Now, when people are asked to name a captain from a Star Trek series, there are normally two which beam down straight to the tip of their tongue: James T Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard. Played respectively by William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, these two characters have become icons of modern science fiction. One, for his devil-may-care, blast-the-to-hell attitude and one for his refined, calm, Earl Grey drinking demeanour.
For me, however, there is one Star Trek captain who is constantly overlooked and that is uber-cool Benjamin Sisko, played by the marvellous Avery Brooks.
For those of you who never saw Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9 to those who want something a bit snappier), Sisko was the captain of a space station that stood between the constantly arguing/warring races of Cardassians and Bajorans, one race being the former oppressor of the other. Not only that, but just outside the vast panoramic windows stood a wormhole that led through to a distant part of the galaxy that was inhabited by the power-hungry, shape-shifting folk called The Dominion. Oh, and there were god-like temporal beings in the wormhole too, just for good measure.
So there, in the midst of all of these disparate parties, stood DS9 captained by the good captain Sisko. Not exactly a job one would cherish.
I always felt that Brooks played the role with real gravitas. He had that deep baritone that rumbled like distant thunder and a grin that flashed at just the right moment with either glee or thinly-veiled malice. What is more, unlike any other Star Trek captain, he had a hero’s “death” in the last ever episode. However, after DS9 and Sisko parted company, Brooks seemed to vanish from our screens. Shatner and Stewart both went on to have careers post-Star Trek, so what happened to Brooks?
Well, film-wise, not a lot. According to imdb he starred as Detective Leon Jackson in 15 Minutes, a 2001 film with Robert DeNiro as the leading man, then after that Brooks simply vanished from our screens.
It would appear that the cinema’s loss has been the stage’s gain as Brooks returned to his theatre roots. In 2003 he appeared in the The Oedipus Plays. In 2005 he starred as Othello for the RSC. In 2007 he starred in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine. In 2008 he appeared in Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Then in 2008, he took the tile role in Paul Robeson.
So it would appear that far from leading a quiet retirement communing with the Prophets in a wormhole, our former Captain Sisko has indeed been very busy and I, for one, hope that he will tread the boards over here in the UK sometime soon so that I can catch a glimpse of that smooth coolness he brought to a great sci-fi franchise.
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It does seem strange to me that he has only worked one filmed role since Star Trek. I can’t think of any of the Star Trek actors who worked that little. Most of the Star Trek actors get type casted to a a degree, but it seems strange that Brooks hasn’t gotten any filmed work, considering his considerable talent (he’s certainly amongst the five best actors who worked in Trek). I wonder if it’s intentional, perhaps he doesn’t need the money, and is only taking roles he likes.
I appreciate what you have said and would add that I feel it has to do with institutional racism….there ive said it. For me he was the most dignified and authoritative captain and include Picàrd in thar analysis…its no accident they both came from the theatre. Its also interesting that he is the only captain to be killed.
I would add at this point that by her own admission,Nichelle Nicholls only remained in Star Trek because she had a years long affair with its creator Roddenberry
I was overjoyed one day when I checked out this new Star trek only to see a black captain,I never missed an episode after that. I was inspited as a black man myself,Sisko had it all,authority diplomacy,dignity,charm,poise,ran DS9 in impeccable fashion and he had and did all this whilst being a single dad. If it been Picard ,Kirk,ArcherorJaneway in thè same circumstances, they would be asked to run for president . I and black people around the world thank captain Avery Brooks
Its also interesting that he is the only captain to be killed.
Technically they did kill Kirk in Generations after he and Picard had thwarted mad El-Aurian scientist Dr Tolian Soran, but Sisko was the only one killed off in the TV series, Sisko and Picard are definetely my two favorites. Ben’s Paradise speech about Earth always stuck with me.
Really miss him & his superior acting abilities……I’ve loved him since Spenser For Hire…….love him
Omg …what a man..stylish sexy cool confident…yassss
I was watching the 1st episode of ds9, and it all came back, I love this guy. And I was wondering why he doesn’t work more. I saw him years ago in “American History X”, but nothing since then. Perhaps other things are going on in his life and acting is taking a back seat. I wish him well.
When ds9 started, he was not a captain. He was a commander. He was promoted to captain later in the series.
Avery Brooks is a well educated man who has taught theatre through universities on the east coast for many years.
I’m sorry to say that I thought Avery came across very badly in William Shatner’s The Captains (2011). It’s almost as if he’d been smoking something just before the cameras started rolling. It’s worth a look – I think it’s still on Netflix.
Miss him acting
Thanks for posting this.
His presence on stage is captivating! His one- man performance on Broadway as Paul Robeson, was worthy of a Tony Award.
For many years Avery taught drama at Rutgers. He may still, I don’t know.
My friend saw him perform in 2001 in the Oedipus trilogies in DC and you can read her review/anecdotes here:
http://zmax.org/startrek/t-avery.htm
On my Star Trek page there I wrote a review of his first ever convention appearance in 1994!
Avery Brooks, Commander / Captain Benjamin Sisko is the is The Exclamation Point ( ! ) of Star Trek Captains, His hidden Greatness parallels that of the women computers of color & historical importance of NASA.Thank-you, Master Thespian Avery Brooks. I must share you with my granddaughter. Prince K-El
I thoroughly enjoyed this review. I always wondered where Mr. Brooks was in the movie/TV era of the 21st century. He is missed from performing on the small screen but am equally glad his talent is fully appreciated in the theatre. I think that is where his true love lies.
I have been wondering if there has been any news on Mr. Brooks, the reasons for his absence from the Creation events this year, and what Chase Masterson may have meant on the cruise when asked about any possible sensual stories about Mr. Brooks. It saddens me that Avery, Cirroc, and Will were missing from the conventions. I’d love to know if they were working on other projects or just feel they are done with conventions..?
Loved Avery Brooks as Captain Siskin. Loved his commanding presence and his close relationship with his son Kae. Siskin was formidable but also very approacable. Love how he cared so much for his crew. One off my favorite episodes was The visitor the scenes between Siskin and an aging Jake. Mr Brooks is my favorite Star Trek Captain
Did somebody noticed that he was the narrator of the biblical doc ‘Armageddon’ (2012) I recognized him immediatly, see youtube https://youtu.be/_xifslAVbpk