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Star Trek Autobiographies
The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko
The fascinating life of Starfleet's celebrated captain, and Bajor's Emissary of the Prophets, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Benjamin Sisko tells the story of his career in Starfleet, and his life as a father and Bajor's Emissary to the Prophets. Chart his rise through the ranks, his pioneering work designing the Defiant class, his critical role as ambassador and leader during the Dominion War, and his sacred standing as a religious leader of his adopted home.
Explore the hidden history of his childhood and early career in Starfleet, and the innermost thoughts of the man who made first contact with the wormhole aliens and opened safe passage to the Gamma Quadrant, and united Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan forces to defeat the Dominion. Discover Sisko's personal take on his confidantes Lieutenant Dax and Major Kira Nerys, the enigmatic Garak, and his adversaries, Gul Dukat and Kai Winn, as well as his fatherly advice for his son Jake.
Passing on lessons from father to son, from his experiences with the Prophets to the writings of Benny Russell, Sisko's story is a unique phenomenon in Starfleet and human history, told in the way only he can.
Benjamin Sisko tells the story of his career in Starfleet, and his life as a father and Bajor's Emissary to the Prophets. Chart his rise through the ranks, his pioneering work designing the Defiant class, his critical role as ambassador and leader during the Dominion War, and his sacred standing as a religious leader of his adopted home.
Explore the hidden history of his childhood and early career in Starfleet, and the innermost thoughts of the man who made first contact with the wormhole aliens and opened safe passage to the Gamma Quadrant, and united Starfleet, Klingon and Romulan forces to defeat the Dominion. Discover Sisko's personal take on his confidantes Lieutenant Dax and Major Kira Nerys, the enigmatic Garak, and his adversaries, Gul Dukat and Kai Winn, as well as his fatherly advice for his son Jake.
Passing on lessons from father to son, from his experiences with the Prophets to the writings of Benny Russell, Sisko's story is a unique phenomenon in Starfleet and human history, told in the way only he can.
347 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
58 people are currently reading
338 people want to read
About the author
Derek Tyler Attico
16 books25 followersDerek Tyler Attico is a science fiction author, essayist, and photographer. He won the Excellence in Playwriting Award from the Dramatist Guild of America. He is also a two-time winner of the Star Trek Strange New Worlds short story contest ("Alpha & Omega," "The Dreamer and the Dream") published by Simon and Schuster. He is also the author of the Star Trek novel The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Titan Publishing.
Derek's literary contributions extend to various anthologies, including "Turning the Tied" from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, publications from the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, and "Thrilling Adventure Yarns" from Crazy 8 Press. His essays have been featured in print publications such as Star Trek Magazine and ATB Publishing.
Beyond his writing pursuits, Derek actively participates as a contributing writer for the Star Trek Adventures tabletop role-playing game and is an accomplished role-playing game designer. Armed with a degree in English and History, Derek is a passionate advocate for the arts, human rights, and inclusivity. You can connect with him through his website, DerekAttico.com, and find him on various social media platforms under the handle @Dattico.
Derek's literary contributions extend to various anthologies, including "Turning the Tied" from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, publications from the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, and "Thrilling Adventure Yarns" from Crazy 8 Press. His essays have been featured in print publications such as Star Trek Magazine and ATB Publishing.
Beyond his writing pursuits, Derek actively participates as a contributing writer for the Star Trek Adventures tabletop role-playing game and is an accomplished role-playing game designer. Armed with a degree in English and History, Derek is a passionate advocate for the arts, human rights, and inclusivity. You can connect with him through his website, DerekAttico.com, and find him on various social media platforms under the handle @Dattico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 7, 2024
2023 Review 117. The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Derek Tyler Attico
Page Count : 272
OK, I'll admit it, I couldn't help myself and decided to read this book now rather than wait for the release date to come around before reading it.
This review will be 100% spoiler free as this book is not out until November 21st, I have however kept detailed notes for a more informative review which I will post in December once the book has been out for a few weeks.
As someone, who despite being a serious Trekkie, hasn't watched all of Deep Space Nine, I absolutely loved this book and think it has become my favourite of the 5 captain's autobiographies that I've read.
The reason for this is because Derek Tyler Attico had the least to go on when writing this book as Captain Benjamin Sisko has not had as much information revealed during the series and despite all of that, he wrote a fantastic book going into amazing detail about a starship captain I knew little or nothing about.
I felt this book was talking almost directly to me as there was so much that appealed to me.
For the first book written by Derek Tyler Attico that I have read, I absolutely loved it and I would definitely consider reading more Star Trek books he releases especially if he writes another captain autobiography or even a book in the Star Trek Picard series (I can think of one I would like to see written).
5*
*****
Page Count : 272
OK, I'll admit it, I couldn't help myself and decided to read this book now rather than wait for the release date to come around before reading it.
This review will be 100% spoiler free as this book is not out until November 21st, I have however kept detailed notes for a more informative review which I will post in December once the book has been out for a few weeks.
As someone, who despite being a serious Trekkie, hasn't watched all of Deep Space Nine, I absolutely loved this book and think it has become my favourite of the 5 captain's autobiographies that I've read.
The reason for this is because Derek Tyler Attico had the least to go on when writing this book as Captain Benjamin Sisko has not had as much information revealed during the series and despite all of that, he wrote a fantastic book going into amazing detail about a starship captain I knew little or nothing about.
I felt this book was talking almost directly to me as there was so much that appealed to me.
For the first book written by Derek Tyler Attico that I have read, I absolutely loved it and I would definitely consider reading more Star Trek books he releases especially if he writes another captain autobiography or even a book in the Star Trek Picard series (I can think of one I would like to see written).
5*
*****
October 29, 2023
Phenomenal story
Thank you Benny Russell, Jake Sisko, Gene Roddenberry, and Derek Tyler Attico for this phenomenal book and story.
Read this book!
Thank you Benny Russell, Jake Sisko, Gene Roddenberry, and Derek Tyler Attico for this phenomenal book and story.
Read this book!
December 6, 2023
I’ve never been bashful about my love of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I’ve used it to talk about the “alien-ness” of various Trek series, looked back at the DS9 young adult novels, and wrote forty-one entries on the DS9 relaunch stories that continued the crew’s adventures well past the series finale. In turn, this led to a discussion of the grand climax of the unified Trek “Litverse” with the Coda trilogy, which featured several key DS9 characters.
While we’ve seen the publication of one DS9 standalone novel—Alex White’s Revenant (2021)—and it’s not impossible that more might surface eventually, the post-Litverse focus has understandably been on supporting recent live-action and animated series, with a number of new novels and audio dramas tying in to Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Prodigy. Despite some thoroughly pleasurable outings in these television series, none of them have so far managed to displace DS9 as my personal favorite Trek of all time. 2023 saw the launch of Star Trek: Defiant, a new comic book series issued by IDW featuring DS9 characters, but I wasn’t really expecting new DS9 prose fiction any time soon.
All of which makes The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko not only somewhat of a surprise but a particular treat. Following the format established in works covering the lives of James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, and Mr. Spock, this volume offers Sisko’s reminiscences about pivotal moments in his life—some loud, some quiet—and his general reflections on topics like morality, responsibility, leadership, betrayal, grief, and love.
The book’s conceit, as conveyed in the introduction, is that some time after Sisko’s departure from corporeal existence in “What You Leave Behind,” an energy beam containing an encrypted message emanates from the wormhole. Nog realizes it includes Sisko’s old command codes, and after it’s been decoded Jake spends two years sorting through the fifty hours of video in the message and creating a chronologically-ordered transcript of what he considers the most relevant passages. In our reality—and who knows, all of DS9’s grand story, along with every one of us, might be contained within a Benny Russell dream—Derek Tyler Attico is the weaver of the tale.
From its very start, going back to the pilot episode, DS9 set itself apart from other Trek shows by having its lead character contending with single parenthood and learning to deal with being revered as a major figure in an alien religion. As Sisko says in Chapter Twenty-Two of this book, “When she [Kai Opaka] told me I was to be the Emissary, I honestly thought it was a lot of what we used to call mumbo jumbo, but now I see how far ahead, and patient, Opaka was with me. She was not a nonlinear entity, but her faith gave her the ability to see far beyond all of us.” Which brings us to another key point: Sisko was not only perceived as critically important in the Bajoran faith, but was later revealed to have an actual touch of alien within him, since his biological mother had been inhabited by one of the nonlinear wormhole-dwelling aliens commonly called Prophets by the Bajorans when she conceived him.
Sisko’s Autobiography honors this unique legacy in three ways. First, the narrative leaves Sisko in the otherworldly realm, his fate unresolved. Having him return safely to linear spacetime and reconnect with his family, of course, would have been a valid imaginative choice, and it was one ultimately taken by the relaunch novels. However, a core part of Sisko’s story is intriguing precisely because of his nonhuman provenance, and I think that attempting to “solve” that mystery, while also covering his entire life leading up to it, could potentially be unsatisfying and overwhelming in the scope of a single book. Attico does a fine job of making Sisko relatable by emphasizing that despite Sisko’s special place beyond linear existence, he sees himself as an ordinary mortal:
Even later, when I became comfortable as the Emissary and the responsibility it carried, I still never wanted or sought the power or the influence. Regardless of my lineage, I am not a messiah, or some magical being. I am just what I have always been.
A man.
The second way the Autobiography gets Sisko right is by having his message fundamentally be about connecting with his son. Sisko here imparts the lessons he has learned through a difficult and eventful life, while encouraging Jake to continue forging his own path and being his own man.
Thirdly, because Sisko’s signal originates in a nonlinear realm, Attico is able to introduce some arresting shifts in time—as for instance when, at the end of Chapter Eight, the scene transitions to B’hala as it was 20,000 years in the past. I won’t spoil what Sisko observes there, but it does answer a sixth-season question left open-ended by the series.
The sense we get is of Sisko not only poring over his life in order to share a measure of wisdom and grace with his son—and in a way, to give his son the permission he might need in order to live fully without him, nicely underscored by a reference to “The Visitor”—but of journeying through his own nature in order to better understand himself. “It is the unknown that defines our existence,” maintained DS9’s pilot, and in this chronicle the unknown continues to inform our central character.
Having established that we won’t be moving forward in the post-finale timeline, Attico wisely places the emphasis of Sisko’s recollections on the episodes of his life about which we know least. The early chapters are considerably longer and more descriptive than the ones where Sisko catches up with his posting to Deep Space Nine in 2369 and we revisit events we’ve seen unfold on-screen. These childhood and adolescent vignettes and escapades add a welcome richness of character and warmth to a tough, complex figure. Sisko’s early years are characterized by strong familial bonds, Creole cooking, jazz, and the ever-recurring presence of New Orleans itself. It’s an intoxicating combination. We learn of Grandpa James and Grandma Octavia (named after James Baldwin and Octavia Butler respectively). We follow along with an overeager Sisko who suffers an accident that leaves him immobilized for six months, during which time he develops a fascination with model starships. Later, he attends Booker T. Washington Public High School and experiences bullying; then eventually, first love.
Sisko’s observations occur every couple of pages, as for instance when he reflects on the importance of teachers in Chapter Two:
I’ve been in Starfleet for over twenty years. I’ve seen some very impressive technology and breakthroughs, but the truth is that the future isn’t built with technology or even by engineers. The future is built by teachers. Every mind that is educated, every consciousness that is opened to new ideas and different ways of thinking, is a brick paving the way toward tomorrow.
I’ll share two more examples. In the same chapter, Sisko crafts a lovely analogy between two very different crews:
I’d watch the kitchen crew cooking, cutting, cleaning, and arranging food on dishes like they were works of art. Everyone would work independently, but also in unison, not unlike the bridge of a starship.
And in Chapter Three, Sisko muses on death itself as a great unknown, harkening back to the comments I made earlier:
You know Jake, I think of all of the advancements of humanity, of all the things we’ve accomplished and overcome over the years. Climate change, racism, poverty, disease. But humans still have a hard time dealing with death. Perhaps it’s because, despite all we have achieved, it is still a great unknown.
As I hope is illustrated by these excerpts, Attico convincingly channels Sisko’s voice, which is no small feat. It makes the entire journey convincing. His writing combines the plain and down-to-earth with more poetic beats, as when Sisko speaks of people “frozen in the amber of grief.” These stylistic choices reinforce Sisko’s compelling mixture of perseverance and sensitivity.
For fans of Trek lore, there’s a wealth of it to enjoy here. Many characters from across the Trek continuum have cameos or are referenced: Doctor Pulaski, Zefram Cochrane, Solok, Admiral Owen Paris, Cal Hudson, Philippa Georgiou and Michael Burnham, Kosinski, Tryla Scott and Admiral Savar, Geordi La Forge, Leah Brahms, Elizabeth Shelby and others I don’t want to reveal. Too many? Possibly. I did get a kick out of Sisko mentioning Mardah, the Bajoran dabo girl Jake dated in Seasons 2 and 3. At one point Sisko receives a copy of Mr. Scott’s Guide to the Fundamentals of Starships and Engineering, samples “Vulcan’s Forge” ice cream, and so on. You get the idea. And of course this couldn’t be a bona fide DS9 book without a reference to self-sealing stem bolts; Attico obliges on page 112 of the hardcover edition. In terms of episodes, some of the references I found particularly delightful, often because I didn’t expect them, were, in no particular order, to TNG’s “Identity Crisis,” DS9’s “Explorers,” “Past Tense, Part I” and “Past Tense, Part II,” “The Quickening,” “Captive Pursuit,” “Battle Lines,” “Paradise,” “Second Sight,” “Tacking Into the Wind,” and “The Siege of AR-558.” In case this sounds overwhelming, it’s not. While picking up on Attico’s plentiful references enhances Sisko’s account, it’s not necessary to enjoy it.
Complementing the writing, the book features a neat insert with color photographs from various stages of Sisko’s life. (An aside: one of these shows a 1973 issue of Incredible Tales of Scientific Wonder with a DS9 story—but I thought, per “Far Beyond the Stars,” that Benny Russell was writing these in the 1950s? Maybe it’s a reprint!).
The chapters leading up to Sisko’s assuming command of the titular station see him meeting Curzon Dax, serving aboard several starships, and enduring trying war experiences, first with the Tzenkethi and more traumatically in Wolf 359. Sisko’s compassionate reconsideration of Picard as a victim of the Borg leads to a wonderful line: “When you let go of hate, the first person you free is yourself.” Of course, Avery Brooks is mentioned in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book. If this volume is adapted into an audiobook, I would love for Cirroc Lofton to narrate it—how immersive, and affecting, that would be.
Though each of the previous Trek “autobiographies” have things to recommend them, for my latinum this is the best one yet. It truly capitalizes on the possibilities of the form, fleshing out, in a deeply hopeful and humanistic fashion, one of Trek’s most enduring and commanding characters. It doesn’t offer pat solutions to life’s difficulties, but inspires us to meet them as best we can. “I came to this station when I didn’t care about it,” Sisko notes with bracing honesty while looking back on the Dominion conflict, “and I had to abandon it during a war when I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Just as the Celestial Temple here serves as Sisko’s place of contemplation away from home, so for many of us Deep Space Nine came to represent a special fictional abode where we found ourselves exploring fascinating questions. The show became our own wormhole of possibilities, which we are now free to experience, as Sisko does time itself, in whatever order we choose. When I ranked all of the post-finale DS9 books, Andrew J. Robinson’s confessional epic about Garak, A Stitch in Time, was one of my top picks. Without a doubt, the very differently-spiced The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko, a thoughtful valentine to the series, represents another high point in this expanded universe.
If this turns out to be the final in-world Star Trek autobiography, I’d find it a fitting conclusion to the series. And if they keep going, here’s my suggestion for one that could be packed with bombshell revelations: The Autobiography of Liam Boothby, Starfleet’s Constant Groundskeeper.
https://www.tor.com/2023/12/06/the-em...
While we’ve seen the publication of one DS9 standalone novel—Alex White’s Revenant (2021)—and it’s not impossible that more might surface eventually, the post-Litverse focus has understandably been on supporting recent live-action and animated series, with a number of new novels and audio dramas tying in to Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Prodigy. Despite some thoroughly pleasurable outings in these television series, none of them have so far managed to displace DS9 as my personal favorite Trek of all time. 2023 saw the launch of Star Trek: Defiant, a new comic book series issued by IDW featuring DS9 characters, but I wasn’t really expecting new DS9 prose fiction any time soon.
All of which makes The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko not only somewhat of a surprise but a particular treat. Following the format established in works covering the lives of James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, and Mr. Spock, this volume offers Sisko’s reminiscences about pivotal moments in his life—some loud, some quiet—and his general reflections on topics like morality, responsibility, leadership, betrayal, grief, and love.
The book’s conceit, as conveyed in the introduction, is that some time after Sisko’s departure from corporeal existence in “What You Leave Behind,” an energy beam containing an encrypted message emanates from the wormhole. Nog realizes it includes Sisko’s old command codes, and after it’s been decoded Jake spends two years sorting through the fifty hours of video in the message and creating a chronologically-ordered transcript of what he considers the most relevant passages. In our reality—and who knows, all of DS9’s grand story, along with every one of us, might be contained within a Benny Russell dream—Derek Tyler Attico is the weaver of the tale.
From its very start, going back to the pilot episode, DS9 set itself apart from other Trek shows by having its lead character contending with single parenthood and learning to deal with being revered as a major figure in an alien religion. As Sisko says in Chapter Twenty-Two of this book, “When she [Kai Opaka] told me I was to be the Emissary, I honestly thought it was a lot of what we used to call mumbo jumbo, but now I see how far ahead, and patient, Opaka was with me. She was not a nonlinear entity, but her faith gave her the ability to see far beyond all of us.” Which brings us to another key point: Sisko was not only perceived as critically important in the Bajoran faith, but was later revealed to have an actual touch of alien within him, since his biological mother had been inhabited by one of the nonlinear wormhole-dwelling aliens commonly called Prophets by the Bajorans when she conceived him.
Sisko’s Autobiography honors this unique legacy in three ways. First, the narrative leaves Sisko in the otherworldly realm, his fate unresolved. Having him return safely to linear spacetime and reconnect with his family, of course, would have been a valid imaginative choice, and it was one ultimately taken by the relaunch novels. However, a core part of Sisko’s story is intriguing precisely because of his nonhuman provenance, and I think that attempting to “solve” that mystery, while also covering his entire life leading up to it, could potentially be unsatisfying and overwhelming in the scope of a single book. Attico does a fine job of making Sisko relatable by emphasizing that despite Sisko’s special place beyond linear existence, he sees himself as an ordinary mortal:
Even later, when I became comfortable as the Emissary and the responsibility it carried, I still never wanted or sought the power or the influence. Regardless of my lineage, I am not a messiah, or some magical being. I am just what I have always been.
A man.
The second way the Autobiography gets Sisko right is by having his message fundamentally be about connecting with his son. Sisko here imparts the lessons he has learned through a difficult and eventful life, while encouraging Jake to continue forging his own path and being his own man.
Thirdly, because Sisko’s signal originates in a nonlinear realm, Attico is able to introduce some arresting shifts in time—as for instance when, at the end of Chapter Eight, the scene transitions to B’hala as it was 20,000 years in the past. I won’t spoil what Sisko observes there, but it does answer a sixth-season question left open-ended by the series.
The sense we get is of Sisko not only poring over his life in order to share a measure of wisdom and grace with his son—and in a way, to give his son the permission he might need in order to live fully without him, nicely underscored by a reference to “The Visitor”—but of journeying through his own nature in order to better understand himself. “It is the unknown that defines our existence,” maintained DS9’s pilot, and in this chronicle the unknown continues to inform our central character.
Having established that we won’t be moving forward in the post-finale timeline, Attico wisely places the emphasis of Sisko’s recollections on the episodes of his life about which we know least. The early chapters are considerably longer and more descriptive than the ones where Sisko catches up with his posting to Deep Space Nine in 2369 and we revisit events we’ve seen unfold on-screen. These childhood and adolescent vignettes and escapades add a welcome richness of character and warmth to a tough, complex figure. Sisko’s early years are characterized by strong familial bonds, Creole cooking, jazz, and the ever-recurring presence of New Orleans itself. It’s an intoxicating combination. We learn of Grandpa James and Grandma Octavia (named after James Baldwin and Octavia Butler respectively). We follow along with an overeager Sisko who suffers an accident that leaves him immobilized for six months, during which time he develops a fascination with model starships. Later, he attends Booker T. Washington Public High School and experiences bullying; then eventually, first love.
Sisko’s observations occur every couple of pages, as for instance when he reflects on the importance of teachers in Chapter Two:
I’ve been in Starfleet for over twenty years. I’ve seen some very impressive technology and breakthroughs, but the truth is that the future isn’t built with technology or even by engineers. The future is built by teachers. Every mind that is educated, every consciousness that is opened to new ideas and different ways of thinking, is a brick paving the way toward tomorrow.
I’ll share two more examples. In the same chapter, Sisko crafts a lovely analogy between two very different crews:
I’d watch the kitchen crew cooking, cutting, cleaning, and arranging food on dishes like they were works of art. Everyone would work independently, but also in unison, not unlike the bridge of a starship.
And in Chapter Three, Sisko muses on death itself as a great unknown, harkening back to the comments I made earlier:
You know Jake, I think of all of the advancements of humanity, of all the things we’ve accomplished and overcome over the years. Climate change, racism, poverty, disease. But humans still have a hard time dealing with death. Perhaps it’s because, despite all we have achieved, it is still a great unknown.
As I hope is illustrated by these excerpts, Attico convincingly channels Sisko’s voice, which is no small feat. It makes the entire journey convincing. His writing combines the plain and down-to-earth with more poetic beats, as when Sisko speaks of people “frozen in the amber of grief.” These stylistic choices reinforce Sisko’s compelling mixture of perseverance and sensitivity.
For fans of Trek lore, there’s a wealth of it to enjoy here. Many characters from across the Trek continuum have cameos or are referenced: Doctor Pulaski, Zefram Cochrane, Solok, Admiral Owen Paris, Cal Hudson, Philippa Georgiou and Michael Burnham, Kosinski, Tryla Scott and Admiral Savar, Geordi La Forge, Leah Brahms, Elizabeth Shelby and others I don’t want to reveal. Too many? Possibly. I did get a kick out of Sisko mentioning Mardah, the Bajoran dabo girl Jake dated in Seasons 2 and 3. At one point Sisko receives a copy of Mr. Scott’s Guide to the Fundamentals of Starships and Engineering, samples “Vulcan’s Forge” ice cream, and so on. You get the idea. And of course this couldn’t be a bona fide DS9 book without a reference to self-sealing stem bolts; Attico obliges on page 112 of the hardcover edition. In terms of episodes, some of the references I found particularly delightful, often because I didn’t expect them, were, in no particular order, to TNG’s “Identity Crisis,” DS9’s “Explorers,” “Past Tense, Part I” and “Past Tense, Part II,” “The Quickening,” “Captive Pursuit,” “Battle Lines,” “Paradise,” “Second Sight,” “Tacking Into the Wind,” and “The Siege of AR-558.” In case this sounds overwhelming, it’s not. While picking up on Attico’s plentiful references enhances Sisko’s account, it’s not necessary to enjoy it.
Complementing the writing, the book features a neat insert with color photographs from various stages of Sisko’s life. (An aside: one of these shows a 1973 issue of Incredible Tales of Scientific Wonder with a DS9 story—but I thought, per “Far Beyond the Stars,” that Benny Russell was writing these in the 1950s? Maybe it’s a reprint!).
The chapters leading up to Sisko’s assuming command of the titular station see him meeting Curzon Dax, serving aboard several starships, and enduring trying war experiences, first with the Tzenkethi and more traumatically in Wolf 359. Sisko’s compassionate reconsideration of Picard as a victim of the Borg leads to a wonderful line: “When you let go of hate, the first person you free is yourself.” Of course, Avery Brooks is mentioned in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book. If this volume is adapted into an audiobook, I would love for Cirroc Lofton to narrate it—how immersive, and affecting, that would be.
Though each of the previous Trek “autobiographies” have things to recommend them, for my latinum this is the best one yet. It truly capitalizes on the possibilities of the form, fleshing out, in a deeply hopeful and humanistic fashion, one of Trek’s most enduring and commanding characters. It doesn’t offer pat solutions to life’s difficulties, but inspires us to meet them as best we can. “I came to this station when I didn’t care about it,” Sisko notes with bracing honesty while looking back on the Dominion conflict, “and I had to abandon it during a war when I didn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Just as the Celestial Temple here serves as Sisko’s place of contemplation away from home, so for many of us Deep Space Nine came to represent a special fictional abode where we found ourselves exploring fascinating questions. The show became our own wormhole of possibilities, which we are now free to experience, as Sisko does time itself, in whatever order we choose. When I ranked all of the post-finale DS9 books, Andrew J. Robinson’s confessional epic about Garak, A Stitch in Time, was one of my top picks. Without a doubt, the very differently-spiced The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko, a thoughtful valentine to the series, represents another high point in this expanded universe.
If this turns out to be the final in-world Star Trek autobiography, I’d find it a fitting conclusion to the series. And if they keep going, here’s my suggestion for one that could be packed with bombshell revelations: The Autobiography of Liam Boothby, Starfleet’s Constant Groundskeeper.
https://www.tor.com/2023/12/06/the-em...
April 6, 2024
This is the fourth Star Trek “Autobiography” I’ve read and I did enjoy. There were passages that it was easy to imagine Avery Brooks delivering as Benjamin Sisko on the tv show. My only complaint is that the chapters that covered the show were quick and fast paced without giving any real since of how it was connected to the rest of this “autobiography”. Overall it is a solid read for fans of Deep Space Nine.
November 22, 2023
Born into a regressionist family from New Orleans which valued social history and the simpler life, Benjamin Lafayette Sisko was destined to change the course of history throughout the galaxy. Ascending to the Celestial Temple in the Bajoran Sector, he is able to send one last message to his son Jake. This is the story of a remarkable life.
Attico has managed to write an effective and affecting story which carefully examines Ben's life and manages to centre it completely on family. Where he excels are the scenes where he calls on the premier episode of 'Deep Space Nine' Ben meets Jennifer for the first time, lifting the precise scene from 'Emissary' but making it work without the wormhole memory. Storil, the captain of the 'Saratoga', is fleshed out wonderfully and Sisko's forgiveness of Picard is so gentle in the observation "The sad truth is that poor man was the Borg's first victim that day."
Attico has managed to write an effective and affecting story which carefully examines Ben's life and manages to centre it completely on family. Where he excels are the scenes where he calls on the premier episode of 'Deep Space Nine' Ben meets Jennifer for the first time, lifting the precise scene from 'Emissary' but making it work without the wormhole memory. Storil, the captain of the 'Saratoga', is fleshed out wonderfully and Sisko's forgiveness of Picard is so gentle in the observation "The sad truth is that poor man was the Borg's first victim that day."
November 3, 2023
I had a wonderful time reading this book and I flew through it, something rare for a slow reader like myself. Derek Tyler Attico was the perfect choice to write this book. He truly has the voice of Benjamin Sisko down and it really feels like the character is recounting the memories.
I love how the autobiography showcases how Sisko’s upbringing and the events in his life created the leader we’ve seen on screen. In contrast, the chapters of the book concerning the content of the TV series are much shorter and focused on very specific topics. This makes sense because we’ve already seen the actual events play out but now, thanks to these chapters, we get a glimpse of the Captain’s inner thoughts about the people and places that featured so prominently over the seven seasons.
There are a number of surprises throughout the book, including unexpected appearances of well-known characters. But there are also some very interesting callbacks to certain events seen in DS9 that fans of the show will easily recognize. And for those readers who also play the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game, we get to see an encounter from Sisko’s past career that ties into original content from the TTRPG’s setting. As Mr. Attico has contributed to the roleplaying game in the past, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise for it to get a shoutout in this book.
Finally, I’d like to say the ending was the perfect way to tie up the story of The Sisko and it fits so well with the series.
That’s all I can say without spoilers but I highly recommend this book to all Trekkies. And it’s a must-read for fans of DS9 and Captain Sisko. Derek Tyler Attico should be drafted by the Niners because he knocked this one out of the holosuite.
I love how the autobiography showcases how Sisko’s upbringing and the events in his life created the leader we’ve seen on screen. In contrast, the chapters of the book concerning the content of the TV series are much shorter and focused on very specific topics. This makes sense because we’ve already seen the actual events play out but now, thanks to these chapters, we get a glimpse of the Captain’s inner thoughts about the people and places that featured so prominently over the seven seasons.
There are a number of surprises throughout the book, including unexpected appearances of well-known characters. But there are also some very interesting callbacks to certain events seen in DS9 that fans of the show will easily recognize. And for those readers who also play the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game, we get to see an encounter from Sisko’s past career that ties into original content from the TTRPG’s setting. As Mr. Attico has contributed to the roleplaying game in the past, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise for it to get a shoutout in this book.
Finally, I’d like to say the ending was the perfect way to tie up the story of The Sisko and it fits so well with the series.
That’s all I can say without spoilers but I highly recommend this book to all Trekkies. And it’s a must-read for fans of DS9 and Captain Sisko. Derek Tyler Attico should be drafted by the Niners because he knocked this one out of the holosuite.
March 4, 2024
A truly incredible work that belongs in every Trek fan's library. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series to date, but this one really blew my mind.
Deep Space Nine is my favorite Trek series to date (though Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds are DEFINITELY giving it a run for its money!) because of the complex and layered writing and characters. Captain Sisko is a unique character because his story arc is so complex, and wrestles so thoroughly with questions of faith and morality, of duty and honor, of hatred and love. This book perfectly captured his voice, down to the cadence with which he spoke and the syntax he used. I could actually hear Sisko's voice reading these passages, just as I could hear his son Jake's voice reading the introduction. Few books manage to capture the characters this closely, and that alone makes this book worth reading.
But it's more than just the way it captures the voice of the characters. We also, for the first time, get Sisko's full backstory, giving us a deeper understanding of the character. With this story, we better understand why he became who he is, and even perhaps why he was specifically chosen to be the Emissary to the Prophets. Framing this as a father telling his son about his life in order to guide him was a stroke of genius, as it pays tribute to one of the best father-son relationships ever put on screen, and it is true to the characters. (And yes, there is an explanation for how this information was imparted to Jake, despite Ben being in the Celestial Temple)
Ben Sisko is one of the most complex and multifaceted characters in the history of science fiction (perhaps second only to the glorious Garak, who I was glad to see gets a mention in this book), and this book shows us just why he is such a remarkable character. The only thing that could make this better is an audio version read by Avery Brooks (the actor who played Sisko), but he doesn't seem interested in revisiting the character in any capacity.
I can't recommend this enough. If you're any kind of Trek fan, you NEED to get this book.
Deep Space Nine is my favorite Trek series to date (though Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds are DEFINITELY giving it a run for its money!) because of the complex and layered writing and characters. Captain Sisko is a unique character because his story arc is so complex, and wrestles so thoroughly with questions of faith and morality, of duty and honor, of hatred and love. This book perfectly captured his voice, down to the cadence with which he spoke and the syntax he used. I could actually hear Sisko's voice reading these passages, just as I could hear his son Jake's voice reading the introduction. Few books manage to capture the characters this closely, and that alone makes this book worth reading.
But it's more than just the way it captures the voice of the characters. We also, for the first time, get Sisko's full backstory, giving us a deeper understanding of the character. With this story, we better understand why he became who he is, and even perhaps why he was specifically chosen to be the Emissary to the Prophets. Framing this as a father telling his son about his life in order to guide him was a stroke of genius, as it pays tribute to one of the best father-son relationships ever put on screen, and it is true to the characters. (And yes, there is an explanation for how this information was imparted to Jake, despite Ben being in the Celestial Temple)
Ben Sisko is one of the most complex and multifaceted characters in the history of science fiction (perhaps second only to the glorious Garak, who I was glad to see gets a mention in this book), and this book shows us just why he is such a remarkable character. The only thing that could make this better is an audio version read by Avery Brooks (the actor who played Sisko), but he doesn't seem interested in revisiting the character in any capacity.
I can't recommend this enough. If you're any kind of Trek fan, you NEED to get this book.
November 28, 2023
The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko by Derek Tyler Attico
Emotional, funny, hopeful, informative,
inspiring, reflective, and sad.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 🌟
Star Trek has been a part of my life...even before I was born. My Da loved the series and when I was born in early '66...he cultivated that love for this franchise as I grew up.
We watched the The Original Series very day (M-F), thanks to syndication and our dinnertime at 7 PM. I watched all 79 episodes multiple times (obviously).
I have to admit, that I was late to the game with Deep Space Nine. I was busy being young...and was offput with a Star Trek series without a ship...and the format of an ongoing storyline was "foreign" to the franchise...to this point.
But, after years of away, I came back and rewatched TOS, TNG, then watched DS9 for the first time in my binge...and fell in love with these characters.
Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko was a breath of fresh air. His love of his family was the cornerstone to his belief system...and the lifetime of experiences up to DS9, and then beyond (for seven seasons) just scratched the surface of this story.
I really wish he'd come back...and we'd have another seven years, but this autobiography will have to do, until the former happens.
I loved this book, and I'm very grateful for the people involved in writing it. Thank you.
#BucketListathon2023
Emotional, funny, hopeful, informative,
inspiring, reflective, and sad.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5 🌟
Star Trek has been a part of my life...even before I was born. My Da loved the series and when I was born in early '66...he cultivated that love for this franchise as I grew up.
We watched the The Original Series very day (M-F), thanks to syndication and our dinnertime at 7 PM. I watched all 79 episodes multiple times (obviously).
I have to admit, that I was late to the game with Deep Space Nine. I was busy being young...and was offput with a Star Trek series without a ship...and the format of an ongoing storyline was "foreign" to the franchise...to this point.
But, after years of away, I came back and rewatched TOS, TNG, then watched DS9 for the first time in my binge...and fell in love with these characters.
Avery Brooks as Benjamin Sisko was a breath of fresh air. His love of his family was the cornerstone to his belief system...and the lifetime of experiences up to DS9, and then beyond (for seven seasons) just scratched the surface of this story.
I really wish he'd come back...and we'd have another seven years, but this autobiography will have to do, until the former happens.
I loved this book, and I'm very grateful for the people involved in writing it. Thank you.
#BucketListathon2023
December 8, 2023
I don't generally write full reviews because I'm lazy, but I want to point something out with this book for all Star Trek fans (disregard if you're not a star trek fan):
This book gets into a blindspot in Star Trek fandom- every day life. We watch the shows of our heroes racing across the galaxy to save the universe, but I really enjoyed reading about the shenanigans a kid could get in with a transporter in the back room. Or when moving to a new home, you can just beam your furniture in, or charging your hover car (I guess that one isn't very far fetched). Seeing 24th century life was pretty interesting.
Overall, I loved this book and enjoyed reading about my favorite of all the Captains.
This book gets into a blindspot in Star Trek fandom- every day life. We watch the shows of our heroes racing across the galaxy to save the universe, but I really enjoyed reading about the shenanigans a kid could get in with a transporter in the back room. Or when moving to a new home, you can just beam your furniture in, or charging your hover car (I guess that one isn't very far fetched). Seeing 24th century life was pretty interesting.
Overall, I loved this book and enjoyed reading about my favorite of all the Captains.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2024
The author did a really, really good job finding Captain Sisko’s voice. I could hear his (Avery Brooks) voice in my head throughout.
I also love (so much) that this was written after the series finale (IYKYK), as a letter to Jake. I love the inclusion of Nog and Rom as important figures. I love the background story of how Sisko became so close with Curzon Dax, and why he was such good friends with Jadzia Dax.
And 😮💨😮💨😮💨 that ending.
DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series, and this book caused me to start watching it over again for the umpteenth time.
He is THE SISKO.
5/5 ⭐️
I also love (so much) that this was written after the series finale (IYKYK), as a letter to Jake. I love the inclusion of Nog and Rom as important figures. I love the background story of how Sisko became so close with Curzon Dax, and why he was such good friends with Jadzia Dax.
And 😮💨😮💨😮💨 that ending.
DS9 is my favorite Star Trek series, and this book caused me to start watching it over again for the umpteenth time.
He is THE SISKO.
5/5 ⭐️
March 9, 2024
Ben Sisko is my favorite Star Trek character and one of my favorite characters in all of pop culture. So, I expected big things from this book and to use an analogy that would make its titular character proud, the author hit a grand slam home run with it.
He nailed the voice of Ben Sisko. You could practically hear that grand majestic voice of Avery Brooks that gives everything such gravitas reciting the lines. The author expertly and organically showed us how Sisko came to be who he is. There is quite a bit of reflection about his time in Starfleet, but some of the most interesting and most moving part of the book are about Ben Sisko's early life with his family.
I loved this book. It made me laugh, it moved me to tears many times, and it comforted me during what's been a really hard time.
He nailed the voice of Ben Sisko. You could practically hear that grand majestic voice of Avery Brooks that gives everything such gravitas reciting the lines. The author expertly and organically showed us how Sisko came to be who he is. There is quite a bit of reflection about his time in Starfleet, but some of the most interesting and most moving part of the book are about Ben Sisko's early life with his family.
I loved this book. It made me laugh, it moved me to tears many times, and it comforted me during what's been a really hard time.
December 31, 2024
Maybe I’m biased because Deep Space 9 is my favorite Trek series, but out of all the various Trek autobiographies that have come out over the past few years, this one was far and away my favorite.
100% part of my personal canon now.
100% part of my personal canon now.
January 28, 2025
This was my least favourite of the Star Trek autobiographies so far. I don’t think it’s the writer as much as the story he has to follow based on the ending of the DS9 series. Still worth a read but a bit far fetched in places (I know that’s a ridiculous thing to say about a sci-fi series).
May 30, 2025
4.5 stars
January 3, 2026
I read this while watching DS9.
November 28, 2023
Very quick read. Finished it in a few short hours, but I think that goes to show just how great it was. If you’re expecting a lot of discussion on the events of DS9, you will be disappointed. The book flows over most of that through quick, but inspirational character profiles of the main cast (though I’m surprised Kai Winn doesn’t get her own, being folded into Dukat’s).
What we really see is Sisko’s childhood, a fascinating experience of being a Luddite in the 24th century, as well as his familial relations, his early struggles, his early career, and his family. More than any other Starfleet Captain, Sisko has always been the most family-oriented and most religious, and this book exudes that.
The authorship is something smart, and the book is very well written. Overall, highly recommended.
What we really see is Sisko’s childhood, a fascinating experience of being a Luddite in the 24th century, as well as his familial relations, his early struggles, his early career, and his family. More than any other Starfleet Captain, Sisko has always been the most family-oriented and most religious, and this book exudes that.
The authorship is something smart, and the book is very well written. Overall, highly recommended.
May 6, 2024
Biography/Autobiography is one of those genres that is suuuuper low on my reading list in terms of enjoyment (for many boring reasons I'll skip detailing here). However, I thought this would pair well with the rewatch of DS9 I'm currently enjoying. A rewatch that is both confirming that DS9 is still my fav Star Trek (LOL, I'll have to really interrogate that once the rewatch is completed) and which is also inspiring me to read any number of these DS9-related titles.
This book was great in that it really helped me get into the mind of the complete Benjamin Sisko - everything from him as son, father, Starfleet officer, and Emissary. I admit I found some of the childhood stuff moderately snoozy, but I think overall it was good to include so we could get a more complete picture of the character. Oh, and that ending? Quite the spicy choice!
My public library purchased this upon my request when I saw they didn't have any copies. Now I might have to purchase my own copy, if only to get that awesome rendition of Incredible Tales, August 1973 issue <3
This book was great in that it really helped me get into the mind of the complete Benjamin Sisko - everything from him as son, father, Starfleet officer, and Emissary. I admit I found some of the childhood stuff moderately snoozy, but I think overall it was good to include so we could get a more complete picture of the character. Oh, and that ending? Quite the spicy choice!
My public library purchased this upon my request when I saw they didn't have any copies. Now I might have to purchase my own copy, if only to get that awesome rendition of Incredible Tales, August 1973 issue <3
March 19, 2024
Great read, loved hearing about Sisko's life from his perspective. I especially loved how Derek Tyler Attico incorporated so much of Black culture into Sisko's story. Now I'm in the mood for more DS9 novelizations!
January 15, 2025
A wonderful Birthday gift! The perfect thing for the return to work blues, as it transported me back to some 90s Star Trek.
The author did a good job of capturing Sisko’s voice and the few small additions set after the series were nice touches. Finally, the Benny Russel artwork was perfect.
The author did a good job of capturing Sisko’s voice and the few small additions set after the series were nice touches. Finally, the Benny Russel artwork was perfect.
March 1, 2024
Enjoyable read, want more.
I love Star Trek DS9 history and that of Sisko. The backstory was enjoyable.
I hope there is a further adventures novel because we all want to know what happens next.
I also hope there is a companion piece in the voice of Jake. My favorite episode is “The Visitor” and that father/son dynamic. I would love Jake’s real story after he leaves DS9 and if his father will play a part in that future.
I love Star Trek DS9 history and that of Sisko. The backstory was enjoyable.
I hope there is a further adventures novel because we all want to know what happens next.
I also hope there is a companion piece in the voice of Jake. My favorite episode is “The Visitor” and that father/son dynamic. I would love Jake’s real story after he leaves DS9 and if his father will play a part in that future.
February 10, 2024
Except for some Christian content in the early chapters, I enjoyed this. I’ve always thought that in the Trek future of the 24th century, Humans will have outgrown the religious nonsense that has kept us at each other’s throats for centuries.
December 9, 2023
This was a great book! I am a huge fan of DS9 (I am even briefly featured in a documentary about it!!) so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but it was great and felt right. It actually did feel like I was reading Ben Sisko talk about his life. I especially liked the parts about his younger life. I didn’t expect that he would’ve actually been part of the making of the Defiant but it makes sense and is great that he would be.
There were occasional moments that felt off (for example there’s a photo of him at Vic’s but Jadzia is in it and in Badda Bing, Badda Bang it’s very explicitly part of the story the he doesn’t go to/hasn’t been to Vic’s before), but they can be forgiven because the rest of the it was so well constructed and went along with parts of his life that we know (even little details I’d forgotten that were mentioned).
I did kind of hope for more on the Curzon/Ben friendship aside form Curzon being skeezy, but there’s only so much you can do with the amount of book you have to write.
Lastly I loved how it was structured as a message to Jake so any information repeated about DS9 events were of the events that Jake wasn’t there for her and/or that he was explaining the reasoning of certain things to him and, finally, the conclusion… that was an even better way to frame it all and brought a tear to my eye. Beautiful.
I think this may have set the bar too high for future books in this series but then… that’s how I feel about DS9 in general so I’m glad this book made me feel that way. 😅😁
4.5/5
There were occasional moments that felt off (for example there’s a photo of him at Vic’s but Jadzia is in it and in Badda Bing, Badda Bang it’s very explicitly part of the story the he doesn’t go to/hasn’t been to Vic’s before), but they can be forgiven because the rest of the it was so well constructed and went along with parts of his life that we know (even little details I’d forgotten that were mentioned).
I did kind of hope for more on the Curzon/Ben friendship aside form Curzon being skeezy, but there’s only so much you can do with the amount of book you have to write.
Lastly I loved how it was structured as a message to Jake so any information repeated about DS9 events were of the events that Jake wasn’t there for her and/or that he was explaining the reasoning of certain things to him and, finally, the conclusion… that was an even better way to frame it all and brought a tear to my eye. Beautiful.
I think this may have set the bar too high for future books in this series but then… that’s how I feel about DS9 in general so I’m glad this book made me feel that way. 😅😁
4.5/5
December 6, 2023
I've enjoyed all of the Star Trek universe "autobiographies. " For me,Sisko's childhood was the most interesting part of the book. Probably because it was all new. While we knew of his upbringing in New Orleans, his father's restaurant, etc, the author really filled in Sisko's backstory...and also creating memorable supporting characters.
December 9, 2023
Much of the family related stuff felt new to me, but it perhaps could’ve gone deeper in places. Weirdly, the beach scene from the pilot, with the exact same dialog, feels organic and like it’s Sisko being cocky. And I’m also wondering when we’ll get the Autobiography of Christopher Pike since it was name dropped here.
January 1, 2024
A must read for fans of DS9 and its Captain.
If your a fan of Captain Sisko, you will enjoy this book. It give a deeper understanding of the who and why of the Emissary, Captain, Father and Leader. A well written book that shows the highs and low of the captain's life and career. Once again a must read.
If your a fan of Captain Sisko, you will enjoy this book. It give a deeper understanding of the who and why of the Emissary, Captain, Father and Leader. A well written book that shows the highs and low of the captain's life and career. Once again a must read.
January 16, 2024
This is the latest in the Starfleet captain autobiography series. I liked that it focused more on Captain Siskos life prior to DS9 instead of just rehashing stories from the series. Any Trekkie will enjoy this one.
July 30, 2024
Good book but not what I expected
CAPTAIN & EMISSARY BUT YOU DON’T GET MUCH OF IT HERE
This a well written book, but it wasn’t what I expected or I’d wish to be, since you have a extremely detail of Sisko’s youth (almost 40% of the book!) and later you have comprehensive information when he was on Starfleet Academy and his early career on several starships and starbases, but when the book is almost finished (around 80% of the book!) is when the narrative arrives to his days on Deep Space Nine! It’s like reading a biography about Margaret Thatcher (and I’m choosing her since she is mentioned in the book since a fictional descendant of her appears there) and you get her youth and early days on politics but once she became Prime Minister the book only assigned a couple of chapter to that. I’m been having this trouble with several recent autobiographies that I’ve read (Captain Picard, Patrick Stewart (maybe the only one that I’ve read both biographies fictional and real life), Michael J. Fox) that they are too detailed about their youths and private life but the details about their careers (that it’s the reason why they’re famous) are quite scarce.
I know that you can watch the TV series to know about his days as captain and emissary, but since this is an autobiography, I found weird that his most relevant accomplishments are too quickly resumed in this book.
SISKO’S EARLY DAYS
In this “autobiography” that, inside the fiction, they are a collection of letters sent by Benjamin Sisko to his son, Jake, while he is still with the Prophets inside the wormhole, you get Sisko’s youth, his life on San Francisco with his family, his medical problem that required physical therapy (by Dr. Pulaski!), his dreams to become starship engineer on Starfleet (that it was odd, I know that it’s canon that Ben Sisko worked in Utopia Planitia Yards and in the Defiant’s project (logically along with Elizabeth Shelby and Dr. Leah Brahms) but during the TV series, with the exception of when he constructed an old solar sail ship with Jake, you never watch Ben Sisko interested in Engineering issues (it’s not like Picard that you have several moments and episodes exploring his passion for archeology and ancient history) (or Captain Janeway that she got personally involved in the solution of many scientific troubles), since it was usually Chief O’Brien who had to deal with engineering troubles and Sisko isn’t around.
You have the first meeting with Curzon Dax and why their friendship is forged. Also, an early meeting with Data before both take their own routes. Even, you have some supportive characters from TNG appearing playing relevant roles in the early life of Ben Sisko.
You also have a great fictional collection of photographs of different moments in the life of Benjamin Sisko, it’s a very nice detail for the book.
Therefore, this a good book, but the lack of importance to Ben Sisko’s life as captain of DS9 and emissary of Bajor, were a major issue for me, to give it a better general rating to the book.
CAPTAIN & EMISSARY BUT YOU DON’T GET MUCH OF IT HERE
This a well written book, but it wasn’t what I expected or I’d wish to be, since you have a extremely detail of Sisko’s youth (almost 40% of the book!) and later you have comprehensive information when he was on Starfleet Academy and his early career on several starships and starbases, but when the book is almost finished (around 80% of the book!) is when the narrative arrives to his days on Deep Space Nine! It’s like reading a biography about Margaret Thatcher (and I’m choosing her since she is mentioned in the book since a fictional descendant of her appears there) and you get her youth and early days on politics but once she became Prime Minister the book only assigned a couple of chapter to that. I’m been having this trouble with several recent autobiographies that I’ve read (Captain Picard, Patrick Stewart (maybe the only one that I’ve read both biographies fictional and real life), Michael J. Fox) that they are too detailed about their youths and private life but the details about their careers (that it’s the reason why they’re famous) are quite scarce.
I know that you can watch the TV series to know about his days as captain and emissary, but since this is an autobiography, I found weird that his most relevant accomplishments are too quickly resumed in this book.
SISKO’S EARLY DAYS
In this “autobiography” that, inside the fiction, they are a collection of letters sent by Benjamin Sisko to his son, Jake, while he is still with the Prophets inside the wormhole, you get Sisko’s youth, his life on San Francisco with his family, his medical problem that required physical therapy (by Dr. Pulaski!), his dreams to become starship engineer on Starfleet (that it was odd, I know that it’s canon that Ben Sisko worked in Utopia Planitia Yards and in the Defiant’s project (logically along with Elizabeth Shelby and Dr. Leah Brahms) but during the TV series, with the exception of when he constructed an old solar sail ship with Jake, you never watch Ben Sisko interested in Engineering issues (it’s not like Picard that you have several moments and episodes exploring his passion for archeology and ancient history) (or Captain Janeway that she got personally involved in the solution of many scientific troubles), since it was usually Chief O’Brien who had to deal with engineering troubles and Sisko isn’t around.
You have the first meeting with Curzon Dax and why their friendship is forged. Also, an early meeting with Data before both take their own routes. Even, you have some supportive characters from TNG appearing playing relevant roles in the early life of Ben Sisko.
You also have a great fictional collection of photographs of different moments in the life of Benjamin Sisko, it’s a very nice detail for the book.
Therefore, this a good book, but the lack of importance to Ben Sisko’s life as captain of DS9 and emissary of Bajor, were a major issue for me, to give it a better general rating to the book.
July 21, 2024
Another in the series of pseudo-autobiographies for Star Trek luminaries, this one has a good hook: Ben Sisko, now in another realm with Bajoran Prophets, sends his son a message in the hopes of sharing things before he becomes incorporeal. It makes sense that he would share this story. And it’s a good story, grounding his life in New Orleans and following his journey from would-be engineer to commander of Deep Space Nine. There are unexpected oddities, like his early life ignorance of the 24th century, and various encounters with familiar Trek figures.
If you’re expecting to relive the story of DS9 from a fresh perspective, well we don’t really get that here, and with good reason: Jake was there for most of it so he already knows that stuff. Despite the editorial cleverness, though, it feels weird to cram this character’s primary text into just the last forty or so pages, forcing Sisko to give potted thoughts on the regular characters and major plot lines like he’s Wikipedia. (Inevitably he leaves a lot out in the process - there is only a passing reference to the Bell riots, which were surely pivotal for Avery Brooks.) He comes across as rather clipped and academic here, just when you would presume he should be at his most engaged.
The writing style is a little more anodyne than I was expecting from the usually passionate Sisko, but I think it’s fair to put that down to this being a direct line with his son, with whom he was always gentle. The book gives the character a solid through line and really made me want to rewatch DS9.
3.5
If you’re expecting to relive the story of DS9 from a fresh perspective, well we don’t really get that here, and with good reason: Jake was there for most of it so he already knows that stuff. Despite the editorial cleverness, though, it feels weird to cram this character’s primary text into just the last forty or so pages, forcing Sisko to give potted thoughts on the regular characters and major plot lines like he’s Wikipedia. (Inevitably he leaves a lot out in the process - there is only a passing reference to the Bell riots, which were surely pivotal for Avery Brooks.) He comes across as rather clipped and academic here, just when you would presume he should be at his most engaged.
The writing style is a little more anodyne than I was expecting from the usually passionate Sisko, but I think it’s fair to put that down to this being a direct line with his son, with whom he was always gentle. The book gives the character a solid through line and really made me want to rewatch DS9.
3.5
August 27, 2024
I loved DEEP SPACE NINE more than any of the other Treks and was anxious for this one but it doesn't actually provide that much insight into his actions during the series. Instead, it more or less focuses entirely on his history in New Orleans for the first half of the book and then sort of skips past everything from the Dominion War. It's got a lot of really good stuff in there but a lot of it feels contradictory to the character we see on the screen.
For example, Ben Sisko finds out his mother was possessed by a Prophet for most of her marriage with his father and yet he acts like he remotely knew the "real" woman (indeed, had a deep as well as meaningful relationship with her--which is flat out not true since she runs away the moment she's no longer possessed). Ben Sisko is someone that also has a meaningful spiritual background when it's fairly clear he did not before encountering the Prophets. There's also a flat out INSANE line about Kai Winn being the kind of leader that Bajor needed at the end.
"However, in the end when Bajor needed her, when I needed her, Kai Winn became the true spiritual leader of Bajor it always deserved, and for that I am grateful."
Man, what? I believe the author must have misremembered the series because that doesn't describe Kai Winn's fate at all. She died heroically but not in any way that made her a leader. I also feel like we don't see nearly enough of Curzon Dax in the story for a figure that was supposed to be so incredibly meaningful in his life. Still, there's some good stuff here like the fact that Ben was originally an engineer and only moved into the command track reluctantly.
For example, Ben Sisko finds out his mother was possessed by a Prophet for most of her marriage with his father and yet he acts like he remotely knew the "real" woman (indeed, had a deep as well as meaningful relationship with her--which is flat out not true since she runs away the moment she's no longer possessed). Ben Sisko is someone that also has a meaningful spiritual background when it's fairly clear he did not before encountering the Prophets. There's also a flat out INSANE line about Kai Winn being the kind of leader that Bajor needed at the end.
"However, in the end when Bajor needed her, when I needed her, Kai Winn became the true spiritual leader of Bajor it always deserved, and for that I am grateful."
Man, what? I believe the author must have misremembered the series because that doesn't describe Kai Winn's fate at all. She died heroically but not in any way that made her a leader. I also feel like we don't see nearly enough of Curzon Dax in the story for a figure that was supposed to be so incredibly meaningful in his life. Still, there's some good stuff here like the fact that Ben was originally an engineer and only moved into the command track reluctantly.
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