DS9 Is TV’s Most Revolutionary Depiction of Black Fatherhood
Despite statistics and studies that contradict this mythology of the “missing black father”, this archetype continues to cast a shadow on the black community. It’s because of this that the representation of the black father in television holds so much weight.
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When Deep Space Nine premiered in 1993, it was walking in the shadow of its immensely successful predecessor, The Next Generation, which was still on the air… the DS9 producers’ decision to cast its leading commander (and later captain) as a black man was not just a historic first within Star Trek, but politically resonant in ways that have only deepened over the years.
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The impact of Deep Space Nine goes beyond the casting of black actors like Brooks and Lofton in these pivotal roles. The series boldly interrogated blackness within the arc of American history through their characterization. Like my maternal family, Sisko was from New Orleans and took pride in his heritage, often cooking Creole recipes from scratch that he learned from his chef father.
When I see three generations of the Sisko family onscreen in episodes like the season-four two-parter “Homefront” and “Paradise Lost,” a tinge of wonder rises in me. How often have we seen a black family given such importance, depth, and cultural weight on a television show such as this?…“
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