Warning: Contains spoilers for Star Trek #3!Q is often thought of as a nuisance or a threat by those in the Star Trek universe, but he can also be surprisingly insightful about a lot of things, and that proves to be the case when it comes to Captain Benjamin Sisko. The current captain of the USS Theseus is on a mission from literal gods, but he's a bit different from most messiahs.
When Sisko first came to Deep Space Nine he was predictably wary of being called the Emissary of the Prophets by the Bajoran people, and he was far more comfortable thinking of those Prophets as nothing more than wormhole aliens. However, as his time on the station ed, the Starfleet captain came to accept his role and learned truths about himself and his biological mother. She was a Prophet who took control of the body of a human woman in order to conceive the Emissary. However, even as a literal demi-god, Sisko never stopped being a Starfleet officer, and that is partly why the omnipotent trickster Q thinks that he might actually be different from other human messiahs.
Sisko Is Less Self-Centered Than Kirk or Picard
In the pages of Star Trek #3, by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Ramon Rosanas, and Joe Eisma, Q appears to Sisko while Benjamin is in command of the USS Theseus. After he is done being his usual Q self and testing the crew and their captain, the god-like being proclaims that Sisko is unlike other messianic human figures. While most of them are self-involved in their own importance, Sisko "doesn't need to go it alone." In other words, he is more than willing to not make the mission about himself and is comfortable sharing power and relying on others around him.
A lot of this can be attributed to Starfleet training and the trust that comes from have a competent and trustworthy crew around him. However, even among the most notable captains of Starfleet, Benjamin Sisko has always been more of a team player, especially when compared with the likes of Kirk or even Picard. Sisko is never one to shirk the responsibilities or the challenges of being in command, but his posting on DS9 taught him a lot about the power others can accomplish without interference from him. This is partially because Deep Space Nine was very much unlike the typical starship posting that many captains receive.
During his time in command there, he relied heavily upon Kira Nerys, as well the Federation to deal with the religious Bajorans. His closest confidant was often Jadzia Dax, and when it came to commanding the Defiant and dealing with the Klingons, Worf was indispensable. Then of course Julian Bashir was a literal medical superhuman, and Miles O'Brien kept a Cardassian station running with nothing but spit and miracles. None of this even includes the strange and useful expertise of people like Odo, Garak, and even Quark. Sisko is used to having extraordinary people around him, and he's used to trusting them to take the lead in life and death situations. Whereas captains like Picard and Kirk had very competent crews, but in the end the day was usually saved by their own merits, commands, and even fists.
It says a lot that Q thinks so highly of Sisko as a messianic figure, though the captain of the USS Theseus would not describe himself as such. He has even punched out the omnipotent being once before, and it seems even that blow has not dampened Q's interest or respect for Benjamin Sisko as perhaps the best hope for bringing an end to the god-killer of the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek #3 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
