Summary
- Avery Brooks' acting style on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was unconventional and unique, characterized by a jazzy delivery of lines.
- Brooks had an unconventional approach to the English language, thinking in jazz patterns and having a unique stream of consciousness.
- His authentic vocal delivery, influenced by jazz, made every moment feel real and happening for him.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actors Terry Farrell and Armin Shimerman explain Avery Brooks' "unique" acting style to Star Trek: Voyager cast members Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang. Brooks portrayed Captain Benjamin Sisko, the first Black Star Trek series lead character. Among Brooks' other firsts as Sisko was that Benjamin was also the first Star Trek Captain to be a widower and a single father raising his young son, Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton). Avery's commanding presence and singular acting style were distinctive, even among his fellow Star Trek Captains.
On the premiere episode of The Delta Flyers: Journey Through The Wormhole podcast, which is reviewing every episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, hosts Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan McNeill remarked upon the specific way Avery Brooks delivers his lines as Commander Sisko in DS9's series premiere, "Emissary." This prompted Armin Shimerman, who played Quark on DS9, and Terry Farrell, who was Lt. Jadzia Dax, to lend their insight into Avery Brooks' jazzy acting style, having worked with him on Deep Space Nine. Read their quotes and listen to The Delta Flyers podcast below:
Garrett Wong: His line delivery is so different… Unconventional.
Armin Shimerman: Welcome to your introduction to Avery Brooks.
Robert Duncan McNeill: It felt like jazz. Avery’s unconventional approach to…
Armin Shimerman: [The] English language.
Terry Farrell: Yes.
Armin Shimerman: He has an unconventional approach to the English language. You’re absolutely right. He’s a jazz musician and he thinks in jazz patterns. His stream of consciousness is the most unique one I’ve ever encountered.
Terry Farrell: There is just such an authenticity to how he is gutted, and that is how it comes out vocally. It’s not anything he would have planned. It’s just so – and we’re talking about the jazz – Every moment is so authentically real and happening for him.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had the biggest cast of characters of any Trek show, meaning that Captain Sisko had numerous allies in the Dominion War.
What Happened To Captain Sisko After DS9 & Will He Return To Star Trek?
Sisko promised he would be back.
Captain Sisko's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes are among the finest of the legendary series, and tales like "The Visitor," "Far Beyond the Stars," and "In The Pale Moonlight" are some of the most unforgettable Star Trek stories ever made. DS9 ended in season 7 with Captain Sisko accepting his destiny as Emissary of the Prophets by saving Bajor, but at the cost of giving up his human life as a Starfleet Officer and becoming one with Bajor's gods. Sisko left behind his son, Jake, his new wife, Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), and their unborn child... but Benjamin promised he would return someday.
Deep Space Nine's legions of fans hope Avery Brooks will return to Star Trek one day, but Mr. Brooks has largely retired from acting and has seemingly left his Star Trek life behind. However, DS9's popularity endures, and the series has been rediscovered in the streaming era. DS9's serialized, character-driven stories now seem prophetic, and the show is as relevant today as it was in the 1990s. There is a groundswell of fan support for some sort of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reunion project on Paramount+, but if that were to happen, its success may be tantamount to Avery Brooks bringing back his unique acting style as Captain Sisko.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is available to stream on Paramount+.
Source: The Delta Flyers
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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Release Date:
- 1993-01-03
- Cast:
- Avery Brooks, Rene Auberjonois, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, Nicole de Boer
- Genres:
- Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
- Rating:
- TV-PG
- Seasons:
- 7
- Story By:
- Gene Roddenberry
- Writers:
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller
- Network:
- CBS
- Streaming Service(s):
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s):
- Star Trek
- Showrunner:
- Michael Piller, Ira Steven Behr
- Season List:
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 1, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 2, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 3, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 4, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 6, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 7
