How Each Star Trek Captain Got Cast
4. A Man Named Sisko: For Hire
The search for Sisko involved a huge list of names before Avery Brooks was finally cast in the role. These names include Bruce Greenwood and Ben Cross, both of whom would later go on to appear in Star Trek. Tony Todd, Ernie Hudson, John Glover, Ted Levine and Gary Graham were also on that call list, along with Peter Capaldi!
Siddig El Fadil also auditioned, though the producers knew almost immediately that he was too young for the part. Brooks beat out 100 other actors from all racial backgrounds for the part of Sisko, becoming the first African American in a starring role in a first run series since Clarence Williams in The Mod Squad.
Brooks was well-known for his portrayal as Hawk on the detective series Spenser: For Hire, which also resulted in his own spin-off series 'A Man Called Hawk'. Brook's agent gave him the script, which he read while he was on holiday in the Caribbean. He particularly enjoyed the depiction of this character helping to save the galaxy, that he was a person of colour and a devoted father. All of this, while trying to come to terms with the death of his wife.
He also was particularly interested in the relationship between Sisko and Kai Opaka in the pilot, lauding the depiction of spirituality in the future. Though he found the pilot tough to shoot, citing the long hours and sound stages as issues, he felt that the episode was a success and enjoyed the role for the remainder of the show's run.