Star Trek: The Unresolved Tension Between Picard and Sisko

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) first-ever Captain crossover was with then-Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's series premiere, and the animosity between them was never resolved. Sisko held the rank of Commander of space station Deep Space Nine until the end of season 3, when Benjamin received his long-deserved promotion to Captain.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3's finale, "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1," Captain Picard was assimilated by the Borg. Picard was turned into Locutus, the Borg's spokesman. The Borg's superior technology and firepower, coupled with Picard's knowledge of Starfleet's defenses, turned the Battle of Wolf 359 into a slaughter, resulting in 39 Federation starships and eleven thousand lives lost.

One of the survivors of the Battle of Wolf 359 was Lt. Commander Benjamin Sisko of the USS Saratoga. Ben saved his young son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton), but lost his wife, Jennifer (Felecia M. Bell). Three years later, Sisko took command of Deep Space Nine and had to meet with Captain Picard face-to-face in their first and only encounter.

Star Trek Never Resolved Sisko’s Hatred Of Captain Picard

Commander Sisko's didn't hide his animosity towards Captain Picard in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's series premiere, "Emissary." When Picard formally assigned Sisko his mission to bring the planet Bajor into the United Federation of Planets, Benjamin soon made it clear that he and Jean-Luc "met before" at the Battle of Wolf 359. Picard understood what that meant.

Star Trek didn't create an occasion for Captain Picard to meet Captain Sisko again, and their issues were never resolved. By the time Captain Sisko was at the forefront of the Federation's ultimate triumph in the Dominion War, Captain Picard was commanding the USS Enterprise-E in Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.

However, Captain Sisko moved past mourning his wife, eventually marrying Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), raising Jake into a young adult, and accepting his ultimate destiny as the Emissary of the Prophets of Bajor. The only time Sisko mentioned Jean-Luc was when he punched Q (John de Lancie) and yelled, "I'm not Picard!" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1.

When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's series premiere happened in 1993, a crossover between Star Trek Captains was a new idea. Since Sisko was technically still a Commander, the first true meeting of legendary Captains was Picard meeting Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek Generations.

Picard Met Another Captain Who Hated Him Like Sisko

At the dawn of the 25th century in Star Trek: Picard season 3, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard learned that the sins the Borg forced upon him as Locutus caused irreversible damage to another Captain besides Sisko. Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), one of the survivors of the USS Constance, ripped into Picard for his role in the atrocities of Wolf 359.

Decades later, Captain Liam Shaw suffered from PTSD and survivor's guilt, which flared up when Locutus himself, Admiral Picard, came aboard and tried to hijack his starship, the USS Titan-A. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 4's riveting monologue, Shaw laid bare the depth of his pain to the Admiral's face and held Picard solely responsible.

Commander Sisko was relatively composed when he was forced to meet Picard in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's premiere. Benjamin's anger was boiling beneath the surface, but he held it at bay. Sisko might have envied how Captain Shaw had no filter and told Picard exactly how he felt about Jean-Luc's brief but destructive tenure as Locutus of Borg.

Captain Shaw died before the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3, and Captain Sisko became one with the Prophets at the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Captain Kirk also died soon after meeting Picard in Star Trek Generations, but James had no knowledge whatsoever of the damage Picard was forced to inflict on Starfleet at the Battle of Wolf 359.