Star Trek has given audiences a plethora of fantastic quotes over the years, from catchphrases such as “Engage” from the world-renowned Captain Picard to the wise words of the vulcan Spock: “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end”. One such quote, often overlooked by the fancier phrases spouted out over the last 50+ years, was from the wonderful enigmatic and sometimes overly dramatic Captain Benjamin Sisko, who said “Well, it’s easy to be a saint in paradise.” This quote struck a chord with many fans, as it beautifully summed up what Deep Space 9 was all about.
When comparing the many entries into the Star Trek franchise, DS9 stands out a bit, at least from the classic shows. Rather than being set aboard a shiny new spaceship at the forefront of Starfleet as shown in Voyager, The Next Generation, and the Original Series, Sisko commanded a run-down space station at the edge of the quadrant. If paradise was the Enterprise, then the ex-labor camp of Deep Space 9 was the opposite. Not only this, but with the presence of the Gamma Quadrant wormhole (with a lot of humanoid lifeforms) it was also a highly tactical position, sought after and desired by many, so Sisko was constantly fighting off those who wanted to take over the station. Picard and the other captains were all about exploring and explaining the known Federation territory, seeking out adventure rather than having it thrust upon them from a static location. Sisko did not have the luxury of flying past any situation that he deemed too problematic or dangerous. Anything that came his way, he had to deal with, such as collapsing civilization, terrorism, and religious ambiguity, all thrust into his lap.
Throughout the show, Sisko is pushed to his limits constantly and receives very little support from the Federation. He has to rely on a constantly breaking space station that is outdated and obsolete in comparison to what Starfleet is churning out for other captains. The burden of expectations not only comes from the Federation to maintain peace and order, but as a religious icon of a desperate people. He has to care for a lot more people than any other captain in the franchise, and they are all a lot more desperate — but DS9 does a beautiful job of showing the toll this takes on him. Sisko is not perfect, not even close, but he always does his best. It would be easy to say he makes a lot of bad decisions, some that technically classify him as a war criminal, but they are born of necessity. They are solutions to problems that arise from the unique, and undesirable, situation he is in.
Sisko isn’t the only fallible character — the show is riddled with them. The show creators really went to town in making each character flawed and three-dimensional, rather than perfect and shiny beacons of all that should be strived for in life. Another overworked and fraying at the edges' character is Commander Kira Nerys, the Bajoran first officer who served as a resistance fighter against the Cardassians and maintained her hot-headed attitude. Jadzia Dax is also not the perfect officer, with her bad temper and a terrible relationship with discipline and rules, literally leaving her post and neglecting her duties to go on a revenge killing mission. All the other characters to have massive flaws as well, such as Bashir’s lack of field experience, Odo’s rule flouting and iron fist, and let's not even get started on Quark.
But this is exactly what Sisko’s quote is all about. He is not in the position to complain, as despite having all these flaws, this crew is all he’s got. He literally has to make do with them all, lovable mess they may be. He’s not lucky enough to have the best that Starfleet could offer, which highlights how the Federation is less of a utopian civilization and more of a space bureaucracy. It focuses a lot on how it presents itself, rather than caring for the people who keep the wheels turning. This is something the creators really focus on in the heavily criticized animated series Lower Decks, which tells the story of the ensigns at the very bottom of the command ladder, and how they are often mistreated or ignored.
Being a saint in paradise is easy. Picard and Kirk are in fortunate positions of privilege, unaware of the terrible things happening at the edges of Federation space. They are not put in the same situations as Sisko, who is seemingly always at the brink of a mental breakdown. Where Kirk and Picard explored and observed, the crew of Deep Space 9 were the ones at the front line. Sisko has to sacrifice his own well-being, health, and self-respect to save the lives of his crew, family, and entire civilizations. It’s hard to be a saint when one is surrounded by the darkest most depraved aspects of the galaxy.