When I was a kid, 6 when this first aired, I didn't care for it that much but now that I'm 30, I can appreciate it more and more. It is the best pilot out of all the Trek series
Zulu Romeo I was thinking the same thing. It's a shame the producers thought it was too "cerebral" and dumbed it down a little too match with Bonanza, and Big Country, the highest rated showed at the time.
The funny thing is, Roddenberry got his start writing on "Have Gun - Will Travel", the most "cerebral" of Westerns. It really was a good show. And once in a while, you see the roots of "Star Trek". In the scene at 20:22 in the following episode, tell me whether the guy in black (Paladin, our hero) is more Kirk or Picard. He's a perfect blend of the two: th-cam.com/video/eJ5vVUS3sIc/w-d-xo.htmlm22s
Agreed! This is THE most defining moment in all of Star Trek series put together! That was awesome! Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is the best Trek series of them all! During it's premiere, it was not as appreciated as much back then because it was ahead of it's time, featuring complex characters and moral ambiguity. However, over the years, it has gained popularity with current non-sci-fi shows inspired by the aforementioned traits of DS9 with an edgy tone. DS9 rules! :)
@@DinnerBells So what you're saying is that the Astros were attempting to circumvent their linear existence and become one with the Profits. Definitely not linear. They succeeded. Maybe it was the Costa Mojin.
"The Rules aren't important." I never noticed he said that before! It's the most important line in the whole series ! Because after he says that and realises that, he then proceeds to break *all* of them over the course of the following 7 years on the course of his path from man to hero to godhood.
The Rules? Did somebody mention The Rules? Now listen. Bit of advice. Tell me the Truth if you think you know it. Law down the Law if you're feeling brave enough. But never ever tell me the Rules!
This scene set up these quotes so well. "It is not linear" "No. It's not linear" It was such a touching way to encourage us to move past our tragedies. :(
This scene is brilliant. Someone needs to upload the scene after this, where Sisko moves past his wife's death and convinces the wormhole aliens he's telling the truth at the same time. ("You exist here.") I always cry during that part.
Sisko: "It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching. Not just for answers, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives, day by day. And we explore the galaxy trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge, and that is why I am here. Not to conquer you with weapons, or ideas, but to coexist and learn."
A great character yes. Deep space nine was probably the best trek show yes. But it also destroyed what Star Trek represented. In the pale moonlight was probably the best episode and it turned Star Trek into something different. Once you open Pandora’s box, the world is different. Unfortunately, we ended up losing the actual thread of Star Trek itself
Yep. With you there, mate. He was the most human. The only captain that came from a place of grief, and fashioned something from that grief. The harmony and cooperation he forged from a group of disparate characters exemplified his journey into acceptance of his grief. The most grown up of star trek shows, it think
The two lines that get me the most in this scene are: “Aggressive. Adversarial! Competition. For fun!” And “We are explorers. We explore our lives day by day”
This scene is immediately followed by a truly heartbreaking one in which Sisko is returned to when his wife died in his arms. What makes it even more compelling is how one of the Prophets takes the form of his late wife... and is clearly very concerned for him. It's probably the same Prophet who later turns out to be Sisko's real mother.
This is truly one of the best scenes in all of DS9. I love how the Prophets take the form of people in the visitor's life, the celestial light, and how he is using baseball as analogy for (corporal) life and its linear nature. I love how the Prophets remember this lesson from "The Sikso" and later use it to question Quark about Zek's desire to learn the future ("He wished to know the outcome of the game.").
Sisko's line about exploring may seem ironic considering that DS9 wasn't about exploring, but in a way, it kind of is. It just explores the unknown in a different way. In-universe, the main characters exploration is more personal as we go through the internal struggles and character development. Production-wise, DS9 explored a different kind of unknown: Going outside of Gene's vision and established principles to find something new.
nepomusik In the best of Trek the in-universe exploration of an alien planet/ culture/ being/ phenomenon causes the characters and viewers to reflect on themselves, their own ideas. And that DS9 did pretty well, even though the last few years were a bit too dominion war centric for me. Particularly the evolution of Damar and the Cardassians was a stroke of genius, though.
Unlike the ship-based series, DS9 allowed the aliens to gather in one place and simply live together, as Sisko said. They did however explore the Gamma Quadrant at times which led to some interesting episodes.
There was a Star Trek convention and an online site listed that Avery Brooks would be there. An autographed picture for $99 or an autographed baseballs for $119. It is signed "For DAVID Avery Brooks". I have it in one of those displays for one baseball. Whenever someone laughs at how much I paid, I remind them that they pay more for a star athlete to signa ball, etc. Avery's character loved baseball and that is why it appeals to me. They got the message.
Humans value our ignorance of what is to come because we are naturally inquisitive and want to travel the galaxy and explore. We value the unknown because it teaches us new things and takes us in new directions. As Captain Sisko said in the episode Emissary of Deep Space Nine, "It is the unknown that defines our existence".
No way. Kirk would give a speech about how he's entitled to wage war and genocide against another race like the Klingons, and the Prophets would look at him sadly and forlornly and have to make all his weapons and ship controls burning hot so he doesn't murder millions of innocents while feeling righteous about it. Oh wait, that actually happened. Kirk reminds me so much of Donald Trump it hurts, because I can't watch or enjoy most of TOS anymore because of it.
Emissary might have been Star Trek‘s strongest pilot. I love this moment. Sisko (and actually Piller) really puts into words what human existence is at its best and what so many people seem to have forgotten. „It’s the Unknown that defines our existence. We are explorers. We explore our lives. Day by day. I am not here to conquer you with weapons... or ideas. We are here to coexist and learn.“
I hope the guys at CBS are aware of this scene. It not only condenses the entire Star Trek philosophy to one moment, but also all the achievements of the entire human race.
@@seabearpig Not really... xD They are more interested in holding on to the past and spicing it up with other things from the more recent past, instead of seeking the unknown ... Though, I do have to admit, Roddenberry would be pleased that his rejected pilot "The Cage" is now, over 50 years later, turned into a series.
I don't want to hate on Kurtzman and his team. They are trying, but to me it seams, not only do they not understand what made Star Trek compelling, they also don't really seem to like pre-2009 Star Trek. They do put in a lot of research and know a lot of the in-universe details, but they are missing the subtext and themes. Quite literally unable to see the forest because of all the trees.
@*Hérétic I actually really like the 2009 one. Great new take on classic Star Trek. I appreciate that Kirk actually has an ark. Which was also the only truly good thing on Into Darkness, which otherwise relied too much on empty fan service and didn't seem to understand spacial distances and what the neutral zone is or that the Klingon empire is massive and not just one planet. Beyond was alright but wasted Idris Elba by not having him interact with Kirk more. Pine's Kirk felt like a younger Bill Shatner in that one. JJ Abrams is better at restarting an old property than continuing or finishing it, it would seem.
Also, recently, I've softened to the CBSAA shows. While it's not the best Star Trek has every been imo (though certainly the best it's ever looked!), I still appreciate that a.) they are trying to make it about more than just more Trek and b.) they are trying not to repeat what's been done before. Compare that to where Star Wars is right now.
Star Trek has taught me so much about life over my years of watching it. Literally no other show, or book, or philosopher has shaped me as much as the lessons I’ve learned from watching Star Trek.
This conversation between Sisco and the wormhole aliens is at the very foundation of the entire DS9 series as Sisco shows them his emotion driven humanity and raw vulnerability in a heartfelt and real way. He teaches them about the human linear condition while at the same time they help guide him through the loss of his wife and the grief he feels over her loss. There is a mutual sharing of wisdom and understanding that defines his relationship with the prophets in a very special way. This relationship is referenced repeatedly through 7 seasons of DS9 and ultimately comes full circle at the very end. What I love most about it is the entire series was well planned out from the very beginning with a definitive beginning , middle and end that still allowed the series to explore so many difficult subjects matters where no man has gone.. before. But it was still able to end in the way it was always meant too, with great episodes and leaving we the fans wanting more even 21 years later.
I love how in contrast to the Dominion gods (Founders) who expect nothing but loyalty and don't even give the reward of a good afterlife, the Bajoran gods (Prophets) actually care for their people. I also love how they're forcing Sisko in this scene to teach them what they really already know so that he himself will learn in the process.
Never agreed with this idea solely because of the episode "Prophet Motive" where the Nagus is "de-evolved" by the Prophets who tell Quark that "the Sisko" taught them about linear time. If they "already knew" all that there's no reason for them to lie to Quark about it and say Sisko taught them.
@@toamatau8785 I feel like that was another case of them playing into the mindset of whoever they were talking to. Feigning ignorance (or past ignorance) in order to communicate with their current subject. They'd been worshiped by the Bajorans for millennia; I find it hard to believe that they never had dealings with a mortal before this (especially because it raises the question of how the Bajorans would have known about them so as to worship them). And it seems to me that there would have been some discussion about linear time in that previous encounter as well, and that's assuming that they didn't already know about it through omniscience.
@@Stardweller1 Well we know prior to the pilot the Bajorans didn't even know the wormhole existed so there's really no way anyone could have visited them properly before Sisko. The most direct interaction Bajor had with the Prophets before that was the Orbs, so it seems plausible Sisko really did teach them about linear time.
@@Stardweller1 what makes you think that? I'm rewatching the series right now, up to the middle of season 3 so the early Bajor religious stuff is fresh in my mind. I can't think of anything suggesting they knew about it, just that their gods lived in some amorphous vague Celestial Temple
They'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come, Professor. The one constant through all the years, Professor, has been baseball. The Federation has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Professor. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Professor. People will most definitely come.
I recall watching this scene during the original 1993 airing of the pilot and being shocked that an episode of Star Trek would be where I learned the meaning of life. Here it is 28 years later and I still haven't run across a better definition.
Well said. The funny thing is DS9 was widely criticised for not following Gene Roddenberry's vision but when it comes to episodes like this the show paid more honour to that legacy than any of them. So beautifully done.
This was the moment the Prophets became aware of Bajor. It was what sparked them to create a religion around them, to experience linearity for themselves and teach Bajor to be like them. And it was what created disagreement and ultimately war between them and the Pah Wraiths. This is why the Emissary/The Sisko is important to them. He's the referee of the Game they are playing. Of course, we then get a bootstrap paradox where Sisko wouldn't know where to look without the help of their orbs, hell, wouldn't have been born without their assistance, which implies that what we're looking at is more of a recreation for Sisko's benefit of the first interaction between the Prophets and the Sisko.
When Sisko received his orders and spoke with Picard at the start of the episode, he thought of his assignment as being in the midst of people just as full of suffering as he was, supposed to turn them into good little idealistic Federation citizens. After meeting the Prophets, he realized his assignment was to explore whatever was to come, coexist, and learn.
I've watched Star Trek since it first came on in 1967 and as far as I'm concerned this is the singel most interesting and moving sequence of the whole series.
Me too. If they averaged more like 2 Prophet dilemmas per season instead of just about 1, I don't think the times where they do Something Really Important would be as controversial.
I love when the light bulb goes off in Sisko's head: he was just trying to explain how baseball was not the exercise in hostility the aliens were claiming it was, but then he realized that baseball explains it all.
This is what Star Trek used to be, this pilot is the best pilot in the Star Trek series. Other then were no man has gone before which is the second. Other then the motion picture, this pilot is the best pure science fiction concepts out side of great science fiction like 2001. DS9 is the best Star Trek show, because it used the best of the second best series TNG and the orginal series and expaned the ideas of Trek. This pilot is what some of the star trek movies should have been like. Thougtful and action packed.
The only problem I have with this fantastic scene is being distracted by the lovely "Passage Terminated" being played in the background. One of the nicest pieces of music I ever heard.
@mummra4ever Totally agree. The first ever Star Trek pilot, The Cage, was like this. It wasn't just a corny sci-fi show, it was philosophical. BTW this scene should be merged with the scene where he's remembering his wife's death, and it all comes together. He realizes that the experiences leading up to it did not prepare him to cope, and that consequently, the "game," did not continue. His existence was not linear because he didn't allow himself to move on.
When my twin daughters were 3 or 4, I taught them how to play simple board games. They would get really upset when I won sometimes. I gently and patiently explained to them I could let them win all of the time, but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? The fun of playing games is you never know what's going to happen. I totally stole that from this scene.
Well, like I tell those who think I am silly, as posted before, I remind anyone that they buy things that they just "have" to have that are done by a famous person. They get the message and that's that. I like how Sisko explains why he likes baseball and they just stand there dumbfounded. Classic!
I've been playing with what our specie's "hat" is. (The trait that defines us.) Klingons have honor and a warrior's sprit. Vulcans have their logic and reason. Cardasians have military secrecy and family. We are curious about anything and everything and we are aggressively social. And I think Sisko points it out very well here. We want to explore everything. We want to know the answer to every question but just telling us the answer robs us of the discovery. And I think that's our strength. That's our nitch in the universe.
I think the series Enterprise defined humanity's "hat" as being super-adaptable, from cultural, social and technological perspectives, to any situation and learning quickly from it. If I recall, this resilience and resourcefulness and flexibility frightened even the Vulcans. It certainly frightened Quark when he gave his amazing speech late in DS9 about how humanity can tap into its dark side all too easily.
So everything might be determined, but as far as our human minds, we can't predict the future too well, so it's still at least a surprise to us. Which is seemingly a good thing.
But "perfection" (and "imperfection) and "should" are myths, never existing outside the imagination. You are being... (android head tilt) ...illogical.
@@dirdib69 What is a "perfect" planet? Or an "imperfect" star? How "should" a planet (or a star) be? The only honest answer is that they are illogical trick questions with no answers because "perfection", "imperfection" and "should" ARE narcissist myths, never existing outside the imagination. "Game" over, I "win" because I'm right and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
The scene immediately following this one is of the "Prophets" bringing Sisko back to the moment on the Saratoga where he first realizes his wife has just died. "If all you say is true, you still exist here." Poignant.
This scene was always my fav Sisko trying explaining linear time to a group of beings with no concept of what linear time is and using Baseball to do it. This is Star Trek writing at it's best.
I have an autographed baseball of his. I always had to laugh at how they always made scenes have a fuzzy “dream-like” shade to them when he is with the Prophets. After all, they are inside him in his mind. Sometimes I’ll catch myself saying “You never know” like he does in this clip.
This was an amazing example of an alien first contact handled ideally. In a sense, the game was rigged since Sisko is later revealed to have a direct connection to The Prophets, but he had the explanation of linear time perfectly. It is important to remember that, for the character, this is all improvisation.
But humans of that time might, especially Starfleet. I think that line was an intentional divergence from current humanity, much like Roddenberry's vision was that humanity would be more evolved and selfless in the future. Because humanitarian needs at home are met by this time, exploration has become a driving force for much of humanity, so truly they value their ignorance because it's the only thing that allows for new discovery.
My theory is that they knew about linear time (How couldn't they? Learning is a linear concept), and were trying to get Sisko to recognize how hampered he'd become due to his wife's death. This becomes even more likely with things we find out later on in the series.
They mention that when linear beings travel through the wormhole they are forced into linear time, so that explains why these particular interactions are a linear conversation. In terms of learning, from the perspective of the Prophets in their normal nonlinear state, they may simultaneously perceive the state of knowing and not knowing what they learned from this conversation. As to why they had to have the conversation at all, they know things that take place in what we would perceive as their future, but those events do have to be part of their existence at some point in spacetime for them to have experience of it - they are not omniscient. Normally perhaps they "learn" simply by existing within sensory range of events, and both before and after those events they are aware of them. In this case they can see "the shape" of the sequence of events of their interactions before they take place, but the events are still THERE, a part of time. They can't NOT have the conversation and still know what occurs in it. One thing I really enjoyed about the movie Watchmen is the portrayal of nonlinear time perception. It's very similar to how the Prophets are shown, although Dr. Manhattan does inherently have a more human perspective, of course.
step one-liberty=step2 identity step3 purpose step4 dignity step5 personal fulfillment=step6 freedom step7 GOD step8 JOY step9 courage step10 hope step11 understanding step12 truth step13 love loss this is perpetual every 7years thats why some see years beyond 91 watch your step dont let the first be the last one hand must wash the other-who ever your mate be--tenacity is cultured and nurtured not a compromise
I love ❤️ this scene, it is one of the best of the entire series as it is paid off in incredible ways seasons later when you really think 🤔 about it. “The game” takes on much greater meanings and purpose that last for 7 seasons of this incredible show which has become my favorite, trust me it’s a “Slow burn”. But give it a chance and you will see for yourself why.
My thoughts break a bit over what happens here. The Prophets exist in no time. So from the perspective of us, they exist in all time. So when Sisko visits them here, they learn what he's trying to tell them. And from that point, from our perspective, they've always known it and every action that they took in the past (and the future) is a result of what Sisko has told them. But if he'd never gone there, they'd never have learned from him, and would never have done any of it. The cute thing is that as a result of Sisko telling us this, the Prophets do exactly what he says. They realise there is a world outside the wormhole that they had either forgotten about or had disregarded, and so they resolve to explore it, by peeking out, sending their Orbs like probes to gather data and send messages. After realising that no-one in the material world has any idea what will result from their actions, the Prophets work to try and understand what DOES motivate those choices, and seem to offer the occasional helpful nudge to steer things away from completely dreadful possibilities - which is a little like choosing to ignore the Prime Directive, in a benign way. It's quite possible that the Pah-wraith rebellion was a result of some of the Prophets taking an unhealthy, destructive interest in the material world and wanting to control 'The Game'... before being expelled by those Prophets who wanted to continue mostly-passive observation and interaction of "The Game." And all of that was inspired by what Sisko told them here.
@eminentjonfrost In all seriousness, the "G" is a nod to the great Willie Mays...who played for the New York/San Francisco Giants. He's regularly in the running for the question of "Who was the best of ALL time?"
"We are constantly searching...not just for answers to our questions...-but for new questions-." The Phoenician sea-kings; Magellan; the Pioneer and Voyager Grand Tours. Exploration: the most important thing in all the universe. Would that Star Trek would someday remember themselves.
See, and that's one of those moments that kinda falls flat. The writers try to make this grandiose sociopolitical statement by having a character who's supposed to be fairly apathetic about his race, because it's 400 years in the future and everyone's moved on, make a statement about race relations. They tried to do something with Sisko that was inherently antithetical to Sisko's character.
I don't see what Sisko did that was antithetical to his character in making his statement about 1960's Vegas. I do agree that it was inconsistent with his character to have his baseball be in an era before 42.
Between this episode and that episode was "Far beyond the stars" where Sisko got to live a very difficult life going up against racism in 1950's America. That may have soured his opinion.
A lot of Trek follows the same pattern. The characters live in a society that has largely rejected petty bigotry, as we've known it in reality, so in their own day to day lives they don't have to care about the bigots' way of seeing the world. They can ignore race, gender, etc., because everyone around them does too. But that doesn't mean they can't recognise and object to unfair discrimination and bigotry when they see it in other societies. Arguably, staying aware of the dangers of bigotry is how the Federation avoids becoming bigoted again. Head in the sand isn't a great way to learn anything.
Sisko: "it is the unknown that defines our existence." Picard: *aherm* Not to second-guess you there, Ben... I have it on good authority that it's our mortality that defines u-" Sisko: "OH SHUT IT"
I feel like that baseball player was introduced in an earlier scene, but I don't think he was. Its weird because Prophets take on the appearance of characters already established, except for this guy.
I think they fulfill people the sisko has on his mind. Because he's an avid baseball fan he was thinking of some catcher when describing baseball to them.
By far the cleverest and smartest pilot episode of all the Star Trek series.
When I was a kid, 6 when this first aired, I didn't care for it that much but now that I'm 30, I can appreciate it more and more. It is the best pilot out of all the Trek series
Funnily enough, the only one that comes close is The Cage, the original Star Trek pilot.
Zulu Romeo I was thinking the same thing. It's a shame the producers thought it was too "cerebral" and dumbed it down a little too match with Bonanza, and Big Country, the highest rated showed at the time.
The funny thing is, Roddenberry got his start writing on "Have Gun - Will Travel", the most "cerebral" of Westerns. It really was a good show. And once in a while, you see the roots of "Star Trek". In the scene at 20:22 in the following episode, tell me whether the guy in black (Paladin, our hero) is more Kirk or Picard. He's a perfect blend of the two: th-cam.com/video/eJ5vVUS3sIc/w-d-xo.htmlm22s
Yessssss
This is the most Star Trek moment in all of Star Trek
DS9 was the best trek series
The best by far.
Agreed! This is THE most defining moment in all of Star Trek series put together! That was awesome! Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is the best Trek series of them all! During it's premiere, it was not as appreciated as much back then because it was ahead of it's time, featuring complex characters and moral ambiguity. However, over the years, it has gained popularity with current non-sci-fi shows inspired by the aforementioned traits of DS9 with an edgy tone. DS9 rules! :)
Its...
Fucking up there.
The trial in Measure of a Man from The Next Generation takes that title for me.
"You value your ignorance of what is to come?"
"That may be the most important thing to understand about humans."
Tell that to the astros...
@@DinnerBells So what you're saying is that the Astros were attempting to circumvent their linear existence and become one with the Profits. Definitely not linear. They succeeded. Maybe it was the Costa Mojin.
@@duanscott2490 love it.
@@duanscott2490 alright, what's the joke because I clearly don't get it lol
"The Rules aren't important."
I never noticed he said that before! It's the most important line in the whole series !
Because after he says that and realises that, he then proceeds to break *all* of them over the course of the following 7 years on the course of his path from man to hero to godhood.
Yes he did. I especially liked him poisoning an entire world for 50 years. What fine exploration. :P
He didn't poisoned an entire world. He reelised a toxin wich only arm human beings, not the whole ecosystem.
The Rules? Did somebody mention The Rules? Now listen. Bit of advice. Tell me the Truth if you think you know it. Law down the Law if you're feeling brave enough. But never ever tell me the Rules!
Especially in season 6 when he attempts to break the rules of the Prophets, only to meet the inevitable penalty.
"Launch bio torpedoes, irradiating the planet making it uninhabitable for the next 50 years!"
so yes, he DID poison an entire world.
This scene set up these quotes so well.
"It is not linear"
"No. It's not linear"
It was such a touching way to encourage us to move past our tragedies. :(
This scene is brilliant. Someone needs to upload the scene after this, where Sisko moves past his wife's death and convinces the wormhole aliens he's telling the truth at the same time. ("You exist here.") I always cry during that part.
Agreed! That scene may have been the most raw of the entire franchise.
when I am in pain or turmoil I remember those words and repeat it to myself to remind myself that I have a choice. "You exist here."
th-cam.com/video/nQrHBhBUbZY/w-d-xo.html
But why do you exist HERE?
POWERFUL!
Tears came to my eyes yesterday at that scene.
Sisko: "It is the unknown that defines our existence. We are constantly searching. Not just for answers, but for new questions. We are explorers. We explore our lives, day by day. And we explore the galaxy trying to expand the boundaries of our knowledge, and that is why I am here. Not to conquer you with weapons, or ideas, but to coexist and learn."
Well, he passed Q test with flying colour
It's become one of my favorite quotes, period. It perfectly sums up one of our best qualities.
Captain Sisko was the greatest Star Trek character.
Ever.
A great character yes. Deep space nine was probably the best trek show yes. But it also destroyed what Star Trek represented. In the pale moonlight was probably the best episode and it turned Star Trek into something different. Once you open Pandora’s box, the world is different. Unfortunately, we ended up losing the actual thread of Star Trek itself
He's a good one, but idk. I like Captain Archer a lot from Enterprise. Not to mention Trip.
After finishing a DS9 binge I agree that Sisko is the better captain.
@@dagameplayer He's more believable as a human being. Some of Sisko's best moments are when he loses his temper!
Yep. With you there, mate. He was the most human. The only captain that came from a place of grief, and fashioned something from that grief. The harmony and cooperation he forged from a group of disparate characters exemplified his journey into acceptance of his grief. The most grown up of star trek shows, it think
The two lines that get me the most in this scene are:
“Aggressive. Adversarial!
Competition. For fun!” And
“We are explorers. We explore our lives day by day”
"It is the unknown that defines our exsistance..." Thats just an amazing perspective to consider...
This scene is immediately followed by a truly heartbreaking one in which Sisko is returned to when his wife died in his arms. What makes it even more compelling is how one of the Prophets takes the form of his late wife... and is clearly very concerned for him. It's probably the same Prophet who later turns out to be Sisko's real mother.
This is truly one of the best scenes in all of DS9. I love how the Prophets take the form of people in the visitor's life, the celestial light, and how he is using baseball as analogy for (corporal) life and its linear nature. I love how the Prophets remember this lesson from "The Sikso" and later use it to question Quark about Zek's desire to learn the future ("He wished to know the outcome of the game.").
And they do it later in Call to Arms when they accuse Sisko of trying to control the game (basically, cheating).
the FREEMAN
We are constantly searching not just for answers to our questions but for new questions! Love that
I love this speech by sisko. It's scenes like this that really define what star trek is. Star trek needs more scenes like this.
What hits the nail on that is when he said “we are explorers. We explore our lives day by day”
Sisko's line about exploring may seem ironic considering that DS9 wasn't about exploring, but in a way, it kind of is. It just explores the unknown in a different way.
In-universe, the main characters exploration is more personal as we go through the internal struggles and character development. Production-wise, DS9 explored a different kind of unknown: Going outside of Gene's vision and established principles to find something new.
+nepomusik I think he meant humans and the federation want to explore.
nepomusik
In the best of Trek the in-universe exploration of an alien planet/ culture/ being/ phenomenon causes the characters and viewers to reflect on themselves, their own ideas. And that DS9 did pretty well, even though the last few years were a bit too dominion war centric for me. Particularly the evolution of Damar and the Cardassians was a stroke of genius, though.
Unlike the ship-based series, DS9 allowed the aliens to gather in one place and simply live together, as Sisko said. They did however explore the Gamma Quadrant at times which led to some interesting episodes.
It felt more like being explored.
"That is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping stars and studying nebulae, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence."
There was a Star Trek convention and an online site listed that Avery Brooks would be there. An autographed picture for $99 or an autographed baseballs for $119. It is signed "For DAVID Avery Brooks". I have it in one of those displays for one baseball. Whenever someone laughs at how much I paid, I remind them that they pay more for a star athlete to signa ball, etc. Avery's character loved baseball and that is why it appeals to me. They got the message.
Humans value our ignorance of what is to come because we are naturally inquisitive and want to travel the galaxy and explore. We value the unknown because it teaches us new things and takes us in new directions. As Captain Sisko said in the episode Emissary of Deep Space Nine, "It is the unknown that defines our existence".
A speech worthy of Jim Kirk.
So true!
He ain't no Jim kirk.
@@tonywebster8582 Yeah, luckily, he's better than Kirk.
@@ChrisSham Better than Kirk? Captain Pike from the first star trek film with Chris pine, is really good.
No way. Kirk would give a speech about how he's entitled to wage war and genocide against another race like the Klingons, and the Prophets would look at him sadly and forlornly and have to make all his weapons and ship controls burning hot so he doesn't murder millions of innocents while feeling righteous about it.
Oh wait, that actually happened. Kirk reminds me so much of Donald Trump it hurts, because I can't watch or enjoy most of TOS anymore because of it.
Emissary might have been Star Trek‘s strongest pilot. I love this moment. Sisko (and actually Piller) really puts into words what human existence is at its best and what so many people seem to have forgotten.
„It’s the Unknown that defines our existence. We are explorers. We explore our lives. Day by day. I am not here to conquer you with weapons... or ideas. We are here to coexist and learn.“
I hope the guys at CBS are aware of this scene. It not only condenses the entire Star Trek philosophy to one moment, but also all the achievements of the entire human race.
3 years later... Guess they weren't aware.
@@seabearpig Not really... xD They are more interested in holding on to the past and spicing it up with other things from the more recent past, instead of seeking the unknown ... Though, I do have to admit, Roddenberry would be pleased that his rejected pilot "The Cage" is now, over 50 years later, turned into a series.
I don't want to hate on Kurtzman and his team. They are trying, but to me it seams, not only do they not understand what made Star Trek compelling, they also don't really seem to like pre-2009 Star Trek. They do put in a lot of research and know a lot of the in-universe details, but they are missing the subtext and themes. Quite literally unable to see the forest because of all the trees.
@*Hérétic I actually really like the 2009 one. Great new take on classic Star Trek. I appreciate that Kirk actually has an ark. Which was also the only truly good thing on Into Darkness, which otherwise relied too much on empty fan service and didn't seem to understand spacial distances and what the neutral zone is or that the Klingon empire is massive and not just one planet. Beyond was alright but wasted Idris Elba by not having him interact with Kirk more. Pine's Kirk felt like a younger Bill Shatner in that one.
JJ Abrams is better at restarting an old property than continuing or finishing it, it would seem.
Also, recently, I've softened to the CBSAA shows. While it's not the best Star Trek has every been imo (though certainly the best it's ever looked!), I still appreciate that a.) they are trying to make it about more than just more Trek and b.) they are trying not to repeat what's been done before. Compare that to where Star Wars is right now.
It is said a human is basically the sum of their experiences.
Star Trek has taught me so much about life over my years of watching it. Literally no other show, or book, or philosopher has shaped me as much as the lessons I’ve learned from watching Star Trek.
Read colossians 1,2
This conversation between Sisco and the wormhole aliens is at the very foundation of the entire DS9 series as Sisco shows them his emotion driven humanity and raw vulnerability in a heartfelt and real way.
He teaches them about the human linear condition while at the same time they help guide him through the loss of his wife and the grief he feels over her loss.
There is a mutual sharing of wisdom and understanding that defines his relationship with the prophets in a very special way. This relationship is referenced repeatedly through 7 seasons of DS9 and ultimately comes full circle at the very end.
What I love most about it is the entire series was well planned out from the very beginning with a definitive beginning , middle and end that still allowed the series to explore so many difficult subjects matters where no man has gone.. before.
But it was still able to end in the way it was always meant too, with great episodes and leaving we the fans wanting more even 21 years later.
Brings a tear to my eye, every time.
I love how in contrast to the Dominion gods (Founders) who expect nothing but loyalty and don't even give the reward of a good afterlife, the Bajoran gods (Prophets) actually care for their people.
I also love how they're forcing Sisko in this scene to teach them what they really already know so that he himself will learn in the process.
Never agreed with this idea solely because of the episode "Prophet Motive" where the Nagus is "de-evolved" by the Prophets who tell Quark that "the Sisko" taught them about linear time. If they "already knew" all that there's no reason for them to lie to Quark about it and say Sisko taught them.
@@toamatau8785 I feel like that was another case of them playing into the mindset of whoever they were talking to. Feigning ignorance (or past ignorance) in order to communicate with their current subject. They'd been worshiped by the Bajorans for millennia; I find it hard to believe that they never had dealings with a mortal before this (especially because it raises the question of how the Bajorans would have known about them so as to worship them). And it seems to me that there would have been some discussion about linear time in that previous encounter as well, and that's assuming that they didn't already know about it through omniscience.
@@Stardweller1 Well we know prior to the pilot the Bajorans didn't even know the wormhole existed so there's really no way anyone could have visited them properly before Sisko. The most direct interaction Bajor had with the Prophets before that was the Orbs, so it seems plausible Sisko really did teach them about linear time.
@@toamatau8785 Honestly, I'm not even convinced they didn't know about the wormhole.
@@Stardweller1 what makes you think that? I'm rewatching the series right now, up to the middle of season 3 so the early Bajor religious stuff is fresh in my mind. I can't think of anything suggesting they knew about it, just that their gods lived in some amorphous vague Celestial Temple
I had no idea baseball was so...spiritual.
They'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces.
People will come, Professor. The one constant through all the years, Professor, has been baseball. The Federation has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Professor. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Professor. People will most definitely come.
@@jerodast if you build it, they will come.
I re-watched emissary the other day for the first time in years. It really is one of the best pilot
Sisko is one of my most favorite Star Trek characters.
RLM's usage of this to demonstrate how amazing classic Star Trek is was phenomenal
I recall watching this scene during the original 1993 airing of the pilot and being shocked that an episode of Star Trek would be where I learned the meaning of life. Here it is 28 years later and I still haven't run across a better definition.
Well said. The funny thing is DS9 was widely criticised for not following Gene Roddenberry's vision but when it comes to episodes like this the show paid more honour to that legacy than any of them. So beautifully done.
I keep coming back to this clip over and over again as perfectly captures the very nature of what Star Trek is all about and why I love it so.
What a fantastic speech to start the series off with. It feels incredibly Star Trek.
This was the moment the Prophets became aware of Bajor. It was what sparked them to create a religion around them, to experience linearity for themselves and teach Bajor to be like them. And it was what created disagreement and ultimately war between them and the Pah Wraiths. This is why the Emissary/The Sisko is important to them. He's the referee of the Game they are playing.
Of course, we then get a bootstrap paradox where Sisko wouldn't know where to look without the help of their orbs, hell, wouldn't have been born without their assistance, which implies that what we're looking at is more of a recreation for Sisko's benefit of the first interaction between the Prophets and the Sisko.
Anyone who says Star Trek DS9 doesn't follow Roddenberry's vision... clearly didn't watch this episode.
A lot of those people think Star Trek is little more than spaceships and sexy alien babes.
An amazing diplomatic effort that even Mr. Picard would approve. This episode is just too good.
When Sisko received his orders and spoke with Picard at the start of the episode, he thought of his assignment as being in the midst of people just as full of suffering as he was, supposed to turn them into good little idealistic Federation citizens. After meeting the Prophets, he realized his assignment was to explore whatever was to come, coexist, and learn.
I've watched Star Trek since it first came on in 1967 and as far as I'm concerned this is the singel most interesting and moving sequence of the whole series.
From 1:32 onwards....THIS is Star Trek.
"That is why I am here, not to conquer you, with weapons or ideas, but to co-exist. And to learn." And people say that DS9 wasn't "true" Star Trek.
I wish they did more with these beings.
Me too. If they averaged more like 2 Prophet dilemmas per season instead of just about 1, I don't think the times where they do Something Really Important would be as controversial.
I love when the light bulb goes off in Sisko's head: he was just trying to explain how baseball was not the exercise in hostility the aliens were claiming it was, but then he realized that baseball explains it all.
“Aggressive! Adversarial!”
“Competition! For fun!”
Best way to sum it up
@@K-11609 Haha, I love how he says that line. Like "oh come on, how can anyone not enjoy a baseball game!"
this 2 mins scene blows everything star trek has done in the last 10 years...
This is what Star Trek used to be, this pilot is the best pilot in the Star Trek series. Other then were no man has gone before which is the second. Other then the motion picture, this pilot is the best pure science fiction concepts out side of great science fiction like 2001. DS9 is the best Star Trek show, because it used the best of the second best series TNG and the orginal series and expaned the ideas of Trek. This pilot is what some of the star trek movies should have been like. Thougtful and action packed.
"to coexist and to learn" always makes me well up
Well done, having Sisko wear a Washington Grays hat. I have seen this episode several times but didnt notice it until now.
This clip makes me happy.
This has me blown away!! I'm so glad you posted this because I was seconds away from recording it to share!! 😍🤩
I watch this show on TV two days ago and that day was January 3, 1993. And it the reruns on January 3, 2020.
The only problem I have with this fantastic scene is being distracted by the lovely "Passage Terminated" being played in the background. One of the nicest pieces of music I ever heard.
@mummra4ever Totally agree. The first ever Star Trek pilot, The Cage, was like this. It wasn't just a corny sci-fi show, it was philosophical. BTW this scene should be merged with the scene where he's remembering his wife's death, and it all comes together. He realizes that the experiences leading up to it did not prepare him to cope, and that consequently, the "game," did not continue. His existence was not linear because he didn't allow himself to move on.
Thank you for explaining Sisko, now I know how I should scout... you're a god.
Those lucky background extras being able to be a part of this scene.
Now this IS Star Trek! It needs to come back, I miss it so much...
Woah~ That is a powerful principle to live by and reason to travel the galaxy.
My favorite Star Trek moment and one of my favorite Sisko moments.
When my twin daughters were 3 or 4, I taught them how to play simple board games. They would get really upset when I won sometimes. I gently and patiently explained to them I could let them win all of the time, but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? The fun of playing games is you never know what's going to happen. I totally stole that from this scene.
This my favorite star trek speech
Well, like I tell those who think I am silly, as posted before, I remind anyone that they buy things that they just "have" to have that are done by a famous person. They get the message and that's that.
I like how Sisko explains why he likes baseball and they just stand there dumbfounded. Classic!
I've been playing with what our specie's "hat" is. (The trait that defines us.) Klingons have honor and a warrior's sprit. Vulcans have their logic and reason. Cardasians have military secrecy and family. We are curious about anything and everything and we are aggressively social.
And I think Sisko points it out very well here. We want to explore everything. We want to know the answer to every question but just telling us the answer robs us of the discovery. And I think that's our strength. That's our nitch in the universe.
Vulcan logic goes out the window, when a female nymphomaniac turns up.
I think the series Enterprise defined humanity's "hat" as being super-adaptable, from cultural, social and technological perspectives, to any situation and learning quickly from it. If I recall, this resilience and resourcefulness and flexibility frightened even the Vulcans. It certainly frightened Quark when he gave his amazing speech late in DS9 about how humanity can tap into its dark side all too easily.
@@ZuluRomeo agreed
That's our nich on our own planet so it makes sense that that's ours out there too
Wish the writers of Discovery would watch this
So everything might be determined, but as far as our human minds, we can't predict the future too well, so it's still at least a surprise to us. Which is seemingly a good thing.
Incredible writing and acting 👍
It's a perfect example of how a First Contact should be handled, and this one is about as complicated as it gets.
But "perfection" (and "imperfection) and "should" are myths, never existing outside the imagination. You are being... (android head tilt) ...illogical.
@@Mansplainer2099-jy8ps Nope, but thanks for playing.
@@dirdib69 What is a "perfect" planet? Or an "imperfect" star? How "should" a planet (or a star) be?
The only honest answer is that they are illogical trick questions with no answers because "perfection", "imperfection" and "should" ARE narcissist myths, never existing outside the imagination.
"Game" over, I "win" because I'm right and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
Beautiful scene
The scene immediately following this one is of the "Prophets" bringing Sisko back to the moment on the Saratoga where he first realizes his wife has just died. "If all you say is true, you still exist here." Poignant.
This is truly what first contact is like in Star Trek.
This scene was always my fav Sisko trying explaining linear time to a group of beings with no concept of what linear time is and using Baseball to do it. This is Star Trek writing at it's best.
Baseball and a Starfleet Uniform. I am but one more step fprth in my journey towards Nirvana.
This explanation is a microcosm of all of DS9.
I have an autographed baseball of his. I always had to laugh at how they always made scenes have a fuzzy “dream-like” shade to them when he is with the Prophets. After all, they are inside him in his mind.
Sometimes I’ll catch myself saying “You never know” like he does in this clip.
Well, it’s about that time to watch Ds9 again.
This was an amazing example of an alien first contact handled ideally. In a sense, the game was rigged since Sisko is later revealed to have a direct connection to The Prophets, but he had the explanation of linear time perfectly. It is important to remember that, for the character, this is all improvisation.
Indeed! Just because it was always true that he would one day give this explanation, does not mean that he didn't have to give it :)
anyone tell CBS this is what Star Trek is about?
So. Good.
@eminentjonfrost It's available on Netflix! They are going to start streaming the episodes in July.
I have an autographed baseball signed by Sisko.
Did bakula sign too?
Does it say F U?
The best moment of Star Trek
We don't "value" our ignorance of the future, but we do try to focus on the positives of this inadvertent state.
But humans of that time might, especially Starfleet. I think that line was an intentional divergence from current humanity, much like Roddenberry's vision was that humanity would be more evolved and selfless in the future. Because humanitarian needs at home are met by this time, exploration has become a driving force for much of humanity, so truly they value their ignorance because it's the only thing that allows for new discovery.
My theory is that they knew about linear time (How couldn't they? Learning is a linear concept), and were trying to get Sisko to recognize how hampered he'd become due to his wife's death. This becomes even more likely with things we find out later on in the series.
They mention that when linear beings travel through the wormhole they are forced into linear time, so that explains why these particular interactions are a linear conversation.
In terms of learning, from the perspective of the Prophets in their normal nonlinear state, they may simultaneously perceive the state of knowing and not knowing what they learned from this conversation. As to why they had to have the conversation at all, they know things that take place in what we would perceive as their future, but those events do have to be part of their existence at some point in spacetime for them to have experience of it - they are not omniscient. Normally perhaps they "learn" simply by existing within sensory range of events, and both before and after those events they are aware of them. In this case they can see "the shape" of the sequence of events of their interactions before they take place, but the events are still THERE, a part of time. They can't NOT have the conversation and still know what occurs in it.
One thing I really enjoyed about the movie Watchmen is the portrayal of nonlinear time perception. It's very similar to how the Prophets are shown, although Dr. Manhattan does inherently have a more human perspective, of course.
"Baseball is dull only to dull minds."--Red Barber
step one-liberty=step2 identity step3 purpose step4 dignity step5 personal fulfillment=step6 freedom step7 GOD step8 JOY step9 courage step10 hope step11 understanding step12 truth step13 love loss this is perpetual every 7years thats why some see years beyond 91 watch your step dont let the first be the last one hand must wash the other-who ever your mate be--tenacity is cultured and nurtured not a compromise
Such a good hint
I love ❤️ this scene, it is one of the best of the entire series as it is paid off in incredible ways seasons later when you really think 🤔 about it. “The game” takes on much greater meanings and purpose that last for 7 seasons of this incredible show which has become my favorite, trust me it’s a “Slow burn”. But give it a chance and you will see for yourself why.
People, as can clearly be seen, this man is a G.
Deadass
The greatest knowledge of all is to know nothing.
My thoughts break a bit over what happens here.
The Prophets exist in no time. So from the perspective of us, they exist in all time. So when Sisko visits them here, they learn what he's trying to tell them. And from that point, from our perspective, they've always known it and every action that they took in the past (and the future) is a result of what Sisko has told them. But if he'd never gone there, they'd never have learned from him, and would never have done any of it.
The cute thing is that as a result of Sisko telling us this, the Prophets do exactly what he says. They realise there is a world outside the wormhole that they had either forgotten about or had disregarded, and so they resolve to explore it, by peeking out, sending their Orbs like probes to gather data and send messages. After realising that no-one in the material world has any idea what will result from their actions, the Prophets work to try and understand what DOES motivate those choices, and seem to offer the occasional helpful nudge to steer things away from completely dreadful possibilities - which is a little like choosing to ignore the Prime Directive, in a benign way.
It's quite possible that the Pah-wraith rebellion was a result of some of the Prophets taking an unhealthy, destructive interest in the material world and wanting to control 'The Game'... before being expelled by those Prophets who wanted to continue mostly-passive observation and interaction of "The Game." And all of that was inspired by what Sisko told them here.
I wish the rest of season one was as Sisko focused as the pilot was
@eminentjonfrost In all seriousness, the "G" is a nod to the great Willie Mays...who played for the New York/San Francisco Giants. He's regularly in the running for the question of "Who was the best of ALL time?"
"We are constantly searching...not just for answers to our questions...-but for new questions-." The Phoenician sea-kings; Magellan; the Pioneer and Voyager Grand Tours. Exploration: the most important thing in all the universe. Would that Star Trek would someday remember themselves.
Admiral bakula wants to know how to get rid of the fat people?
It's kind of curious that Sisko would play baseball in a 1920's-ish setting given his opinion of a holosuite program of 1960's Vegas.
See, and that's one of those moments that kinda falls flat. The writers try to make this grandiose sociopolitical statement by having a character who's supposed to be fairly apathetic about his race, because it's 400 years in the future and everyone's moved on, make a statement about race relations. They tried to do something with Sisko that was inherently antithetical to Sisko's character.
I don't see what Sisko did that was antithetical to his character in making his statement about 1960's Vegas. I do agree that it was inconsistent with his character to have his baseball be in an era before 42.
Between this episode and that episode was "Far beyond the stars" where Sisko got to live a very difficult life going up against racism in 1950's America. That may have soured his opinion.
A lot of Trek follows the same pattern. The characters live in a society that has largely rejected petty bigotry, as we've known it in reality, so in their own day to day lives they don't have to care about the bigots' way of seeing the world. They can ignore race, gender, etc., because everyone around them does too. But that doesn't mean they can't recognise and object to unfair discrimination and bigotry when they see it in other societies. Arguably, staying aware of the dangers of bigotry is how the Federation avoids becoming bigoted again. Head in the sand isn't a great way to learn anything.
Baseball is only as boring as the person who thinks so -- boring is in the mind of the beholder.
Sisko: "it is the unknown that defines our existence."
Picard: *aherm* Not to second-guess you there, Ben... I have it on good authority that it's our mortality that defines u-"
Sisko: "OH SHUT IT"
Technically, the two do overlap...
Sisko sure love baseball.
Is Sisko's speech the essence of what it means to be human?
Wow, that show was deep. So sorry I never watched it now. =(
eminentjonfrost
Netflix has all seasons to every Star Trek franchise except the shitty one Discovery.
linearity is the curse of fallen man. The wise individual should seek to become omniscient & reject the unknown of linear existance. Shalom,
Time is...
He should have played George Carlin’s routine explaining the difference between baseball and football.
I can't believe people are actually arguing in favour of Zerg's inability to scout.
Is it just me or is Sisko wearing the old Washington Grays hat?
He is indeed.
And THAT explains my query above! Thanks!
I feel like that baseball player was introduced in an earlier scene, but I don't think he was. Its weird because Prophets take on the appearance of characters already established, except for this guy.
I think they fulfill people the sisko has on his mind. Because he's an avid baseball fan he was thinking of some catcher when describing baseball to them.