"Emissary"

Episode #: 1

Character Focus: Sisko

Familiarity: Very Familiar

Episode In (Very) Brief: Ben Sisko, the new commander of space station Deep Space Nine, explains linear time to some wormhole aliens

Rating: **** out of ****

I have fond memories of watching "Emissary". I watched it when it premiered on January 4th, 1993 at a post-New Year's Eve party my parents went to at a friend's house. Since I was only 10, my parents were pleased as punch that I shacked up in the host's bedroom to watch my little space adventure while they presumably drank the night away, happy Avery Brooks acted as a free babysitter.

I still remember the layout of the room: a massive water bed taking up the majority of the heavily carpeted room and a TV against one wall, acting as the only light that evening as the window shades were closed and the lights were off. There was a bathroom nearby just in case but I sat on the floor with a bowl of chips glued to the TV. The pilot for Deep Space Nine repeated the next Sunday and I watched it at home then too so I was pretty familiar with it by the time it reached home video years later. Oddly enough, I don't think I watched too much of the series directly afterward despite such a successful pilot. I didn't really get engaged with DS9 weekly until Worf came on board which, in the end, might have been the whole point of bringing him on, eh?

"Emissary" never loses its power, however, even 27 years later. And of all the classic Trek series (what I consider classic Trek is TOS through Enterprise), I think it still is the best pilot. Many feel Deep Space Nine is the black sheep of the classic Trek shows mainly because it skews from Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future by having conflict between its lead characters (ya know ... drama!), embracing serialization in a time when TV just didn't do that, and allowing the darker aspects of the universe to come center stage. Star Trek: The Next Generation, while an incredible series, was a flawless one in its portrayal of its characters and setting: a perfect world and a perfect people encountering situations that are not that and righting the wrongs.

As Executive Producer/sometimes writer Michael Piller said in regards to the creation of Deep Space Nine, per the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion: "We felt that there was an opportunity to really look deeper, more closely at the working of the Federation and the Star Trek universe by standing still. And by putting people on a space station where they would be forced to confront the kinds of issues that people in space ships are not forced to confront ... it's about taking responsibility for your decisions, the consequences of your acts." (DS9 Companion, pg. 4).

Also, per the Companion, writer Joe Menosky said, in regards to DS9's main characters, "You can see right away they're not the perfectly engineered humans of TNG. They seem more real. I don't know if that makes them as attractive to viewers or not. But they are really different, and they represent a different way to tell a story." (DS9 Companion, pg. 4)

To me, it isn't necessarily a matter of attraction. I love the characters of both shows but there is a moment in "Emissary" when Picard exits Sisko's office, where you sit back and go "you don't exactly belong here". It just feels like different universes ... which is ok! And acceptable. This is still Star Trek but Deep Space Nine did feel like a completely different animal. A lot of that goes down to the conscious decision to make it LOOK different from the station being Cardassian to having non-Federation types on the command crew.

But despite these differences, the core of Trek still exists in "Emissary" and that is the message. And the reason this episode still hits so close to home is its message of exploration. No, not just of the stars and final frontiers ... but of the mind. Of bettering ourselves. Even with my young brain still developing, I was struck by how important it is to strive to better myself. To live life as if every moment mattered because the future I created would be dictated by my actions in the present. And the noble thing about Star Trek is that it encourages all minds, young and all, to learn something. And my 10-year-old self continued to learn thanks to Sisko.



I also want to reflect on how important it was that the producers of Trek portrayed Sisko as a vulnerable man. One reason I think the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so successful in this day and age is that the writers have allowed the stars of the movie to show vulnerability whereas action stars of the past have been invulnerable and, thus, unrelatable. The ability to be relatable on a human level is important for any true hero. Sisko, shown to relive the death of his wife twice in one episode, going through a realization of how to accept that death each time, is very powerful for the audience to see so early on into a series. Avery Brooks is a big strong man but by seeing him also at his lowest point, in tears, in sadness, we can sympathize and empathize with him. It allows us to understand him more and embrace him. It was a daring decision to make in 1993, especially when you had someone like Picard in a sister show who didn't show such vulnerability until later in TNG's run and only so briefly.

So that's my take on "Emissary". It's a great pilot ... it would make an excellent movie by itself really if you took away some of the characters it is forced to introduce for the sake of an ongoing series. In terms of character introductions, Bashir isn't given much to do but everyone else has a good moment, especially Nana Visitor as Major Kira. My memories of her from the earliest seasons were of her being a bit over-actory but she really nailed the Ensign-Ro-ness that they were going for. If I were watching this series for the first time, I'd be most excited to see what's up with not only Sisko but Kira, Quark, and that curmudgeon constable, Odo.

We'll see how the first episodic turn goes in "A Man Alone". See you then.