15 Star Trek Actors Who Directed Episodes
13. Avery Brooks - Captain Sisko
Avery Brooks played the tough, no-nonsense Captain Benjamin Sisko, charged with attempting to keep peace aboard Deep Space 9. He has the distinction of being the only DS9 character to appear in every episode.
Brooks started his career on stage, primarily Shakespearean, and is also a skilled pianist and singer. His breakout TV role was as Hawk on Spenser: For Hire. He has formal education in acting and directing, being the first Black student to receive a MFA from Rutgers, where he continues to teach to this day.
Brooks put his education to good use, directing nine episodes of DS9. Perhaps his most notable episode, and the one Avery states is his favourite, was 'Far Beyond the Stars'. This episode tackled issues of racism in 1950s America, putting the cast into a fantasy world where a Black sci-fi author dreams up the whole concept of DS9 and Ben Sisko, only to be told that there is no place for his story. Sisko plays the author, Benny Russell, as well as directing the episode.
Far Beyond the Stars has made dozens of lists of Top 10 DS9 episodes, and stands as a fine mark of Brooks' skills as a director.