7. He Had Great Trust In His Colleagues And Friends And Used It To His Advantage
Episode Evidence: You Are Cordially Invited Some Starfleet Captains held themselves aloft from their crew. It's an understandable position. A man or woman in position has to balance any friendship with command. But Captain Sisko was quite unique in that he used his friendship to better himself. None more so than his continuing friendship with Dax. Sisko first meet Dax when 'he' was Cuzon Dax, a Federation Ambassador. The trill became a mentor to Sisko and this relationship continued when the Dax symbiont transferred to Jadzia. This ambitious young science officer was a great source of support from the commander-then Captain, providing herself as a sounding board for his thoughts and actions. She even took on the honourific role of 'old man'; as someone with the experience of several different lives, this was a title she took with great fondness. And throughout the first six years Sisko confided in the 'old man' on numerous occasions, utilising her Starfleet experience and the eight lives worth of guidance to guide him. And it went both ways. Sisko had a great insight into what made Jadzia tick, and when she expressed doubts in her ability to measure up to Martok's family preceding her marriage to Worf in season six, it would Sisko who convinced her she had the skill and confidence to take on the mantle of Worf's 'Klingon' wife. Without Dax's wisdom, Sisko would have been lost on numerous occasions. And when Jadzia was murdered in the season six finale 'Tears Of The Prophets', Sisko realised, in an incredibly heartfelt speech, that he couldn't go on. He needed his 'old man' to help guide him and without her he was forced to admit defeat and return to Earth. And it wasn't just Dax. He used Kira to help him gain insight into the Bajoran people and their faith and Worf to help negotiate tricky situations with the Klingon Empire. They may have been friends as well as colleagues, but he knew the wisdom of using their experiences to find solutions to the problems he faced. KIRK: A man who relied heavily on Spock and McCoy, again using their wisdom and experience to help resolve the situation without ever loosing confidence in his own abilities as Captain. PICARD: A man used to being at the top, he had no issues with making firm decisions. None the less, he used Troi's wisdom in negotiations, Data's scientific and historical databanks and took heed of Riker's warnings to consider all options. JANEWAY: Another Captain comfortable in command and able to make hard decisions. None the less, she was ready to listen to the guidance of her first officer Chakoty. ARCHER: Relied on Tripp and T'Pol heavily. Seemed confident but not altogether at ease in the Captain's chair.