Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 4, Episode 11
Original Air Date: January 1, 1996
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| via Memory Alpha |
There has been a terrorist attack on Earth and evidence indicates the culprit was a Changeling. Captain Sisko is called to Starfleet headquarters to advise and Odo tags along to provide insights on the new adversary. The trip also provides an excuse for Benjamin and Jake to check in with Joseph Sisko, Benjamin's father.
Watching this episode 25 years later with historical hindsight is a bit eerie. The 9/11 Al-Qaeda attacks occurred only five years afterwards and the paranoia was awfully similar. The threat in the United States was already building by '96 and, of course, it was an ongoing concern in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world.
It also puts a Trek fan in a difficult position. Watching a Starfleet admiral argue for martial law is more than a little unsettling. We know the threat is real. In fact, we probably understand the threat better than the Federation President does. But we also know that Joseph Sisko is right when he argues anyone clever enough will find their way around whatever draconian security measures are imposed.
Star Trek thrives on moral dilemmas and this is an awfully good one.
The family story is deeply important for reasons beyond science fiction. I've already covered the unusually open portrayal of family intimacy between Black men in previous episode posts, specifically those for "Explorers" and "The Visitor." The introduction of Joseph Sisko demonstrates this is no generational fluke. These men love each other and are not shy about expressing their affection - note Benjamin kissing Joseph on the forehead as a reflexive greeting. This is a big deal, even in 2024, and especially for a program with an overwhelmingly white audience.
Acting Notes
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| via Wikipedia |
Brock Peters (Joseph Sisko) was born George Fisher in Harlem, July 2, 1927. He attended the City College of New York until dropping out when he got a touring spot with the Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus. Prior to taking on the role of Joseph Sisko, Peters played Admiral Cartwright in two Star Trek movies.
Brock Peters had an undeniably extraordinary and varied career. He caught on first as a singer. In 1949, he joined a touring company of Porgy and Bess, playing the role of Crown as well as understudy for Porgy. Low Bass God Paul Robeson himself called Peters "a young Paul Robeson." He was heavily involved in Harry Bellafonte's iconic Calypso album as both background vocalist and chorus director. (I hate the current overuse of the word iconic but if ever it fit...) Peters also released two solo albums of his own.
Hollywood came next. In 1962, he landed the career-highlight role of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird. Other films include Carmen Jones, Soylent Green and Ghosts of Mississippi. His geek cred is rock solid on the Star Wars side, too. He voiced Darth Vader in the radio adaptations of the original trilogy. He received a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. By the time he became Joseph Sisko, Brock Peters was already a legend.
He gave the eulogy at Gregory Peck's funeral in 2003.
Brock Peters passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2005.
