Actor Avery Brooks is best known for his portrayal of Captain Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The casting was revolutionary at the time because a Black actor had never led a mainstream TV series like Star Trek and the move was appreciated at the time. However, it was not as progressive behind the scenes as it made itself out to be.
Much like William Shatner, Brooks was an experienced actor before being selected to lead Deep Space Nine. Hence, his look was drastically different in the pilot of the spinoff series than what fans came to know him for. The reason behind the look change was apparently borderline racist but with Brooks’ insistence, it dodged that bullet.
Avery Brooks’ look as Benjamin Sisko was different in the pilot for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Avery Brooks may live forever as Captain Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but in the late ‘80s, he was known for his role as Hawk, the enforcer in Spender: For Hire, and the spinoff series A Man Called Hawk. The actor was synonymous with the role for years before he joined Deep Space Nine, which was the issue with the producers.
According to the documentary What We Left Behind…, the producers had initially decided to go with a Commander as the central character. Once they selected Avery Brooks to lead, his mannerisms and demeanor were very much Captain-like. However, the producers also wanted to change his look to distinguish him from Hawk.
Hence, in the initial episodes, Avery Brooks is clean-shaven and has a full head of hair. Executive producer Kerry McCluggage reportedly said (via CBR),
I do think going in, particularly given that he was coming off of [A Man Called Hawk] and we were also in the 24th Century that we thought it would be a mistake to go, for lack of a better term, ‘street.’
However, Brooks was reportedly uncomfortable with the look and by the end of the season, he had grown a goatee. He also kept a shaved head look from season 2 and that became his iconic look for the show.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s showrunner felt making Sisko a commander at the beginning was a mistake
Apart from having a Black actor as a lead, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did many things differently for the time, including deciding to make the lead, Benjamin Sisko a commander in the initial seasons, and slowly make him go up the ranks. While the concept was interesting, casting Avery Brooks, who was 44 at the time, did not really make sense for that arc.
Showrunner Ira Steven Behr reportedly felt the same after casting Brooks as the ‘young, hothead’ archetype did not really suit him. He said in the book The Fifty-Year Mission,
Making Sisko a commander is one of the tragic mistakes of DS9. I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but what a mistake. To the fans, the hero of Star Trek is the captain, and if you’re not a captain, there’s got to be something wrong with you.
Behr also mentioned that Brooks did not give that ‘youthful’ feeling with her demeanor and performance. Sisko was eventually made Captain and balance was restored in the franchise.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is available to stream on Paramount+.
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