazine

Courtesy of Memory Alpha.org

Episode summaries: “Distant Voices“, “Through the Looking Glass“, “Improbable Cause“, “The Die is Cast“, “Explorers“, “Family Business“, “Shakaar“, “Facets“, “The Adversary“.

Interviews: Michael Dorn, Louise Fletcher.

Episode summaries: “The Way of the Warrior“, “The Visitor“, “Hippocratic Oath“, “Indiscretion“, “Rejoined“, “Little Green Men“.

Interviews: Terry Farrell.

 Episode summaries: “Starship Down“, “The Sword of Kahless“, “Our Man Bashir“, “Homefront“, “Paradise Lost“.

Interviews: Alexander Siddig.

Episode summaries: “Crossfire“, “Return to Grace“, “Sons of Mogh“, “Bar Association“, “Accession“.

Interviews: Nana Visitor, Robert O’Reilly.

Episode summaries: “Rules of Engagement“, “Hard Time“, “Shattered Mirror“, “The Muse“, “For the Cause“, “To the Death“, “The Quickening“, “Body Parts“, “Broken Link“.

Interviews: Avery Brooks.

Episode summaries: “Apocalypse Rising“, “The Ship“, “Looking for par’Mach in All the Wrong Places“, “Nor the Battle to the Strong“.

Interviews: Terry Farrell.
Features: DS9 comics.

Interviews: Armin Shimerman.

Interviews: Rosalind Chao, Chase Masterson, Felecia M. Bell.

Interviews: J.G. Hertzler, Jeffrey Combs, Wallace Shawn.

 Interviews: Terry Farrell, Michael Dorn, Armin Shimerman.

Episode summaries: “A Time to Stand“, “Rocks and Shoals“, “Sons and Daughters“, “Behind the Lines“, “Favor the Bold“, “Sacrifice of Angels“, “You Are Cordially Invited“, “Resurrection“, “Statistical Probabilities“, “The Magnificent Ferengi“.

Episode summaries: “Waltz“, “Who Mourns for Morn?“, “Far Beyond the Stars“, “One Little Ship“, “Honor Among Thieves“, “Change of Heart“.

Interviews: Colm Meaney, Casey Biggs, Melanie Smith.

Episode summaries: “Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night“, “Inquisition“, “In the Pale Moonlight“, “His Way“, “The Reckoning“, “Valiant“, “Profit and Lace“, “Time’s Orphan“, “The Sound of Her Voice“, “Tears of the Prophets“.

DS9 Stories/News: Birthday Alert/25 March

It’s Robert O’ Reilly Birthday – He is Gowron on DS9

Robert O’Reilly (born 25 March 1950; age 61) is an actor best known for his portrayal of Klingon Chancellor Gowron on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Robert_O%27Reilly

At DS9′s wrap party, O’Reilly said DS9: “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang” was his favorite DS9 episode.

O’Reilly is a close friend of J.G. Hertzler.

Gowron, son of M’Rel, was Chancellor of the Klingon High Council in the late 24th century. He ruled during the Klingon Civil War, Klingon-Cardassian War, and the Dominion War. He was killed by Worf in 2375.

Gowron and Worf battle

As the cold war between the Dominion and the Alpha Quadrant escalated during the 2370s, Gowron took prominent Klingon General Martok as his military adviser. Martok had secretly been replaced by a Changeling, and used his position to influence Gowron’s military decisions. (DS9: “Apocalypse Rising“) When a civilian revolt took over Cardassia Prime in 2372, Martok spread misinformation that the Cardassian uprising had been supported by the Dominion. He led Gowron to believe that the civilian-led Detapa Council had been replaced by Changelings. Seeking to protect the Empire, Gowron ordered the invasion of the Cardassian Union. The move was condemned by the Federation Council, and Gowron withdrew from the Khitomer Accords, ending the decades long alliance with the Federation. (DS9: “The Way of the Warrior“, “Rules of Engagement“)

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Gowron

In early 2374, Gowron was reluctant to involve the Empire in Operation Return. However, he was later persuaded to assist Captain Sisko‘s forces by Martok and Worf. The late arrival of the Klingon fleet proved critical in the battle, throwing the Dominion lines into disarray and allowed the Defiant to break through. (DS9: “Favor the Bold“, “Sacrifice of Angels“)

Gowron played a role, albeit unknowingly, in bringing the Romulan Star Empire into the war against the Dominion. In late 2374, Captain Sisko contacted Gowron and asked him to issue a formal pardon to Grathon Tolar, who was needed by Sisko and Elim Garak to forge a holorecording. (DS9: “In the Pale Moonlight“)

Early in 2375, both Worf and Martok planned to speak to Gowron, to see if he could find Kor a fitting assignment on Qo’noS. (DS9: “Once More Unto the Breach“)

Martok’s actions in the war had made him a prominent figure throughout the Empire and was regarded by the Klingon people as their savior. Threatened by Martok’s growing political influence, Gowron took direct control of the Klingon Defense Force in 2375, and began to undermine Martok’s military strategies. (DS9: “When It Rains…“)

Martok refused to challenge Gowron after such dishonorable actions. Instead Gowron was challenged by a member of Martok’s house, Worf. Worf defeated Gowron in combat, killing him, and passed the leadership of the High Council to Martok. Despite his disapproval of Gowron’s actions, Worf performed the Klingon death ritual for him, acknowledging the former Chancellor as a Klingon warrior. (DS9: “Tacking Into the Wind“)

Worf recalled fighting Gowron for the leadership of the Empire before leaving Deep Space 9 to take up his post as Martok’s Federation’s ambassador. (DS9: “What You Leave Behind“)