5. He Was A Great Diplomat
Episode Evidence: By Inferno's Light It's a trait that every Starfleet Captain needs and all our leading commanders do it well. But what made Captain Sisko so damned good at his job was that he wasn't just a ship or planet at stake where he played the diplomatic card. It was whole quadrant. Not only did he work with the Bajorans to rebuild their home from his first day on the job but he was the front man for any first contact in the Gamma Quadrant. And then in the course of the Dominion War, he liaised with the Klingon forces (and later the Romulans) to forge an alliance to stop the invading forces. And he was there at the final peace treaty that ended the galactic conflict, the 'Treaty of Bajor'. For my evidence, I present the Klingons. There were three Starfleet Captains who rose to prominence in ensuring peace with the ridge-headed warriors. Captain Spock (The Khitomer accords), Captain Picard (as Arbiter of Succession following the death of Klingon Chancellor K'mpec) and Captain Sisko. It was Sisko who reasoned that the Dominion were behind the renewed conflict between the Federation and Klingons, and that continued bloodshed would only make both races weak. The Klingons of course, and their bug-eyed leader Gowron wouldn't hear any of this. But Sisko battled on and when the shocking alliance of the Dominion and Cardassia was formed, he sought his chance, convincing Gowron that only be resigning the Khitomer accords and forging a new alliance could they hope to beat this increased threat. It was an argument that paid off. And by the end of the Dominion War, relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire was at its strongest, thanks to Sisko's work with these allies and his diplomatic relationship with new Klingon Chancellor Martok. KIRK: With the Klingons, Kirk too finally saw reason and worked to forge the alliance, becoming a key player in the Khitomer Accords. PICARD: Pretty much every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. But again, it's his work with the Klingons in season three through five that shows him at his diplomatic finest. JANEWAY: Used her diplomatic guile brilliantly over her seven years in the Delta Quadrant, negotiating with local races to sustain her crew across hostile territory. Oh and she struck a temporary alliance with the Borg against Species 8472. That takes some skills... ARCHER: Yeah, he helped found the Federation so he might win this one. We might not have Kirk, Picard, Sisko and Janeway without him.