Benjamin Lafayette Sisko1 was born in 2332 in New Orleans2 to Joseph3 and Sarah Sisko.4 Sarah Sisko had been possessed by one of the Bajoran wormhole aliens at the time; the aliens, knowing of the future events Sisko would be involved in because of their non-linear nature, wanted to ensure his birth.5 After the aliens relinquished control of Sarah she left the family, and Joseph eventually remarried. Ben did not learn of his true mother for many years afterwards.6 He had a half sister, Judith3, and two half brothers.7
Joseph Sisko was a traditionalist who despised replicated food. He owned a restaurant and taught all his children to cook so they could help out there.3 He insisted that the family always eat meals together.8
Sisko joined Starfleet Academy in 2351.9 He was initially very homesick after going to California, and beamed back every night for dinner.10 He worked at Starbase 137 during his sophomore year, and would later recall this as one of the best experiences of his life.11
Sisko served aboard the USS Livingston for a few months with Curzon Dax. Dax became Sisko's mentor, and the two were friends for many years.12 He served on the USS Okinawa during the Tzenkethi War.13 At this point in his career he was more interested in engineering and ship design than command, but Captain Leyton saw command potential in the young officer and appointed him as the ship's first officer, promoting him to Lieutenant Commander.3
By 2366 Sisko was serving as First Officer of the USS Saratoga. His wife Jennifer and son Jake both lived aboard the ship with him. When the ship joined the Federation fleet which fought the Borg at Wolf 359 it was destroyed. Although both Sisko and Jake escaped the ship, Jennifer was killed.14
After the battle Sisko was posted to the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars.14 He considered leaving Starfleet to take a job on Earth directing the construction of orbital habitats during this period, but decided that Starfleet was where he wanted to be.15
His former commander, Captain Leyton, recommended Sisko for the post of Commander of Deep Space Nine. His mission was to help the Bajorans to prepare for Federation membership after the recent end of the Cardassian occupation. Although he accepted the post, Sisko was still contemplating leaving Starfleet to take civilian work. On his arrival his attitude was hardened by a meeting with Captain Picard, whom he blamed for the death of his wife due to Picard's unwilling actions at Wolf 359 as a member of the Borg collective. The posting reunited Sisko with his old friend and mentor Dax, now hosted in the body of a young woman named Jadzia. During his first days at Deep Space Nine Sisko and Lieutenant Dax discovered the Bajoran wormhole, the first stable wormhole known to exist. He made first contact with a group of aliens who lived within the wormhole, beings who existed outside of linear time. In explaining to the aliens how Humans deal with life as linear corporeal entities, Sisko finally came to terms with the loss of his wife and put any notions of leaving Starfleet behind him for good.14
Sisko's mission was greatly complicated and expanded by the wormhole, since Deep Space Nine became a major hub for trade and travel through the wormhole. As well as supporting Alpha Quadrant ships which wanted to travel to the Gamma Quadrant, the station was host to various alien species travelling in the other direction.16 The newfound importance of the station made the Cardassians keen to reclaim it, and its former commander Gul Dukat was an occasional thorn in Sisko's side.17
He also had to contend with Bajoran politics, including one attempted coup in which a Bajoran faction captured the station.18 Religion also played a part in his mission; the Bajorans considered the wormhole aliens to be gods whom they referred to as "the prophets". Bajoran legend had it that one day somebody would travel to meet the prophets and subsequently become their representative to the Bajoran people. After Sisko's encounter he was considered to be an important religious icon by the Bajorans, referred to as "The Emissary".14 Sisko was uncomfortable with the title, and often tried to distance himself from it.19 Whilst respecting Bajoran religious beliefs, Sisko occasionally found himself at odds with specific religious figures, most notably Vedek Winn. When Winn attempted to force Deep Space Nine's school to teach Bajoran religious beliefs Sisko found himself struggling to deal with a situation which rapidly escalated out of control.20 He would clash with Winn over many other issues, most especially when she was later elected to Kai.21 Winn would eventually become a servant of the Pagh-Wraiths, actively seeking to release them to devastate the Alpha Quadrant. She was ultimately killed by Gul Dukat after he was possessed by the wraiths.22
His mission was further complicated by the creation of the Maquis, a Federation terrorist group which was opposed to a peace treaty between the Federation and the Cardassians which created a large demilitarised zone between the two powers. In theory colonies from both sides could exist peacefully in this area; in practice the Maquis claimed that the Cardassians routinely harassed them, and Starfleet was powerless to respond because of the treaty. Many Starfleet personnel sympathised with the Maquis, and some even left to join them - including one of Sisko's oldest and closest friends, Cal Hudson.23 Sisko was furious when one of his own officers, Michael Eddington, betrayed him as part of a Maquis sting operation.24 Sisko spent a year attempting to catch Eddington, finally resorting to threatening to destroy the Maquis colonies in the demilitarised zone in order to force his surrender.25
In late 2370, Sisko made first contact with the Dominion when he was abducted by the Jem'Hadar whilst in the Gamma Quadrant. The Dominion attacked various assets on their side of the wormhole, including the destruction of the USS Odyssey.26 In response Sisko requisitioned the USS Defiant, a warship Starfleet had begun constructing in response to the Borg encounter in 2365. Work on the Defiant had been abandoned when the Borg threat became less urgent, but although flawed in some respects the ship remained a powerful military vessel.27 Sisko would tangle with the Dominion repeatedly over the next two years as they tried various tactics to infiltrate and dominate the Alpha Quadrant. In 2373 the Dominion finally sent warships through the wormhole in force, but instead of attacking the station the fleet headed straight to Cardassia - where Gul Dukat had agreed to serve as the head of the Cardassian government as a member of the Dominion.28 In the aftermath more fleets continued to reinforce the Cardassian forces on a regular basis, and Sisko became determined to prevent the Dominion build up. He mined the exit from the wormhole with cloaked self-replicating mines, effectively isolating the Dominion forces in the alpha quadrant from their home, but the action provoked an attack on Deep Space Nine which led to the Dominion's capture of the station and initiated the Dominion war.29
Sisko was a major figure in several important operations during the war; indeed such was his importance that his psychological profile was required reading for Vorta operatives.30 He commanded a captured Jem'Hadar attack ship on a mission to destroy a ketracel white manufacturing facility in 2374.31 Relieved of command of the Defiant, Sisko was made adjutant for Vice Admiral Ross at Starbase 375.32 He convinced Starfleet to mount a major effort to recapture Deep Space Nine.33 When the minefield was destroyed during the operation Sisko contacted the wormhole aliens and convinced them to destroy the Jem'Hadar forces attempting to come through.34
Back in command of the station, Sisko was able to convince the Romulans to join the war against the Dominion with the help of Garak. The operation involved an elaborate scheme to trick the Romulans into believing that the Dominon planned to attack them after the Federation and Klingons had been defeated. Sisko struggled with the moral implications of his actions, as several people were deliberately murdered by Garak as a result.35
In 2374 Sisko commanded the first allied offensive into Cardassian space. Although the mission was a success, whilst he was away Gul Dukat sealed off the entrance to the wormhole, cutting Bajor off from their gods. He also mortally wounded Jadzia Dax when she tried to stop him. Devastated at the loss, Sisko returned to Earth to take a leave of absence.36
He returned to Starfleet early in 2375 after having found a way to reopen the wormhole.5 The tide of the war was by now turning in the allies favour, with steady progress into Cardassian space. This changed when the Breen joined the war on the Dominion's side, using a unique energy dampening weapon to neutralise Federation and Romulan ships. The Defiant was destroyed at the second Chin'Toka battle in a massive defeat for the allies.37 In the aftermath Sisko was given command of the Defiant class USS São Paulo, which was renamed to USS Defiant.38 With the Breen weapon successfully countered, Sisko led an all out assault on the Dominon forces. The battle was a success, in large part because the Cardassian forces switched sides as a result of the Dominion's brutal repression of a rebellion on their home world. With allied forces surrounding Cardassia itself, the Dominion was prepared for a final cataclysmic battle; the Founders hoped they would so damage the allies that the victory would be strictly a pyrrhic one. Fortunately Odo managed to beam down to the surface and meet with the Founder in command of the Dominion. He convinced her that the Federation was not her enemy and posed no threat to her people, and she agreed to end hostilities and surrender herself.39
Afterwards Sisko met with Admiral Ross, and Chancellor Martok in the ruins of Cardassia to celebrate the end of the war. Although Martok was overjoyed, both Sisko and Ross were horrified at the cost of the war and declined to join him in toasting the victory.39
In the aftermath of the war Sisko travelled to Bajor to prevent Gul Dukat from releasing the Pagh-wraiths. He was successful, imprisoning Dukat in the fire caves of Bajor for all eternity. The wormhole aliens, considering Sisko's purpose fulfilled, took him to their realm. In a brief visit to his wife Kassidy, Sisko promised that he would one day return from the wormhole.22
As a teenager Sisko was attracted to Neffie Beaumont, and dated Zoey Phillips for three years.40 He met his future wife, Jennifer, on Gilgo beach shortly after he graduated from the academy. She was initially reluctant to date him as her mother had warned her against young Starfleet officers, but she relented as a result of his persistence.14
Their son Jake was born in 2355.41 In 2367 Jennifer and Jake both lived with Sisko aboard the USS Saratoga, and Jennifer was killed at the battle of Wolf 359 when the ship was destroyed. Sisko struggled to cope with the loss, and it was two years before he began to put it behind him.14
In 2370 Sisko became attracted to a mysterious woman named Fenna, whom he met on Deep Space Nine. No relationship was possible since Fenna was in fact a telepathic projected created subconsciously by Nidell, wife of Professor Seyetik.42
When he visited the Mirror universe, Sisko had a sexual encounter with the Mirror Jadzia. He also met the Mirror Jennifer, though he was apparently not attracted to her.43
In 2371 Jake introduced Sisko to Kasidy Yates, a freighter captain who stopped at Deep Space Nine occasionally. The two began dating, helped by their mutual interest in baseball.44 Sisko arrested Kasidy in 2372 after he found that she was smuggling supplies to the Maquis.24 She served nearly a year in prison, but on her return in 2372 she and Sisko resumed their relationship.45 The two became engaged in 2375.4 The wormhole aliens warned Sisko that he was not fated to be married, causing him to have second thoughts, but he ultimately went through with the wedding.46 Kasidy became pregnant shortly afterwards.38 When Sisko was taken to the wormhole alien's space after defeating the Pagh-wraiths, he briefly appeared to Kasidy to reassure her that he loved her and would one day return.22
Perhaps Sisko's most important relationship was with his son, Jake. The two were very close, and Sisko fondly remembered taking care of his son when he was a baby.47 Jake was a fan of baseball, and often watched famous games with his father on the holodeck or played with him.14 Sisko generally assumed that Jake would follow him into Starfleet, but in 2370 Jake revealed that he had no desire to do so. Sisko responded by saying that he didn't mind what Jake did with his life so long as he chose something he loved and did it as well as he possibly could.48
Sisko occasionally worried about his son's transition into adulthood. He was concerned when he found that Jake was dating a Dabo girl, Mardah49, though after he met her he was reassured.47 By 2373 Jake had moved out of his father's quarters and was living with Nog.11
Sisko was furious when Jake elected to remain on Deep Space Nine during the Dominion occupation to report on conditions on the station, but recognised that his son was now a man who was capable of making his own decisions.29
One of Sisko's closest friends was Cal Hudson, a fellow Starfleet officer whom he went to the academy with. The two often went on vacations together, including a trip to the Mazurka festival on New Berlin and a camping trip on Itamish III.50 Sisko was dismayed when Hudson elected to leave Starfleet to join the Maquis.23
Besides Hudson, probably his closest friend was Dax. Curzon Dax had been a long-time friend and mentor to Sisko, and the two often went out drinking together.14 Curzon attended Sisko's bachelor party, and the two often visited Risa together.12 When Curzon died and the Dax symbiont was transferred to Jadzia, Sisko wondered if their friendship could survive.14 It was a measure of how close they were that Jadzia would later comment that in three hundred years she had never had a friend quite like Sisko.51 Sisko retained his habit of referring to Dax as old man both with Jadzia14 and Ezri.52
One of Sisko's heroes was legendary Starfleet officer James T. Kirk. Sisko was thrilled to find himself on Kirk's ship in 2267 after being thrown into the past by the Bajoran Orb of Time. Although initially wary of interfering with the past, Sisko decided to meet Kirk and managed to get an autograph from him before returning to his own time.53Sisko was himself a mentor to Nog, supporting his enlistment in Starfleet Academy.54 He served as Nog's commanding officer during his time on Deep Space Nine and commended his actions on AR-558, a battle in which Nog lost one of his legs.55
Sisko considered all of his officers to be friends, and in 2375 the senior staff formed the "Deep Space Niners", a baseball team Sisko created to play against the Vulcan team "The Logicians". The Vulcan team was formed by Captain Solok, a long-time adversary of Sisko's. Sisko had once challenged him to a wrestling match which he lost due to the Vulcan's greatly superior strength. Solok dragged the incident up at every possible opportunity as an example of Vulcan superiority, and Sisko suspected he had created his team purely to rub Sisko's nose in the fact that Vulcans could play his beloved game better than he could. Although the Niners lost heavily, they did manage to score a run - prompting the team to claim a symbolic victory, much to Solok's embarrassment.56
Like his father Sisko greatly enjoyed cooking, especially Creole food.8 His hobbies included playing the piano6 and poker, though Dax said that he could never manage a good bluff.7 He played Jokarian chess57, but his favourite game by far was baseball, which he considered to be an excellent metaphor for life.14
As a young man Sisko was on the Academy wrestling team.58
His favourite drink was Saurian brandy.59
Sisko had an interest in art, and collected ancient African art. When he took his collection to Deep Space Nine in 2371 Jake pointed out that the station was now officially his home.27 He was also interested in history, and was very well versed in 21st century events.60
Played by
References| # | Series | Season | Source | Comment |
| 1 | DS9 | 4 | Homefront | His father gives his full name |
| 2 | | | Star Trek Chronology | 2nd edition, page 97. Technically it is never canonically stated that Sisko was born in New Orleans, but there are various references to this being the family home. |
| 3 | DS9 | 4 | Homefront | |
| 4 | DS9 | 7 | Penumbra | |
| 5 | DS9 | 7 | Shadows and Symbols | |
| 6 | DS9 | 7 | Image in the Sand | |
| 7 | DS9 | 2 | Paradise | |
| 8 | DS9 | 1 | A Man Alone | |
| 9 | DS9 | 3 | Defiant | Sisko states that he has been in Starfleet for 20 years |
| 10 | DS9 | 3 | Explorers | |
| 11 | DS9 | 5 | The Ascent | |
| 12 | DS9 | 2 | Invasive Procedures | |
| 13 | DS9 | 3 | The Adversary | |
| 14 | DS9 | 1 | Emissary | |
| 15 | DS9 | 4 | The Way of the Warrior | |
| 16 | DS9 | 1 | Captive Pursuit | |
| 17 | | | Various Deep Space Nine episodes | |
| 18 | DS9 | 2 | The Siege | |
| 19 | DS9 | 3 | Destiny | |
| 20 | DS9 | 1 | In the Hands of the Prophets | |
| 21 | DS9 | 2 | The Collaborator | |
| 22 | DS9 | 7 | What You Leave Behind, Part 2 | |
| 23 | DS9 | 2 | The Maquis, Part 2 | |
| 24 | DS9 | 4 | For the Cause | |
| 25 | DS9 | 5 | For the Uniform | |
| 26 | DS9 | 2 | The Jem'Hadar | |
| 27 | DS9 | 3 | The Search, Part 1 | |
| 28 | DS9 | 5 | By Inferno's Light | |
| 29 | DS9 | 5 | Call to Arms | |
| 30 | DS9 | 4 | To the Death | |
| 31 | DS9 | 6 | A Time to Stand | |
| 32 | DS9 | 6 | Behind the Lines | |
| 33 | DS9 | 6 | Favor the Bold | |
| 34 | DS9 | 6 | Sacrifice of Angels | |
| 35 | DS9 | 6 | In the Pale Moonlight | |
| 36 | DS9 | 6 | Tears of the Prophets | |
| 37 | DS9 | 7 | The Changing Face of Evil | |
| 38 | DS9 | 7 | The Dogs of War | |
| 39 | DS9 | 7 | What You Leave Behind, Part 1 | |
| 40 | DS9 | 4 | Paradise Lost | |
| 41 | DS9 | 1 | Move Along Home | Jake was 14 in this episode, set in 2369 |
| 42 | DS9 | 2 | Second Sight | |
| 43 | DS9 | 3 | Through the Looking Glass | |
| 44 | DS9 | 3 | Family Business | |
| 45 | DS9 | 5 | Rapture | |
| 46 | DS9 | 7 | 'Til Death Do Us Part | |
| 47 | DS9 | 3 | The Abandoned | |
| 48 | DS9 | 2 | Shadowplay | |
| 49 | DS9 | 2 | Playing God | |
| 50 | DS9 | 2 | The Maquis, Part 1 | |
| 51 | DS9 | 4 | Rejoined | |
| 52 | DS9 | 7 | Afterimage | |
| 53 | DS9 | 5 | Trials and Tribble-ations | |
| 54 | DS9 | 3 | Heart of Stone | |
| 55 | DS9 | 7 | The Siege of AR-558 | |
| 56 | DS9 | 7 | Take Me Out to the Holosuite | |
| 57 | DS9 | 1 | The Nagus | |
| 58 | DS9 | 1 | Q-Less | |
| 59 | DS9 | 7 | Treachery, Faith, and the Great River | |
| 60 | DS9 | 3 | Past Tense, Part 1 | |
