Is Benjamin Sisko a prophet?
In the context of the Star Trek universe, Benjamin Sisko is considered to be the Emissary of the Prophets by the Bajoran people. However, it is not accurate to say that Sisko himself is a prophet.
In the mythology of the Bajoran religion, the Prophets are powerful beings who exist outside of linear time and have a deep spiritual connection to the Bajoran people. They communicate with the Bajorans through visions and prophecies, and become revered as deities.
Sisko’s role as the Emissary is to act as a conduit between the Prophets and the Bajoran people. He has a special connection to the Prophets due to his experiences in the wormhole, which they inhabit, and is able to communicate with them in a way that others cannot. However, he does not possess the same level of power or knowledge as the Prophets themselves, and is not considered to be a deity or a prophet in his own right.
In summary, Benjamin Sisko is not a prophet, but rather the Emissary of the Prophets, who serves as a liaison between them and the Bajoran people.
In the Star Trek episode “In the Pale Moonlight”, Captain Ben Sisko faces a series of challenges that he has to make decisions for based on his responsibility to protect the Federation.
I argue that the actions he took were morally right! And necessary! In consideration of Mozi’s utilitarianism as the captain did everything in his power to ensure the safety, success, and overall net benefit of the people in the Federation.
Furthermore, in Mozi’s utilitarianism, one becomes morally required to commit acts that may become considered “wrong”. In the cases that they will promote the greatest good or the greatest net benefit to a society, or in this case, The Federation. This utilitarianism states that when evaluating a situation, one must consider the aggregate positive and negative results.
Therefore, an individual is permitted to do something intuitively wrong in order for themself and those around them to experience the best possible outcome.
To pose a simple case, take for example convincing your friend to come up to your apartment because you need their help putting together a table. In reality, you need them to come up because you planned a surprise birthday party for them. You know that lying is inherently wrong, but you also know that your friend loves surprises and attention. So, although you lied to your friend, you and them both benefit from the result. They benefit from enjoying their surprise party, and you benefit from successfully bringing them to your apartment, and all your friends you invited to the party benefit from both instances.
In the episode, Captain Sisko did a variety of things one may initially consider immoral.
He ordered the forging of the rod to present to the Romulan senator, Vreenak, bribed Quark into not pressing charges against Tolar after he stabbed him and went over Dr. Bashir’s head to acquire huge amounts of bio-mimetic gel. All of these actions were to further the objective of getting the Romulans to join the Federation’s side to protect the greater good of the Federation.
Because Tolar was the only one who had the means to forge the rod, Sisko had to bribe Quark into not pressing charges because there was simply no other choice. In order to make the rod, large amounts of bio-mimetic gel were necessary, so Sisko had to order the doctor to approve the order.
Finally, the forged rod was made in the first place to convince Vreenak that the Dominion was planning on invading Romulus so that they would join forces with the Federation.
As mentioned previously, Mozi’s moral theory grants and encourages intuitively wrong actions in order to contribute to the net positive gain of a society. Sisko did exactly this, and although this did not play out exactly as planned, the Romulans ended up declaring war on the Dominions. All of the actions the Captain took were simply in an effort to seek overall harmony due to the turmoil the Dominion had caused the Federation, and the only way to stop was to change the direction of the war.
One might still say that because Vreenak and Tolar became killed (by Garak) as a result of Sisko’s actions and from his lying. What Sisko did was not only morally wrong, but was also a result of a lack of mutual love. They may argue that the deaths of Vreenak and Tolar did not account to the overall benefit to society because as a result, the Romulans declared war on the Dominion.
Therefore, the chain of Sisko’s actions ended up causing a different war that could result in even more deaths which equals less net benefit.
When evaluating Sisko’s actions, we have to remember that what he did still resulted in net happiness for his society, the Federation, which is what he set out to do in the first place. For example, when he bribed Quark to not press charges against Tolar when he stabbed him, he did so in an effort to further the mission to get the Senator on board. Ultimately, the decision to bomb Vreenek’s ships was not Sisko’s direct doing. More importantly, Captain Sisko was aware that his intentions were not perfect, and perhaps unethical, but knew that he took necessary steps in advancing the mission to reach the ultimate goal of the greater good of the Alpha Quadrant.
Is Benjamin Sisko a prophet?
