12 Star Trek Characters Who Changed The Most
7. Sisko
Aside from the obvious change i.e. where Sisko ends up, Benjamin Sisko is the commander who potentially goes through one of the deepest journeys of all leading characters in the franchise to date.
His story begins in battle and loss and, within the first five minutes of meeting him, he loses his wife and becomes a single parent working in Starfleet. He takes command of Deep Space Nine, still full of bitterness against Picard for the Battle of Wolf 359.
In his first episode, he becomes a spiritual symbol for the Bajoran people and this is something that he would have to struggle with for quite some time. It isn't really until the fourth season episode Ascension that he comes to terms with it.
Over the entire course of his arc, Sisko grows more than any other captain in the franchise. His religious position aside, he is promoted at the end of the third season. Avery Brooks has gone on the record to say he didn't understand why he couldn't have been a captain from the beginning, however he is the only leading man to experience a professional journey as well as a personal one.
Kirk, Picard and Janeway all achieved promotions after their main run of episodes had ended.
By the time Sisko entered the fire caves in What You Leave Behind, here was a man willing to take up arms to protect Bajor, one who had already gone to war to protect the Federation and who would use his god-hood to protect his family.
Sisko is the boss.