Behr recalled that, while “Deep Space Nine” was still being developed, Sisko was meant to be a younger character, less experienced and more impulsive. His rank of commander was meant to reflect an element of immaturity — a notion that Sisko hadn’t yet fully reached career adulthood, as it were. Had the makers of “DS9” cast a younger actor, perhaps it would have worked, but star Avery Brooks was already around 44 when the show began shooting. The “young hothead” archetype didn’t really fit the actor, nor the maturity level of the series. But, perhaps through mere created stubbornness, Sisko remained constitutionally young. Behr said:
“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. You’re the star of the show and you’re not a captain and you’re a man already in your forties? If he would have been in his early thirties, like they had said he was going to be, it would have been a different matter. Avery didn’t give off that youthful feeling.”
It seems like several showrunners wanted to have their cake and eat it too with Sisko. They wanted someone young, defeated, and impulsive, but they also wanted him to be the father of a teenager and capable enough to command a space station with ongoing problems, as well as oversee the reconstruction of an entire world. Was he a neophyte or a diplomat? Sisko certainly grew over the course of the series, but he started from a more advanced place than some producers initially envisioned.
Source From: www.slashfilm.com
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