Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the perfect Father Day show for Trek fans.
Few shows in the Star Trek canon, or in any genre, can lay a claim to being the best representation of fathers ever as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine can. Deep Space Nine is a show made for fathers and the bonds with their children. The entire original premise was about how Commander Benjamin Sisko was going to raise his son on a space station while dealing with a planet that is just beginning its reconstruction after a war with Cardassia.
Sisko’s entire first arc, outside of dealing with the Bajorans, was his interactions as a father and as a widower. It was a bond that was so powerful that there were several episodes that focused especially on those two alone. Heck, there was an entire episode where Benjamin was phasing in and out of time, returning every so often but only ever to where Jake was. That was how well-defined his bond with his son was.
It wasn’t just his son, however, as Benjamin’s own father, Joseph Sisko, was equally as important to who Ben was in the larger sense. His episodes, especially the ones that centered around Louisana and Joe’s restaurants were some of the best the series had. You really got the sense that being a good father was just something the Siskos were made for.
One could even make an argument for Sisko’s arch-nemesis, Gul Dukat, to be included in this discussion. Dukat was a disgusting person but the one redeeming quality was his love for his children, most notably the half-Bajoran, half-Cardassian Ziyal. Now, Dukat was far from perfect with his daughter, but when she was ultimately murdered by one of Dukat’s own, he lost his mind due to the grief.
The hero and villain weren’t the only great fathers on Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine wasn’t just defined by Sisko and Dukat, but by a slew of other good fathers as well. While his role was less defined than others, Worf had a big arch with his son Alexander. The relationship was a different one from others on the show, as Alexander and Worf had issues throughout their arc, which ultimately led to a reconciliation between the two.
Of course, no “Dad’s of DS9” can be made without Miles O’Brien. O’Brien was less involved as a father in a storyline sense, due to his children being itty-bitty during the events of the show, but his duty as a father influenced his character.
Heck, even Kiera got in on the familiar aspect. While her relationship with her father was good, until his death, she ended up bonding with a Cardassian named Tekeny Ghemor who valued her as if she was his own. Showing that despite the crimes of the Cardassians, there was good among them.
Lastly, we can’t conclude this conversation without Rom. Rom was the father of Nog, the first Ferengi to join Starfleet. While So much of this list is of fathers being their for their children and inspiring them, it was Nog who inspired his father. After Nog joined Starfleet, Rom followed his son’s lead and became an engineer, putting his skills to good use. The bond that Nog and Rom had was one of the more wholesome on the show and really did a good job of highlighting different ways a good father can be depicted.