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Before DS9, Brooks was already a celebrated performer with a résumé spanning television, theater, and music. He was the first Black actor to lead a mainstream U.S. network drama series (Spenser: For Hire spinoff A Man Called Hawk), and he’d built a formidable stage career, particularly in Shakespeare and the works of August Wilson. A trained baritone and longtime educator at Rutgers University, Brooks brought a uniquely intellectual, artistic, and spiritual depth to Sisko, shaping him into one of the franchise’s most interesting captains.
1) “Tribunal”
Avery Brooks’ first DS9 directing credit came in “Tribunal,” which aired late in Season 2 and placed Chief O’Brien at the center of a Cardassian legal ordeal. The episode includes great scenes in a Cardassian courtroom where O’Brien (presumed guilty) faces charges of sabotaging a transport, with the prosecution presenting a pre-written verdict. Brooks’ Sisko appears in the episode, working with the DS9 crew to uncover evidence of O’Brien’s innocence. The tension builds as Keiko and Odo both attempt to intervene in a system designed to deny appeals. Brooks does a great job directing Colm Meany as O’Brien, especially during his forced confession rituals.
2) “The Abandoned”
In Season 3, Episode 6, “The Abandoned,” DS9 receives a newborn Jem’Hadar infant found aboard a wrecked ship. The boy grows rapidly, reaching adolescence within hours, and becomes increasingly aggressive due to his genetic programming. The episode focuses on Odo attempting to mentor him, hoping that early guidance might counteract the Dominion’s influence. Sisko appears in the episode and eventually makes the final decision about the young Jem’Hadar’s fate. The episode’s best moments include the growth-time-lapse scenes and the moment the boy arms himself with a stolen phaser rifle. Brooks’ direction keeps most of the tension centered in DS9’s security areas, escalating risk as the Jem’Hadar matures, and keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
3) “Fascination”
Brooks’ third directing assignment came later in Season 3 with “Fascination,” set during the Bajoran Gratitude Festival. When a temporary telepathic condition is brought to the station by Lwaxana Troi, characters begin to experience sudden romantic attractions to one another. The feelings spark some great comedic misunderstandings across DS9, including scenes in which Kira is drawn to Bashir, Jake shows interest in Kira, and Odo has more than one awkward encounter. The Bajoran Gratitude Festival provides the backdrop, giving the episode its crowded, chaotic setting. Sisko’s attempt to maintain order as things with the crew get weirder is one of the episode’s strengths, as Brooks’ direction and performance punctuate the comedic timing.
4) “Improbable Cause”
The third and final Season 3 episode Brooks would direct, “Improbable Cause,” features Garak, who survives a bombing in his shop, and launches an investigation into who targeted him. The storyline expands when Odo uncovers a conspiracy involving the Romulan Tal Shiar and Cardassian Obsidian Order. The episode ends on a cliffhanger that leads directly into “The Die Is Cast.” Odo’s interrogation of a Flaxian assassin, Garak’s evasive antics, and the discovery of a joint Cardassian–Romulan fleet preparing for an unauthorized strike. Brooks does a good job directing this dialogue-driven episode, and handles the unravelling of Garak’s past with care.
