Adam’s Take on Episode 1: “Emissary”
There was a point in my life where I did not fear death. The absence of any anxiety over one of the few things that we are all guaranteed in this life was not in the Epicurean sense,1 but the Pauline—the belief that death is simply the doorway to a homecoming for which all of our existence propels us.2 However, when I became a father, the birth of a new life meant that death became more tangible. Suddenly, I was responsible for the safety, security, nourishment, and education of another human being—I couldn’t afford to die.
I’ve watched Deep Space Nine all the way through twice now. I’ve seen every Star Trek television show and movie at least once.3 If it wasn’t for the fact that I have spent about half of my life practicing theology and studying the Bible, I would probably be more well-versed in all things Star Trek than anything else.
Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek series, so I was more than a little excited to embark on a third watch through. After a decade and some major life changes, re-watching DS9’s pilot episode, “Emissary,” felt like revisiting a dear old friend. But in this case, the friend had remained the same loveable pal, but I had grown and changed in ways that now had me looking at my friend differently.
Stalwart Starfleet Officer Benjamin Lafayette Sisko was the same “rough around the edges” Commander he had always been, but he was suddenly much more relatable as a man trying to raise a son in an unforgiving world. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who oversees Commander Sisko’s assignment to Deep Space Nine, had been my favorite Star Trek captain, but now, he came off as pretentious and arrogant as he butts heads with the widower Sisko:
“I have a son that I’m raising alone, Captain. This is not the ideal environment.”
“Unfortunately as Starfleet officers, we do not always have the luxury to serve in an ideal environment.”
Picard’s rebuttal feels callous and tinged with at least a hint of ignorance. As fans of The Next Generation know, Picard is a self-professed misopedist— what right does he have to speak to the trials and tribulations of raising a son? While in previous viewings I had only ever picked up on Sisko’s anger towards Picard for the responsibility that he felt that Picard had played in the death of his wife, Sisko’s annoyance with Picard’s hubris in speaking to matters of fatherhood is palpable.
And one of Deep Space Nine’s recurring themes is fatherhood. As so beautifully encapsulated in the pilot episode, Sisko will—throughout the series—continue to struggle with providing his son with the safety, security, nourishment, and education that he, as a father, is compelled to, while simultaneously juggling his duty to serve “king and country” aboard a rickety outpost in the final frontier. Certainly not “the ideal environment.” But Sisko’s burgeoning faith—only tantalizingly hinted at in “Emissary”—will provide him with strength and purpose as he remains committed to his responsibilities, eventually leading him face-to-face with his very existence and the culmination of his roles as father and C.O. On the way there, Sisko will have some fairly spectacular fails both as a dad and as a Commanding Officer— but hey, that’s fatherhood.
1 “If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?”
2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23
3 For those of you keeping score, that means I’ve watched over 651 hours of Star Trek according to the folks at CBR.com, and there’s even more Star Trek in the pipeline! Source: https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-every-tv-episode-movie/
Return to Episode 1 Guide
Ponderings from the Promenade: A Journey through Star Trek Deep Space Nine 
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