The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finale almost had a different ending for Benjamin Sisko before actor Avery Brooks requested it changed. DS9 was the third series in the Star Trek franchise and ran from 1993 to 1999 before ending after seven seasons. The show delivered its two-part final episode, "What You Leave Behind", in June 1999, rounding out its run with an action-packed and emotional finale that wrapped up a multitude of storylines. One of the most important storylines to get resolved, however, was the conclusion of the arc for DS9's main character, the underrated Captain Benjamin Sisko.
Sisko's character arc revolved around him coming to terms with his role as the Emissary, an important spiritual leader to the Bajoran people chosen by their gods the Prophets to save Bajor by finding the Celestial Temple. Sisko learned he was the Emissary in episode 1, and this fact was the basis for many of his storylines throughout DS9. In "What You Leave Behind", Sisko finally fulfilled his destiny by stopping Gul Dukat from releasing the Pah-Wraiths, and subsequently joined the Prophets in the Celestial Temple. In doing so, Sisko left behind his life and agreed to reside with the Prophets as one of them, a non-corporeal being outside of time and space. Unfortunately, this also meant Captain Sisko left his family behind in the corporeal world, including his then-pregnant wife, Kasidy Yates-Sisko.
During his final scene, Sisko was allowed to see Kasidy one last time, to tell her what had happened and let her know that despite everything, he would return to her one day. In the original ending, however, the scene depicted Sisko telling Kasidy he would never return and would stay with the Prophets forever, never seeing her or his son, Jake, again. This would have been a much less ambiguous, if sadder, ending for Sisko and his family. This version made it all the way to production and was even shot, but after the initial filming, Avery Brooks contacted Deep Space Nine's executive producer Ira Steven Behr to request the scene be changed. Brooks told Behr that after giving it some thought he was uncomfortable with the implications of a black man essentially abandoning his pregnant wife to raise their unborn child alone. Behr apparently agreed with Brooks since the scene was re-shot and changed to the ending viewers are now familiar with.
Although the change was small, Brooks advocating for it helped make sure Sisko was not written completely out-of-character in the finale. Being the first black man to be the lead in his own Star Trek show, Sisko was a groundbreaking character for the franchise, but over the years, fans and critics have cited that one of the most important things about him was the fact he was a black male character who was a family man. At a time when the representation of black men as devoted fathers was scarce in media, Sisko served as a positive example for many. Brooks changing Sisko's ending to be consistent with his portrayal as fiercely loyal to his family made sure this reputation wasn't marred right at the end like it might have been if the scene had not been altered.
Despite Brooks' change adding a hopeful note, Sisko's ending was still bittersweet. Additionally, even with viewer interest and the Deep Space Nine creative team having ideas of how to carry on, there has not yet been a continuation of Sisko's storyline, meaning fans have never gotten to see his prophesied return to his family. Even so, Avery Brooks making sure Sisko eventually would return was a very smart move and served to make the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine even better.