ESFJ – the Provider, the Facilitator, the Caretaker
Ben Sisko’s two biggest nemeses are Fe-doms (more on that during DS9 Villains Week), so it only seems balanced that one of his strongest guardians is an Fe-dom as well. Brock Peters had already appeared in the Star Trek universe during the original cast years as Admiral Cartwright, so I like to think that the Siskos are his descendants. Cartwright didn’t turn out so good, so he’s lucky he has men like Joseph down the line to make sure Earth is still a happy—and delicious—place to live.
Dominant Function: (Fe) Extraverted Feeling, “The Garden Fountain”
Joseph makes an outgoing host at his restaurant, cooking up a storm for his guests, welcoming them in and checking up on them as they eat. He recommends desserts and won’t let them say no. He even intends on serving the Starfleet officers patrolling the streets, despite the fact that he disagrees with their reasons for being there—they’re going to need a meal at some point, after all.
As much as Joseph fusses over his family and guests, he hates being fussed over in return. He denies to his son Ben that he feels ill at all, and doesn’t want to slow down or leave the restaurant in the hands of anyone else. He’s eager for his son and grandson to join him when they return to Earth, and doesn’t quite understand that Ben’s visit is for work, not pleasure. He acts a little dramatically hurt when they don’t stick around long enough for his liking.
Joseph speaks up loud and vocally when forced to take a blood test thanks to Ben’s new planet-wide security measures, making such a fuss that he gets arrested. He’s hurt that Ben won’t simply trust him. Nevertheless, Joseph is always supportive of whatever Ben needs to do, especially if it’s a tough decision. He has a history of letting Ben brood for a while before gently pushing him into action—first in asking out his boyhood crush, and later in making a move to stop Admiral Leyton.
It’s a very healthy example of an Extraverted-Judging-dominant parent counseling their Extraverted-Judging-inferior child to use their lower function more effectively, and I think it accounts for the relative health of Sisko’s Te compared to other INFPs.
When Joseph finally makes the trip out to DS9, he shows up just when Ben has learned of the death of a friend in combat, and he helps his son talk out his grief.
Auxiliary Function: (Si) Introverted Sensing, “The Study”
Joseph possesses legendary cooking skills, honed over decades, passed down from generation to generation. He keeps secret recipes that he carefully teaches his son and grandson (and disapproves of his daughter’s careless use of cayenne pepper in the sauce), and suggests Jake open a Creole restaurant on the Promenade to keep the Sisko legacy alive. Goodness knows Joseph himself won’t open up shop on the space station. He loves his home, his restaurant, and his planet too much to leave. He’s never left Earth until his visit to DS9.
That’s a long time to live in one place, and despite his health concerns, Joseph intends on living at least another 50 years (hinting that the human life span in the Star Trek future has reached about 130).
Joseph seems resistant to the idea that his body is getting older. He thinks his doctor is an idiot for not knowing the difference between Cajun and Creole, so why should he follow his instructions about anything else? Besides, Joseph worries about what will happen to the restaurant in his absence.
Joseph finally does make out to DS9, and seems overwhelmed. All he can say to Kira is that, “It sure is big.”
Tertiary Function: (Ne) Extraverted Intuition, “The Hiking Trails”
Joseph gets a kick out of making up stories to entertain and frighten his grandson as a boy, getting him to believe that the stuffed gator hanging from the restaurant rafters comes to life every night. When Ben journeys to Earth to meet with Starfleet HQ, Joseph discerns that the situation must be serious for them to send for Ben from so far away. He grows more worried and suspicious of all the restrictive changes being made by Starfleet security in the wake of the Changeling scare.
As rooted to his home as Joseph is, he can change his ways when needed. Thanks to Nog’s influence, he considers adding tube grubs to his menu (though he’ll have to cook them to satisfy his human customers). He eventually journeys to DS9 for a once-in-a-lifetime visit, though once he’s there, he’s mildly upset to learn that his son thinks their whole life might be the dream of some writer.
Inferior Function: (Ti) Introverted Thinking, “The Laboratory”
Joseph is stubborn and critical of Ben’s declaration of martial law. He resists taking a blood test and gets arrested for it. He points out the flaws in the blood test method, suggesting different ways a Changeling could fool the test by soaking up blood from a human victim.
Ben’s inferior Te shouts at his father, “Why can’t you just do as you’re told?” while Joseph’s inferior Ti tears apart his son’s methodology. He argues enough that Ben eventually breaks down and tries to find a new solution to the security problem. It’s a great clash of types and functions, and fortunately, father and son care enough about each other to learn from the fight and repair their relationship.
(One disadvantage of writing these profiles one-cognitive-function-at-a-time is that you can’t always see how the functions work together. Joseph’s whole stack is in play when he disapproves of Ben’s controlling streak—his Fe needing to speak up, his Si-Ne resisting and suspicious of the unwarranted changes, and his Ti critically analyzing the problems with the plan. It’s a team effort, and all the layers are there thanks to a strong performance by Brock Peters.)
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Heroes & Villains of MBTI 