Emissary of the Prophets The Emissary of the Prophets was a pivotal figure in the Bajoran religion who , according to their prophecies , could speak to the Prophet s and would save Bajor by finding the Celestial Temple . The Emissary had the authority to perform several Bajoran ceremonies and blessings , and is often looked to by the people for guidance . The annual holiday of " Ha ' mara " celebrated the arrival of the Emissary in 2369 . ( ) History . In the early 2330s the Prophets brought about the existence of Benjamin Sisko by possessing a woman named Sarah and having her bring about a child with Joseph Sisko . The resulting offspring was the pre - ordained Emissary of the Prophets . The ancient texts concerning the Emissary said that the Prophets would " call him to them " and that they would " give him back his life . " In 2369 , Kai Opaka told Commander Benjamin Sisko after his arrival at Deep Space 9 that he was to be the Emissary , after reading his " pagh " . Opaka told Sisko that he must find the Celestial Temple , and warn the Prophets about the Cardassian s . Shortly after , Sisko fulfilled the prophecies and became the Emissary by discovering the Bajoran wormhole and making contact with the beings within . During this contact , the Prophets helped him recover from the loss of his wife Jennifer Sisko at the Battle of Wolf 359 , essentially " giving him back his life " . ( ) As the Emissary , Sisko gained some much - needed legitimacy in his assignment to prepare Bajor for Federation membership . Although he was at first uncomfortable with being revered as a religious icon , he felt obliged to respect the Bajorans ' beliefs , as did Starfleet . However , some Bajorans doubted the Prophets ' choosing of a Human as the Emissary , in particular Kai Winn Adami , who resented the fact that she had to share the leadership of the Bajoran faith with an outsider and non - believer . She and Sisko would have an adversarial relationship , although she eventually begrudgingly admitted that he was the true Emissary . ( ) For a brief time in 2372 , Sisko willingly stepped aside when Akorem Laan emerged from the wormhole , having been transported two centuries into the future by the Prophets , and claimed himself to be the Emissary . His claim was supported by Kai Winn , as Akorem was a native Bajoran and shared her orthodox beliefs . However , Akorem called for the reinstatement of the " D ' jarra " caste system , which would have voided Bajor ' s application for Federation membership . An orb shadow experience and increased violence following Akorem ' s reform s prompted Sisko to challenge Akorem ' s claim to the title of Emissary . The two traveled into the wormhole , where the Prophets told them that " the Sisko " was their chosen Emissary , and that they had sent Akorem into the future to remind him of that fact . ( ) The role of Emissary took on a new , more crucial light in 2373 , after Sisko received a series of " pagh ' tem ' far " , which allowed him to rediscover the lost Bajoran city of B ' hala . These visions also led him to warn the Bajorans against accepting Federation membership , advice which would prove prophetic later that year when Bajor was spared from a Dominion invasion . The unearthing of B ' hala , a year later , would yield an ancient stone tablet , bearing the inscription " Welcome Emissary . " When Sisko approached the tablet , he received a vision which initiated the Reckoning , a cosmic duel between a Prophet and the Pah - wraith Kosst Amojan . The Emissary ' s purpose was to initiate this battle , as Sisko did when he shattered the tablet on Deep Space 9 ( the " Gateway to the Celestial Temple " ) and released the beings inside . Sisko was willing to see the battle through to the end , but it was interrupted by Kai Winn . ( ) The next phase of the Emissary ' s path took place at the end of 2374 , when the wormhole disappeared after Dukat released a Pah - wraith into the Orb of Contemplation . Promising to learn what had happened to them , Sisko returned to Earth and received a number of visions , leading him to find the Orb of the Emissary on the planet . The Orb contained the Prophet who had once inhabited the body of Sarah Sisko , Benjamin Sisko ' s natural mother . From her , Sisko learned that his birth and role as Emissary had been pre - ordained by the Prophets . When Sisko opened the Orb , the Prophet was released back into the Celestial Temple , where she cast out the malevolent being . ( ) The Emissary ' s last and most difficult task came at the end of 2375 . Dukat , who had become the antithesis to Sisko through his connection with the Pah - wraiths , planned to release them from their prison inside the Fire Caves , an event which would unleash a new era of destruction . Disguising himself as a Bajoran named Anjohl Tennan , Dukat convinced Kai Winn to turn away from the Prophets and use her authority as kai to obtain the " Book of the Kosst Amojan " , the key to opening the Pah - wraiths ' prison . Together , the two of them nearly succeeded , and the Pah - wraiths selected Dukat as " their " Emissary . However , Sisko was able to destroy the book by plunging it , himself , and Dukat into the flames , thus forever imprisoning the Pah - wraiths . As he was falling through the cave , Sisko was taken into the Celestial Temple to join the Prophets . The Emissary ' s task had been completed , though Sisko ' s own destiny was far from over . ( ) Appendices . Background information . In , the Dominion had a fleet waiting to conquer the Alpha Quadrant on the other side of the wormhole , and Benjamin was ready to sacrifice his life and those of the crew aboard the , but the Prophets stopped him . They forbade him from ending " the game " , as they called corporeal existence , so he tried to convince them to destroy the ships : The Prophets complied with his request , but they observed that Benjamin was trying to " control the game " and said a penance must be exacted . This penance came in the form of his departure from the corporeal world when he entered the Celestial Temple at the end of . Later , when the Prophets warned Sisko that marrying Kasidy would bring him " nothing but sorrow " in , he ignored their warning . They nonetheless allowed him to marry , and while Kasidy feared the Prophets were referring to her baby , the sorrow was that which Benjamin ' s departure would cause . These events were not directly tied together until the novels , although several fan theories existed . Apocrypha . In the " " trilogy , the opening of a results in the creation of an alternate timeline where Weyoun is appointed the , and Sisko is seen as the Emissary of the " false " Prophets . This timeline was averted and Weyoun defeated , though Sisko was introduced during those events to a more secretive Bajoran religious sect which possessed prophecies regarding the Emissary that were unknown to the general Bajoran public , and which reveal that , although " Sisko " is not the Emissary , " a " Sisko will be the Emissary . Specifically , the " true " Emissary is the daughter of Sisko and Kasidy Yates , who , in an epilogue set after Sisko has joined the Prophets , has become regarded as the " Child of Bajor " , to whom even the Kai would bow . This novel also elaborates on Sisko ' s opinion of his status as the Emissary , with Sisko stating that he accepts that the beings who live in the Celestial Temple are powerful , mysterious creatures who acknowledge him as the Bajoran Emissary , but he has no fixed ideas about the implications of that title beyond the obvious details such as his role in Bajoran religion . In the novel " Fearful Symmetry " , set after the events of , Sisko has an Orb experience while using the , in which he meets with seven other individuals named Benjamin Sisko , each from a different universe . It is revealed that Benjamin Sisko is always born by the Prophets ' design and is specifically meant to become the Emissary in every universe . " The Soul Key " , the sequel to " Fearful Symmetry " , depicts becoming the Emissary in the mirror universe in January of 2377 , since that universe ' s died before he discovered the wormhole .