10 Star Trek Characters Who MUST Return
2. Sisko
This is a no-brainer.
The last time that audiences saw Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, he was telling Kassidy Yates that he was off to study with the Prophets, but he may be away for a year or return...yesterday. Well, Ben, it's been twenty-three years now. How are those studies going?
In all honesty - the return of Sisko is a risk. For one, there is the fact of addressing his departure for so long. The Prophets are non-linear, so what kept him? How will Kassidy, Jake, or his baby who he never met feel about him?
The age issue can be solved easily - for example, see how they handled Q in Picard season 2 - but truly, the return of Sisko feels like it needs to be it's own entire story. This too could fall under Akiva Goldsman's anthology dream, which would also help to allay financial worries, if the actors are only contracted for a single year.
The documentary What We Left Behind outlines the potential for a season 8 of Deep Space Nine, or the first episode at least. While there would have to be some story changes, there is no reason why Deep Space Nine should receive as little love as it has been in the franchise at present.