10 Reasons Benjamin Sisko Is Star Trek's Greatest Ever Captain

Without question, the one defining element of Benjamin Sisko's character that makes him, unarguably, the best captain in Star Trek history... is Jake Sisko.

Avery Brooks himself credits the relationship that he developed with Cirroc Lofton as one of the things he is most proud of in his career. He has spoken about the need to show a present father, particularly one of colour, in the life of a young man as, so often, they are depicted as absent. Sisko is the only Star Trek captain whose family life is presented as being as important as his professional life, and his dedication to his young son is often profoundly moving.

While this relationship gave us the basis for a number of Deep Space Nine's best episodes - The Visitor in particular one of the show's most heartbreaking - the way it informed Sisko's character was arguably more important if not always as apparent.

Every decision, every action, every consequence carried more weight because these were never just the lives of a crew that were at stake. These weren't just Starfleet officers who were duty-bound to fight the good fight, or even civilians with which he carried no personal connection, this was his son and his only real connection to this world. Everything in this show mattered just that little bit more, because Ben Sisko was the only Captain who could lose something he loved.