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‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ Paved the Way for ‘Picard,’ and Shaped Our Era of Serialized Storytelling

Eric deggans.

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It was a key scene in the second episode of what has become a triumphant final season for Paramount+’s science fiction series “Star Trek: Picard.”

A corrupt crime boss named Sneed — from a hyper-capitalistic alien race called the Ferengi — has a cat-and-mouse-style conversation with a woman pretending to be an addict who is actually an undercover intelligence operative. Played by Aaron Stanford, Sneed is streetwise, confident and relishes the game he’s playing, dumping the decapitated head of a former associate on a table to prove the operative is lying.

And when Armin Shimerman, one of the first actors to play a Ferengi on TV, saw Stanford’s work as Sneed, he admits it brought one feeling above all.

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“I turned to my wife and said, ‘That’s the way I should have played the Ferengi from the first,’” said Shimerman, who played one of the aliens in their first TV appearance, a 1987 episode of “ Star Trek : The Next Generation” called “The Last Outpost.” Later, Shimerman would become the actor who helped define the race onscreen, playing Ferengi nightclub owner Quark on the syndicated series “ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ” for the show’s seven-season run.

“[Sneed] was both cunning and oily and believable and less cartoonish … it would have been an entirely different species if I had played a Ferengi as well as that actor played it,” said Shimerman, who developed a reputation on the “DS9” set for resisting attempts to turn the greedy, trollish-looking characters into one-dimensional comic relief. “If I had his approach from day one, the world would be very different.”

Picard’s third and final season has now wrapped, sparking headlines and a deluge of fan affection for its kinetic, updated storyline reuniting the principal cast from “The Next Generation.” But the show’s characters and storylines have emerged as an extended love letter to three Trek TV series which aired from the late 1980s to the early 2000s: “Next Generation ,” “ Deep Space Nine,” and “Voyager.”

As the series which arguably got the most criticism for its pointed and repeated departures from traditional “Trek,” “Deep Space Nine” may also be the most vindicated by the repeated references in “Picard” – prompting a re-examination of the series as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

“There are uncomfortable conversations that must be had. I think we’re at that point in the world, and that’s where ‘DS9’ was. This is multiculturalism at its realest.” —Nana Visitor

“We recognized the problems with authority, we recognized the problems of a bunch of different races living together…things that were automatically accepted in the previous “Star Trek” shows were questioned on our show,” said Shimerman of the series, set in a bustling space station. “I think we made ‘Star Trek’ that much more real. That’s a huge legacy that we gave to the franchise.”

Nana Visitor, who played the space station’s second in command, Kira Nerys, says “Deep Space Nine” is a “Trek” series that highlights the difficulty in bringing diverse cultures together equally — a struggle reflecting where the world is right now.

“There’s a space missing between everybody getting along and everybody being [at war, like] Klingons,” she said. “It’s not going to be pretty. There are uncomfortable conversations that must be had. I think we’re at that point in the world, and that’s where ‘DS9’ was. This is multiculturalism at its realest.”

The show also featured the first Black starring character in “Trek,” casting Avery Brooks as Commander (and later, Captain) Benjamin Sisko. But Cirroc Lofton, who played Sisko’s son Jake, still doesn’t think Brooks gets enough credit for the pioneering role he played on “Deep Space Nine” as a capable Black leader and caring single father.

“I feel like there’s a slightly vague avoidance to address Sisko and really what his legacy is in the world of ‘Trek,’” said Lofton. “In this latest iteration, there’s a lot of respect given to Picard and his adventures. … I just want that same kind of energy when you talk about Sisko.”

Lofton suspects one reason the show hasn’t embraced Sisko’s legend so readily is that he was played by a Black man with a history of speaking on social justice issues in ways that make Hollywood bigwigs uncomfortable.

“‘Star Trek’ has this duality,” he said. “It represents the ideals of what we want to strive for … where we work together for the common good and we explore the universe to spread knowledge and to help people. But the show is produced in Hollywood, which still has to deal with its own racism and bigotry and sexism.”

Building a different kind of “Trek” series

Debuting in 1993 amid the success of “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine” was pointedly different – set on a space station instead of a starship, featuring characters who mistrusted and sometimes openly disliked each other, in an area of space which eventually would be embroiled in an interstellar war.

“Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 years before the debut of “DS9,” had a strong vision for the franchise, dating back to the debut of its first iteration, now called “The Original Series,” back in 1966. Roddenberry often insisted storylines about war and conflict among humans could not be part of a franchise set in humanity’s idealized future where Earth was part of a United Federation of Planets.

The stories of “Deep Space Nine” were also occasionally serialized — written to unfold over several episodes, instead of wrapping up in one — which was antithetical to how syndicated TV worked back then.

For many reasons, some working on the show felt overshadowed and underappreciated — laboring on the only “Trek” series which almost always had to compete with another “Trek” series also simultaneously airing new episodes: first “Next Generation” and then “Voyager.”

But the nods in “Picard” to “Deep Space Nine” — featuring a race created for the show, the Changelings, as a major villain, motivated by events during a war which took place during the “DS9” run — has shown the value of storytelling the earlier series pioneered decades ago.

“The thing that does my heart good is when someone comes and tells me, ‘I’m not really a fan of ‘Trek’ that much, but I love Deep Space Nine.’” —Ira Steven Behr

Looking back 30 years, “Deep Space Nine” was making a style of television which would become the standard for streaming TV — an extraordinary validation for an often overlooked series that its former showrunner sometimes wished wasn’t even identified as a “Trek” show at all.

“The thing that does my heart good is when someone comes and tells me, ‘I’m not really a fan of “Trek” that much, but I love “Deep Space Nine,”‘” said Ira Steven Behr, a talented iconoclast who served as showrunner on the series over four years and helped assemble a 2018 documentary on the program, “What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”

“By season four, I kept saying, ‘Can we take “Star Trek” off the name of the show?,’” Behr added. “Can we just free ourselves from the bonds of what “Star Trek” is and just be “Deep Space Nine”?'”

Rick Berman remembers “Deep Space Nine” beginning with a meeting, where the head of Paramount Studios, legendary TV executive Brandon Tartikoff, wanted to discuss making another Trek program, drafting off the success of the “Next Generation” series.

Berman, a former Paramount TV executive who had helped “Star Trek” creator Gene Rodenberry develop “The Next Generation,” was now its executive producer and ready to please his boss. Tartikoff, Berman remembered, liked to describe new projects by referencing a combination of old ones.

“What I got [from Tartikoff] was, ‘How about ‘The Rifleman’ in space … a father and son story?,’” said Berman, referencing a 1950s-era TV series starring Chuck Connors as a rancher raising a young son in the Old West. “My response was, ‘Yes, sir.’”

Still, Berman felt a responsibility to uphold Roddenberry’s vision, which had a lot of rules for what was and wasn’t true “Trek.” There couldn’t be conflict among members of Starfleet. The greed for money had been overcome. Humans were united beyond war and petty prejudices. In other words, all the stuff TV writers often use to spark storylines and drama were pretty much off limits.

But Berman thought they had found a loophole. What if the conflict came from characters who weren’t human?

Setting “Deep Space Nine” on a space station was a good contrast with the first two “Star Trek series,” set on spacefaring starships named Enterprise. In “DS9,” which Berman co-created with executive producer Michael Piller, Starfleet would be helping a race called the Bajorans by jointly running the space station after they liberated themselves from brutal oppression by the imperialistic Cardassians. A Ferengi named Quark would run a bar and casino on the premises which could be a watering hole for a wide diversity of alien species.

At the center of it all was stage and TV veteran Avery Brooks, who would complicate the story of “Deep Space Nine” in many different ways.

Casting Benjamin Sisko

Behr remembers wondering if Brooks — a tall, stentorian actor with an almost palpable authoritative presence — was right for the role before they even started filming.

“When I saw Avery’s audition, I thought, ‘What the hell are these guys doing?,’” the producer said. “As it was written originally, he’s supposed to be this young commander or this younger commander who needs some guidance. … They picked Avery because … he had this gravitas that said ‘Star Trek Captain.’ Avery Brooks is already a goddamn captain.”

But Berman disputes Behr’s recollection, noting that Sisko had to be old enough to have a tween-age son. Berman said he originally wanted to cast British-raised actor Alexander Siddig as Sisko, but upon learning that Siddig was then 27 years old, he instead cast him as the space station’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Julian Bashir.

“Deep Space Nine” bucked “Trek” tradition in many ways. In the show’s first episode, Sisko is shown hating Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard, because Picard led an attack on Federation starships when he was controlled by cybernetic villains, the Borg. The attack led to the death of Sisko’s wife — this anger at Picard over his actions as a member of the Borg was revisited/called back on “Picard” by an emotional scene with Todd Stashwick’s Capt. Liam Shaw, who served on a ship which was also destroyed by the Borg, with Picard commanding the villains.

Nana Visitor’s Kira Nerys was a strong-willed, ex-guerilla fighter who didn’t initially trust Sisko much, either. Visitor, who is writing a book on the women of “Star Trek,” said fans would come up to her at conventions and ask why her character was so strident — she said they called Kira a bitch — or wonder if she was a lesbian.

“The rule of the ‘90s in Hollywood (for women) was … are you fuckable?,” added Visitor, who said she came to “Deep Space Nine” after a string of unfulfilling roles as someone’s girlfriend, wife, or mother. “So when I read the [Kira] role, I thought it was a man’s role because of her first scene [confronting] Sisko … Kira was like a door that opened for me and I ran through as fast as I could. I had people say to me, ‘You’re trying to play a man’s strength as Kira.’ And I was like, ‘No. that’s actually me. That’s the woman I am.’”

Syndicated TV series like “Deep Space Nine” were shown by different TV stations in different cities across the country at different times; episodes could be delayed or pre-empted by sporting events or news coverage in one market, but not another. So Paramount strenuously resisted “Deep Space Nine” storylines which played out over multiple episodes, fearing audiences would get confused.

Behr didn’t care. “I was told by executives that I was killing the show … [but] it was a show that was meant to be serialized, whether Mike and Rick realized that when they created it,” added the producer, who often felt hamstrung by the rules imposed by “Trek” orthodoxy. “At the time, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, they really expect us to be writing these shows with crayons.’ I mean, every show should have questions about morality and the problems of command. It just told me how much of a comfort food [‘Trek’] is.”

Rene Echevarria was a writer on “The Next Generation” before he would move over to work as a producer and writer on “Deep Space Nine.” And as “DS9” was developed, he remembered “TNG” writers were envious of the freedom writers for the new series would have.

“We were convinced we were just going to be eclipsed,” he added. “The [‘DS9’] characters were going to have friction, they’re going to have warts. We were, as writers, very jealous and very sure that we were going to get forgotten in the dust of this new show.”

And there was the issue of Brooks’ look. As the show went on, the actor asked to change his look from clean shaven to wearing a goatee and later, with a shaved head. But Berman said Paramount executives feared that look was too close to a character called Hawk that Brooks had played years earlier in an ABC series, “Spenser: For Hire.” Also, they worried it was “too street” or “too urban.”

Berman insists those phrases weren’t euphemisms for “too Black.” “It all came from the studio, and it was a question of making him look too much like Hawk,” he added.

But Lofton felt a little differently. “Certain elements of white America are threatened by certain images of Black people, certain looks,” he said. “But you can’t take away the man inside the skin. It doesn’t matter what you do to his face or how you cut his hair; he’s going to portray these characters in a certain light, that is positive and inspiring for future generations.”

“I started to learn those things as I got older…How (Benjamin Sisko) was counter to the stereotype of absent Black men in the household” —Cirroc Lofton

Lofton said he was about age 14 when “Deep Space Nine” started production, so he was largely unaware of many issues the adult actors faced. He also didn’t watch the show much while he was acting in it and didn’t talk much with Brooks about the relationship between their characters.

Instead, Lofton said, Brooks led by example. “I started to learn those things as I got older … how few Black role models there were on television and how few Black fathers were raising children on television. … How [Benjamin Sisko] was counter to the stereotype of absent Black men in the household,” he said. “Once I learned that, I started to have more appreciation for the work we did representing.”

Echevarria recalled that Brooks, who could be tough to read and had a no-nonsense approach on the set, seemed to loosen up when he adopted the goatee in season three, shaved his head for season four and began directing episodes.

“It was transformative,” Echevarria said of Brooks’ revamped look. “We all thought, ‘He looks badass.’ And it seemed like he felt it. He felt the way he wanted to feel.”

“It was a long and winding road to get the character to what Avery deserved, basically,” added Behr. “Keeping your Number One [actor] on the call sheet comfortable and happy in his own skin … that should be your number one concern.”

Shimerman also waged a silent battle to upgrade his character, Quark. Some critics have lambasted the Ferengi as a collection of antisemitic tropes — a group of money-obsessed, evil trolls. But the actor insists that — especially because he, Behr, and Berman are of Jewish heritage — that the Ferengi were never antisemitic, but were often cartoonish and not well fleshed out.

“When Rick told me that I was cast on the show, my sole agenda was to take a one-dimensional character and turn it into a three-dimensional character,” said Shimerman, a longtime “Trek” fan before joining the shows who believes he was the first actor cast on “Deep Space Nine.”

“I wanted to erase out of people’s minds what I had done on that first encounter with the Ferengi [on ‘The Next Generation’], because I was so embarrassed by it,” added the actor, who resisted portraying scenes which might make the character look too simple. “I wanted to take the character with the least amount of potential and make him the character with the most amount of potential … that became my mantra for Quark.”

Playing the character could be tough. Just applying the oversize forehead, ears, nose, and other makeup required to adopt the Ferengi’s look took about two hours to assemble and an hour to take off, Shimerman said, for shooting schedules which could involve 16-hour days.

Behr said conflicts with various actors over the direction of their characters and tensions on set connect to his biggest regret: That he didn’t visit the set enough to talk with the actors and communicate with them about its creative direction. (Behr’s efforts in this direction likely weren’t helped by what Visitor and Berman called an unwritten rule back then that the “Trek” shows’ writers were not supposed to speak with the actors.)

“My communication with the actors was not up to snuff,” Behr said. “I just wanted to believe, they see the material, they see how much we’re using them, we’re giving them good stuff, that’s enough. And it’s really not enough. I know the actors were constantly being confused that things were happening that they weren’t expecting and no one’s really explaining it to them.”

The initial reception was rough

TV critics may have loved the way “Deep Space Nine” challenged the typical “Trek” formula — TV Guide called it “the best acted, written, produced, and altogether finest” series in the franchise. But some fans criticized the show as too stationary, too riddled with conflict, too dark.

“I think some of the real purists [believe] ‘Star Trek’ is an idea that should focus on the positive benefits of the future … that gives us hope for what’s to come,” Berman said. “With ‘Deep Space Nine’ that fell back a little bit, because it didn’t have that same positive, uplifting attitude. … It didn’t end with somebody saying ‘make it so’ at the end of every episode.”

“Every new show is ruining ‘Star Trek’ [to some fans],” Visitor added. “And we certainly got that feedback. And we were not well received in many areas. And I remember Armin telling me, ‘In 20 years, they’ll get what we’re doing.’”

Adding to the impact, Berman and Piller began working on another series, “Star Trek: Voyager,” just a couple of years into the “Deep Space Nine” run centered on a starship marooned on the far side of the galaxy. So, instead of “Next Generation” ending so “DS9” could step into the full spotlight, Paramount executives began planning to have another starship-based “Trek” series ready for the launch of the UPN network in 1995.

“I would say I felt abandoned … I would imagine the others felt abandoned as well,” Shimerman said. “We felt that we were the heirs to the original ‘Next Generation’ show. And all of a sudden we were no longer important, because here was a new show that needed to be coaxed into being because it was going to be a flagship of this new network.”

But there was at least one person connected to “Deep Space Nine” who saw the focus shifting to “Voyager” as a blessing.

Behr recalls Piller stopping by his office to deliver what he saw as terrible news. After some pacing, Piller told him that “Voyager” was going to be the new flagship “Trek” show and “Deep Space Nine” would never get that honor.

As Piller left, Behr realized top executives at Paramount and the “Trek” shows would be too focused on “Voyager” to stop them from enacting storylines and changes that would stretch the limits of the franchise — from creating an authoritarian empire controlled by the Changelings known as The Dominion, to pitting them against the Federation in a war that would stretch over many episodes and inspire the changeling villains on “Picard.”

“Let them swarm all over ‘Voyager’ … [and] let us go our quiet way and just be our subversive little selves and push the franchise, like a fucking boulder, up a mountain,” Behr said. “‘Voyager’ was the best thing that ever happened to ‘Deep Space Nine.’”

“Deep Space Nine” ended its run after seven seasons; Berman said Paramount had another unwritten rule that all “Trek” TV series would end after seven seasons, as “Next Generation” and “Voyager” also did (“Star Trek: Enterprise,” the show which debuted after “Voyager,” only lasted four seasons.)

And now, as “Picard” has woven new drama from characters and storylines introduced in “Deep Space Nine,” one of the most maligned “Trek” series is earning renewed consideration for its groundbreaking qualities on its 30th anniversary. Just last year, auteur producer Bryan Fuller, who was the original showrunner of “Star Trek: Discovery” praised “Deep Space Nine” for creating room for LGBTQ representation .

“Years later, we are being shown that we were appreciated, when, for many years, we didn’t think we were being appreciated,” Shimerman said. “It’s an acknowledgement that there is a history here — a history that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. It’s very flattering and I’m grateful.”

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Star trek: voyager & ds9 crossed over in the mirror universe.

Despite being stuck in the Delta Quadrant, a Star Trek: Voyager crew member briefly crossed over into the Mirror Universe to join the DS9 cast.

• Star Trek: Voyager and Deep Space Nine crossed over within the Mirror Universe, bringing the shows together across vast cosmic distances.
• The crossovers featuring characters like Tuvok and Doctor Zimmerman added depth to the interconnected Star Trek universe.
• Despite differing tones, Voyager and DS9 remain beloved shows, delighting audiences through streaming platforms today.

Despite being separated by thousands of light years, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine crossed over inside the Mirror Universe. Voyager and Deep Space Nine were very different in tone, due to the differing approaches of the shows' respective producers, Brannon Braga and Ira Steven Behr. Where DS9 was a serialized drama that tackled huge themes, Voyager embraced a traditional episodic approach that could sometimes feel disposable and regressive . Despite their differences in tone, DS9 and Voyager are two beloved Star Trek TV shows that still delight audiences to this day via streaming, which is a testament to the versatility and timelessness of the franchise.

As the USS Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant, it was hard, but not impossible, for Star Trek: Voyager to cross over into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Alpha and Gamma Quadrant settings. In fact, there was a surprising number of Star Trek characters who guested on Voyager from Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) to Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Creative approaches such as intervention by Q (John de Lancie), glimpses of Starfleet's attempts to locate the missing USS Voyager, and even the Mirror Universe allowed Star Trek: Voyager to crossover with its 1990s contemporaries, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Every 1990s Era Star Trek Crossover

Star trek: voyager’s tuvok crossed over with ds9’s mirror universe, star trek: deep space nine, season 3, episode 19, "through the looking glass".

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 19, "Through the Looking Glass", Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is captured and taken to the Mirror Universe by "Smiley" O'Brien (Colm Meaney). The Rebellion in the Mirror Universe wanted Prime Sisko to convince the ex-wife of his Terran counterpart to join the resistance against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . As Sisko is taken to the Terran Rebellion's enclave, he meets the Mirror Universe variants of his DS9 crew mates. In the same scene Sisko also meets the Mirror Universe version of Star Trek: Voyager 's Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ), leading a more logic-driven faction of the Rebellion.

Mirror Tuvok is the only Mirror Universe variant of a Star Trek: Voyager character that has appeared on TV.

Tuvok was included in "Through the Looking Glass" at the request of Rick Berman , who presumably wanted to strengthen the links between Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . DS9 season 3 and Voyager season 1 aired concurrently with each other, and "Through the Looking Glass" aired on April 17, 1995, a week when there was no new episode of Voyager . In this gap between "State of Flux" and "Heroes and Demons", therefore, a brief crossover between Voyager and DS9 was a good way to keep the fledgling Star Trek show in the minds of the audience.

Every Voyager & DS9 Star Trek Crossover

"Through the Looking Glass" isn't the only crossover between Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Voyager pilot "Caretaker" features the USS Voyager depart from Deep Space Nine to search for the missing Tuvok and the Maquis ship, the Valjean in the Badlands. As with McCoy and Picard in the previous Star Trek pilots, DS9 's Quark (Armin Shimerman) appeared in "Caretaker" to pass the baton to Voyager . In a scene that demonstrated how green the young Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) was, he almost falls for one of Quark's latest scams, until he's rescued by Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill).

Gul Evek (Richard Poe) and Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) are the two other Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters that appear in the Star Trek: Voyager pilot.

A version of Star Trek: Voyager 's Doctor (Robert Picardo) appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 16, "Doctor Bashir, I Presume" alongside his creator Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (also Picardo). Technically, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine marks the first real appearance by the EMH's creator, who had previously appeared in Voyager as a holographic replica. The real Zimmerman would later appear in Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 24, "Life Line", which also featured Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) further strengthening the bonds between different corners of the Star Trek universe.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Star Trek: Voyager

The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before. 

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The underrated Star Trek: why you should watch Deep Space Nine

DS9 is having a resurgence because it’s set in a bifurcated world, much like our own – and it’s one of the smartest things ever to come out of mainstream sci-fi

• Deep Space Nine is streaming on Netflix. For more recommendations of what to stream in Australia, click here
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W edged between the operatic, trailblazing perfection of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the charming (yet wildly inconsistent) Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine was at an immediate disadvantage. Where were all the ships? The voyages? The jefferies tubes, dammit? Why would we want to watch a dialogue-heavy drama set on a badly lit space station?

But Deep Space Nine is like The Americans in space, or a le Carré cold war novel set in the dying embers of a horrific occupation. It’s about racial tension, religious fundamentalism and newfound faith. It is, hands down, one of the smartest things ever to come out of mainstream science fiction.

Here’s the turbolift pitch: Cardassia – a militaristic race with bumpy heads and few scruples – have ceded occupation of Bajor, a highly spiritual and scrappy planet. Terok Nor, a Cardassian space station floating above the planet, is renamed Deep Space Nine. Bajor wants to avoid being invaded again, so they ask the Federation for membership.

Starfleet commander Benjamin Sisko (played by Avery Brooks) is assigned to manage the station. When he arrives, a wormhole opens between Bajor and the far-flung Gamma quadrant, making the planet suddenly strategically vital. But wait! The Bajoran’s gods, the Prophets, live in the wormhole, and Sisko is made their emissary – and that’s just the first episode!

“The show looked forward,” says Nana Visitor, who plays Kira Nerys, the brilliant and fiery Bajoran liaison officer assigned to Deep Space Nine. “And it stands up! And I think that’s why there’s a resurgence. People watch, and go … holy shit! This is what we’re going through right now! Nothing has changed!”

Kira is one of a truly stellar cast of characters who jettison the profound but sometimes flattened ethos of Starfleet in favour of unprecedented moral messiness. Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney), the friendly Irish transporter guy from Next Gen, shows up and becomes one of Trek’s best characters, hands down. (He’s a union man, dammit.) Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) is the arrogant, effete medical officer whose unfolding friendship with a mysterious Cardassian tailor, Garak (Andrew Robinson) takes viewers to some truly incredible places. We meet Dax (Terry Farrell), who is a Trill, a species that gives Doctor Who a run for its money. There’s Odo (the late, great Rene Auberjonois), the station’s chief of security and a shapeshifter whose origins become a major plot point later on. And there’s Odo’s nemesis, Quark (Armin Shimerman), the Ferengi bartender. In a franchise which presents humans as post-capitalist idealists, the Ferengi are a truly complex, hilarious and disturbing portrait of a society built solely around money.

I ask Shimerman why people should give the show a shot. “Watch us for the performances,” he says. “Watch it for really good acting. And what makes good acting? Good writing. Watch it for the writing. Many pooh-poohed Trek because they thought it was all about the phasers, and starships … yes, we have that! But our show is really about social issues. Watch it to inspire a philosophical discussion.”

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Deep Space Nine resonates now because it is set in a bifurcated world, much like our own. “Deep Space Nine is not about solving the problems of the world every 46 minutes,” Shimerman says. “But rather, how do people live together who don’t like each other, but have to? Have to form alliances, in order to survive, to just get through life?”

Admittedly, many viewers get thrown off early. The first season treads a lot of the same ground as the other Star Trek shows. But right near the season one finale, Deep Space Nine reveals its true face, before diving into dark, deep philosophical waters. It’s possible to come away from certain episodes and story arcs feeling almost physically winded. The show-runners brilliantly seed impending plotlines well before they emerge, and pull off some staggering twists, drawing in major players from the Trek universe to tell stories which, frankly, often put the rest of Trek to shame.

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The significance of having a black Starfleet captain, a single father, stationed in the middle of simmering racial tensions is one of Deep Space Nine’s greatest strengths. Sisko, throughout the show’s tenure, becomes as potent a Trek captain as Jean-Luc Picard at his zenith, bringing a true cinematic heft to his performance. And Deep Space Nine has, more so than any other Trek show, a sense of place. You’ll come to crave the promenade, miss the hiss of the turbolift and long to enter Sisko’s office again, and have him swivel around to greet you, tossing a baseball in the air.

Miraculously, we’ve been given the chance to return to this world. There’s a brilliant new comic series that explores the fates of some key characters, and the excellent animated series The Lower Decks is set five years after the finale of Deep Space Nine; Visitor and Shimerman made their triumphant return as Kira and Quark too. “Kira is always just off stage left for me,” Visitor says. “All the conversations I’ve had over the years, hearing what she meant to other people, trying to explain to them what she meant to me … makes her very fresh and alive in my head.”

As we wrap up our call, she elegantly sums up why Deep Space Nine is worth watching. “It was in a franchise that was travelling out to discover other worlds, and we had the nerve to say, wait a minute. The journey from here … ” she gestures at her head, “to here … ” and she draws her finger down to her heart. “That journey? That’s quite a journey. Let’s focus on that one.”

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Star Trek: Discovery Vs. DS9's Breen Is Now Inevitable

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange".

• Discovery season 5 reveals a dark future where the Breen Imperium destroys the Federation with Progenitors' technology.
• The return of DS9's Breen has been foreshadowed in every episode of Discovery season 5, setting up an inevitable conflict.
• The Breen's interest in Progenitors' treasure poses a major threat, potentially leading to a bidding war with the Tholian Assembly.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange" confirms that a fight between the USS Discovery and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Breen is inevitable. In "Face the Strange", written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose , Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) are thrown into a potential future where the Breen have annihilated the crew of the USS Discovery and the entire Federation . This dark future is what will happen if Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) get hold of the Progenitors' treasure and sell it to the highest bidder.

The return of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Breen has been seeded since Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1 , "Red Directive", in which Captain Saru (Doug Jones) highlighted the Breen Imperium as a potential threat to the Federation . Now it appears that the crew of the USS Discovery will be fighting to prevent the Progenitors' technology from falling into the hands of the Breen in the remaining episodes of season 5. This plot development makes a return appearance from DS9 's most enigmatic aliens an inevitability as Discovery season 5 continues .

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 Ending Explained

Every episode of star trek: discovery season 5 so far has referenced ds9's breen.

There has been a mention of the Breen in each of the four episodes released from Star Trek: Discovery season 5 . "Red Directive" featured Saru reflecting on the Breen Imperium's potential threat to the future of the Federation. The second episode, "Under the Twin Moons", opens with Captain Rayner raging about the impending threat of the Breen while being court-martialed. Ambassador Saru's first day in his new diplomatic career in "Jinaal" saw him mediate a discussion that highlighted the threat to security posed by the Breen.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange", builds on these previous teases by revealing that the Breen are a major threat to the Federation . Sent into a potential future, Burnham and Rayner discover that if the USS Discovery doesn't secure the Progenitors' technology, then Moll and L'ak will sell it to the Breen . The Breen will then use the Progenitors' technology to destroy the Federation and rule over the galaxy, setting up Discovery 's darkest future timeline. While Burnham, Rayner, and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) have prevented this for now, there's still a chance for the Breen to acquire the treasure.

The Breen Are Moll And L'ak's Highest Bidders For The Progenitors' Treasure

Just because Burnham, Rayner, and Stamets pulled the time bug out of the USS Discovery's systems, it doesn't mean that the Breen aren't still keen to get their hands on the Progenitors' treasure. It's possible that Moll and L'ak have already secured interest from the Breen and other parties, who are now watching their progress with interest. If Moll and L'ak fail to secure the next clue in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", then one of these interested parties may take a more hands-on approach when it comes to Discovery 's Progenitor technology .

The Tholian Assembly have also been named as a potential threat to the Federation, potentially setting up a bidding war with the Breen in a future episode.

Indeed, the trailer for Star Trek: Discovery season 5 showed the ship under heavy attack from a fleet of starships that could potentially be 32nd century Breen vessels . Moll and L'ak have already shown themselves to be highly creative and unpredictable in their dealings with the USS Discovery, so securing the services of one of the Federation's biggest enemies is a serious possibility. The two couriers may decide that the protection and support of the Breen is exactly what they need to complete their quest and get their own happy ever after, regardless of the wider galactic consequences.

Why DS9's Breen Want The Progenitors' Treasure In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

From what little Star Trek: Deep Space Nine revealed about the Breen, it's safe to assume that the aliens may not even be humanoid. The Breen wore refrigeration suits to maintain their temperature on the multiple worlds that were too warm for their bodies. The Breen also had no circulatory system to speak of, as revealed in the DS9 episode "In Purgatory's Shadow". Wherever the Breen originated from, it's clear that they're not a species who were born out of the seeds planted by the Progenitors in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Therefore, the Breen could use the incredible powers provided by the Progenitors' technology to destroy all humanoid life in the galaxy . It would be the perfect way for them to assert their dominance as they recalibrate the temperature of other planets and use the very building blocks of creation to dismantle humanoid life. The introduction of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's enigmatic aliens as the highest bidders for Star Trek: Discovery season 5's treasure seriously ups the stakes for the second half of the season, setting Burnham on a collision course with the Breen.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook Review

Blueprints of the Deep Space 9 space station. Odo’s Quarters. The Bajoran Temple. The Infirmary. Quark’s holosuites. Turbolift Network. The Bajoran Wormhole. Cargo Bays. Transporter Systems. The EPS Network. Garak’s Clothiers. The USS Defiant … Nearly two hundred different areas of the space station, including those mentioned above, each get their own dedicated page full of descriptions and rarely seen images in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook. Brace yourselves, this book is the closest we’ve gotten yet to an actual tour of our beloved space station!

The partnership between Eaglemoss and the Star Trek franchise seems, for all intents and purposes, one blessed by the prophets themselves. For years, Eaglemoss has rolled out model starships that are critically acclaimed and, due to their limited edition, have also become hot tickets in the Star Trek collecting community. Eaglemoss’ literature division, Hero Collector, refusing to take second place to its parent company’s collector items, has knocked it out of the park with high quality, informative, and entertaining releases that expand our knowledge of Roddenberry’s ever-growing universe. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook is the fourth in Hero Collector’s illustrated handbook series. The previous three — the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, and the USS Voyager — have all been well received. Does the DS9 Handbook manage to hold up the high bar set by its predecessors?

Yes. Yes, it does. Space station Deep Space 9 doesn’t have the benefit of warping from one end of the universe to another on a whim. It’s bigger than a typical starship. It’s not home away from home for most of its occupants, it’s home. It is the gate guarding a wormhole that is the envy of the universe. It is also the divine cradle that holds in its long-winded halls the destinies of the Bajorans and the Cardassians. How do you even begin to encompass all of that in one book, not to mention the station’s companion ship, the U.S.S. Defiant? Turns out the route its writer Simon Hugo and editor Ben Robinson take is a great way to go about it. The book starts with a quick layout of the history of the station prior to it becoming DS9, all the way to its status toward the end of the seven-season series. We then get treated to beautifully illustrated cross-sections of not just the station but also its essential parts like the Fusion Power Generation, the EPS Network, the Defensive Shields, and many more. Going through these pages which read like an engineers’ manual gives you a peek into the mind of Miles O’Brien and his team.

If the technical parts of the station start wearing you down, you can jump to Quark’s Bar where you can learn about the game of Dabo and spend valuable time with Morn, an experience essential for the soul of every Trekkie. While at the bar, you can overhear engineers discussing their troubles with the transport systems. You might even see freight workers hushedly discussing contraband deals before heading to the cargo boy. If you listen really carefully you will no doubt hear whispers of anti changeling devices but don’t get too nosy because there in the corner Odo is watching, ready to pounce on you for not minding your own business! Good luck trying to outrun Odo as you speed across the space station, running past crew quarters, the mess hall, the infirmary and even if you make it past the pristine security gates of DS9 and into the safety of your ship, just know it’s game over when the Defiant starts tailing you.

The DS9 Handbook is a guided tour, a handbook of the architectural marvel, a history book and a collection of lessons in space station construction all rolled into one. The breathtaking, incredible cross-sections, the surprisingly easy-to-understand technical information, and the captivating photos of the station’s crew make this book an essential read for every Deep Space Nine fan.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook

Authors: Ben Robinson and Simon Hugo Final rating:  Warp 9 out of 10

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Illustrated Handbook is now available on Amazon .

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek merchandise releases, along with news on Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Prodigy , and more.

You can follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

An immigrant from India living in the Deep South, Shashank takes breaks in between dreaming about life on a starship to write comic books, co-host PoliTreks and role-play Captain Varun Rai on Faraday . You can follow Shashank on Twitter @gutter_hero .

February 26, 2021 at 11:43 am

This looks fantastic. Is it written in-world or from the audience’s perspective?

February 26, 2021 at 12:00 pm

I have the Enterprise-D book and thought it was really well done. As a big DS9 fan, I might just have to add this one to my collection.

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What Happened To The Cast Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine After The Show Ended

Chronicling the adventures of a space station crew at the mouth of the galaxy's only stable wormhole, "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" distinguishes itself from the rest of the "Star Trek" franchise in many ways. With a group of sympathetic characters that includes a money-hungry criminal, a former terrorist, and an exiled spy, "Deep Space Nine" added a level of moral ambiguity and complexity not seen before or since in "Trek" films or shows. While it may not have been the most popular "Trek" series when it first aired, its more serialized storytelling makes it a perfect match for the era of streaming services.

"Deep Space Nine" was also different from other "Trek" shows because of its huge cast. Along with the principal actors, "Deep Space Nine" commanded a small army of recurring players, some of whom portrayed characters that remain fan favorites. We couldn't fit all those actors into a single story about what happened to the show's cast after it ended, but we've tracked down enough to fit in a shuttlecraft.

Avery Brooks dealt with industry hurdles after DS9

Few "Star Trek" captains shoulder the kind of responsibility borne by Benjamin Sisko, who Avery Brooks played for all seven seasons of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Along with the usual duties of keeping his crew safe, Sisko is charged with nudging Bajor toward the Federation, unintentionally becoming a religious figure, and waging a war against the Dominion, all while raising his son alone.

When Brooks  joined the faculty of Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts , it was widely believed his departure from professional acting was a willing one . In a 2020 interview on Orville Nation, however, Brooks' co-star Cirroc Lofton suggested Brooks was blacklisted in Hollywood even before "Deep Space Nine." He said showrunner Ira Steven Behr was warned against hiring Brooks for "Deep Space Nine" by "other producers" — advice Behr thankfully ignored. Lofton didn't say why Brooks was reportedly blacklisted, but did say he thought his TV father was "being discriminated against" and suggested at least part of the motivation was racial. 

Regardless, Brooks hasn't left acting behind entirely. Among other things, he starred as a detective in the 2001 crime thriller "15 Minutes." He's also done voice work for audiobooks as well as narrating documentaries for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

René Auberjonois left behind a body of great work

Before "Deep Space Nine," René Auberjonois was best known as the snooty Clayton Endicott III on the popular sitcom "Benson," a character who couldn't be farther from Constable Odo. A solitary, uncompromising security chief, Odo often feels more like the hardboiled private eyes Captain Picard likes to dress up as on the holodeck. While many DS9 residents see him as aloof and hard-hearted, Odo bears a torch for Kira Nerys that eventually develops into a romance, and he occasionally betrays a soft spot for the station's most well-known crook, the Ferengi bartender Quark.

Unfortunately, in December 2019 news broke that Auberjonois had passed away from metastatic lung caner at the age of 79 . After "DS9," Auberjonois never stopped working, and kept landing great roles in movies and TV shows. For example, he joined another "Trek" alum — William Shatner — on the dramedy "Boston Legal." He also built an impressive body of voice work before his death, including on animated series like " Archer ," "Avengers Assemble," and "Young Justice."

Cirroc Lofton shifted focus

One of the many things that distinguishes "Deep Space Nine" from other "Star Trek" series is the relationship between Ben Sisko and his son Jake, the latter played by Cirroc Lofton. While his father bears the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders, Jake forges a friendship with the Ferengi Nog, navigates the dating world, and discovers his passion — writing. 

Lofton continued to act, though his acting credits grew more sparse the more time that passed from the end of "Deep Space Nine." His first role after "Trek" was as Curtis Thorpe on the Showtime drama "The Hoop Life," but in more recent years he's taken smaller roles, including as a security guard on two episodes of "Days of Our Lives." 

Lofton's switched focus to other endeavors. For example,  in 2010 he opened Cafe Cirroc in Culver City, California , though it's since closed. More recently, in 2019, Lofton helped launch the Star Trek podcast "The 7th Rule" with his late friend and co-star Aron Eisenberg.

Alexander Siddig found more great roles

The serialized storytelling of "Deep Space Nine" facilitates a lot more character growth than we see in other "Trek" series. A perfect example is Doctor Julian Bashir, played by Alexander Siddig. Early in the series, Bashir is often the last person any of the other characters want to talk to. Naive, long-winded, and cursed with an unfortunate tendency to hit on his patients, Bashir matures over the course of "Deep Space Nine" (though he still occasionally hits on his patients).

Few "Deep Space Nine" alum have landed as many varied and prominent roles as Siddig since the Trek series ended. In particular, Siddig's enjoyed a lot of great TV work including playing the sickly Prince Doran Martell in "Game of Thrones," the artist Ruben Oliver in Netflix's period crime drama "Peaky Blinders," and the immortal villain Ra's al Ghul in "Gotham." You also may have seen him in the films "Kingdom of Heaven," as the Greek god Hermes in 2010's "Clash of the Titans," or more recently in the crime thriller led by the late Chadwick Boseman, "21 Bridges."

Colm Meaney never took a break

Originally appearing in the recurring role of Miles O'Brien on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Colm Meaney graduated to series regular on "Deep Space Nine" as the station's tireless, overworked chief of operations. Among other things, O'Brien is known for enduring more creative narrative torture than just about any character on the show — including being subjected to the virtual memories of a decades-long prison sentence, having teeth ripped out by Cardassians, and even dying from radiation exposure and being replaced by a future version of himself.

While O'Brien may not have always been the luckiest of souls, Meaney found great fortune before and after "Deep Space Nine." Before playing DS9's chief of operations, he landed smaller roles in popular movies like "Dances with Wolves" and "Under Siege." He's kept busy since the end of the "Deep Space Nine" with a variety of projects that includes playing an Irish gangster in 2004's "Layer Cake" and Thomas "Doc" Durant in the AMC Western "Hell on Wheels." 

In March 2021, Meaney told Looper that while no one's talked to him about reprising the role Miles O'Brien for "Star Trek: Picard," that he'd be willing to do it with the proviso there would need to be "a good and valid reason for him to pop up." 

Nana Visitor is still among the stars

Major — and later Colonel — Kira Nerys isn't your average "Star Trek" first officer. A former self-proclaimed terrorist who fought to free Bajor from the Cardassian occupation, Kira doesn't trust the Federation at first. Early in the series she bumps heads with Sisko more often than not, though eventually they earn each other's respect and friendship. 

Nana Visitor and co-star Alexander Siddig began dating in 1995 . They married two years later and, while they divorced in 2001, one important piece of their union is a part of "Trek" history. In Season 4's "Body Parts," Visitor's real life pregnancy was written into the series in order to explain the telltale "baby bump." Kira winds up carrying the baby of Miles and Keiko O'Brien after an accident injures the pregnant Keiko. 

Visitor continues screen acting today. Following "Deep Space Nine," she was the sadistic Madame X on the science fiction drama "Dark Angel" and later played Jean Ritter on ABC Family's "Wildfire." Along with other one-offs and recurring roles, she's dipped her toe into voice work, in particular voicing several characters on "Family Guy."

Armin Shimerman became an author

In many ways, the Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) is at the very center of what sets "Deep Space Nine" apart from other "Trek" series. Quark doesn't share the Federation's high-minded ideals, and his criminal schemes tend to make bad situations worse on DS9. Still, Quark is no villain. Either out of pure self-preservation or emotional attachments to which he won't admit, Quark often finds himself on the good guys' side, including briefly taking up arms against the Dominion in Seasons 6 and 7.

Along with various live-action work, Shimerman's built a thriving voice acting career since closing his bar on DS9 for good. Fans of animation have heard him on "The Tick" and "Regular Show," among others. If you're a gamer there's a good chance you've heard his voice in "World of Warcraft" or as the villain Andrew Ryan in "BioShock." Shimerman's also a professional author. Most notably he's written a book series called "The Merchant Prince" in which Shimerman and various co-authors use science fiction to reimagine the real-life Elizabethan figure John Dee.

Terry Farrell built a new life

Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) of "Deep Space Nine" boasts one of the series' most interesting origin stories. Jadzia is a Trill who shares her body with a slug-shaped symbiote — Dax — living within her. While Jadzia is a young woman, Dax has lived for centuries and all of those memories are shared with their host. Dax's previous host, the late Curzon, was Ben Sisko's friend and mentor, explaining why Sisko refers to Jadzia as "old man."

Farrell proved to be the only member of the original regular cast to not be around for the final season. When contract negotiations broke down between Farrell and producer Rick Berman, she left the series and her character was killed off in the Season 6 finale. 

After "Deep Space Nine," Farrell played Reggie on the Ted Danson-led sitcom "Becker," but she was written out of the show after the fourth season . Farrell retired from acting , though she returned in the late 2010's starting with the fan-made TV series "Star Trek: Renegades." She also married Adam Nimoy — son of the late Leonard Nimoy, best known as the iconic "Trek" character Spock. 

Michael Dorn hasn't left Worf behind

Beginning with the Season 4 premiere "The Way of the Warrior," Worf (Michael Dorn) from "The Next Generation" joins his fellow Starfleet officers on DS9. Used to a much more ordered and predictable environment, Worf at first has trouble adjusting to the station, but soon becomes an integral part of the crew.

Dorn continued to play Worf in "TNG" films, including in the final installment of the series, 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis." Starting with the second film, Dorn became a regular fixture in the "Santa Clause" movies and landed the recurring role of a psychiatrist in the crime dramedy series "Castle." 

In January 2021, Dorn told Horror Geek Life that he was campaigning for either a solo Worf TV series or film  and in April 2021,  he cryptically tweeted that he was "summoned back to action. Starfleet calls." It was later confirmed, however, that Dorn wouldn't be playing Worf for any upcoming Paramount+ TV show or a film , leaving fans dismayed when it turned out he was referring to a video game .  

Aron Eisenberg left behind a powerful Star Trek legacy

No "Deep Space Nine" character evolves more during the series than the Ferengi Nog, played by the late Aron Eisenberg. In the beginning of the series he's a petty thief who talks about humans like they're garbage, and by the final season he's a courageous Starfleet officer. 

Eisenberg's acting credits grew sparse after "Deep Space Nine," though the late 2010s saw the actor making a return starting with the 2016 TV movie "Cozmo's." In 2019 he joined "DS9" co-star Cirroc Lofton on the podcast "The 7th Rule," but sadly Eisenberg was destined not to see 2020. Suffering chronic health problems for most of his life, Eisenberg died of heart failure at the age of 50 in September 2019 . The day before his death, his final film appearance was released in theaters — the gambling comedy "7 Days to Vegas." 

In its third season, "Star Trek: Discovery" paid tribute to Eisenberg in a special way. In "Die Trying," the crew of the Discovery is reunited with the Federation after jumping over 900 years into the future, and one of Starfleet's new ships is named "USS Nog."

Andrew Robinson told us Garak's life story

As demonstrated in the 2018 documentary "What We Left Behind," plenty of "Deep Space Nine" fans name the enigmatic Garak as their favorite character from the series. The Cardassian is a spy exiled from his homeworld for reasons he consistently lies about. While he often works alongside the crew of DS9, it's never a guarantee, and to the end of the series his past remains shrouded in mystery.

One of the first things Robinson did after the end of "Deep Space Nine" was to give fans Garak's life story. In 2000, his novel "A Stitch in Time" was released. Created from notes Robinson made while playing Garak, "A Stitch in Time" gives us Robinson's version of the Cardassian's history.  Much of his acting work after "DS9" came in one-offs and recurring roles on TV series, though he has had the opportunity to return to the role of Garak in interesting ways. In particular, Garak is much of the focus of the non-canonical remote series "Alone Together: A DS9 Companion" that Robinson made alongside other "DS9" alums.

Max Grodénchik moved across the pond

The Ferengi of "Star Trek" are known for their trickery and avarice, but Rom of "Deep Space Nine" — played by Max Grodénchik — is a breed apart. Rom is deceptively complex. While most of DS9's population initially see him as good-hearted but stupid, Rom proves to be an engineering prodigy on par with Starfleet's best. Not only does his raw know-how singlehandedly keep his brother Quark's replicators and holosuites running, but it's Rom who conceives of the ingenious minefield in the Season 5 finale "Call to Arms" that holds the overpowering Dominion at bay. 

Grodénchik continued to make brief appearances in TV shows like "Six Feet Under" and "CSI" after "Deep Space Nine," as well as contributing his voice to video games like "Star Trek: Armada II" and "Star Trek Online." By the time StarTrek.com interviewed Grodénchik in 2014 , he'd moved to Austria with his wife and daughter in order to be closer to his wife's family. He hasn't left his passion for acting behind, however, and continues to appear mostly in European-produced films and TV series.

Marc Alaimo

"Deep Space Nine" has the honor of being the home of Star Trek's greatest villain  – Gul Dukat, played by Marc Alaimo. Beginning as your average power-hungry Cardassian and eventually becoming a DS9 frenemy, a warlord, a madman, and eventually a vessel for the evil gods known as the Pah-wraiths, Dukat displays more growth and change over the course of "Deep Space Nine" than any antagonist in the franchise.

Some interesting and potentially revealing moments in the 2018 documentary "What We Left Behind" suggest that life may have imitated art when it came to Alaimo's relations with the rest of the crew. In the documentary, Nana Visitor recalls being mortified at the suggestion that the writers might create a romance between her character and Dukat while, like his character, Alaimo admits to being attracted to Visitor.  

While it's been some time since Alaimo has earned any acting credits, he did make a very interesting appearance in 2020. While the principal photography was completed in 1983, it took 37 years for the horror flick "Grizzly II: Revenge" to finally be released , in which Alaimo not only co-stars with Louise Fletcher — who would go on to play both Alaimo's enemy and lover in "Deep Space Nine" — but with a star-studded cast that includes Charlie Sheen, Laura Dern, and George Clooney.

Jeffrey Combs

There are quite a few actors who have played multiple roles in the "Star Trek" franchise , but the undisputed king of them is Jeffrey Combs, who first reached prominence as the star of the 1985 comedy horror classic "Re-Animator." Among other "Trek" roles, Combs played not one but two of the most memorable recurring "DS9" villains. He's the Ferengi Brunt who keeps showing up to make Quark's life miserable, but he's best remembered as Weyoun — the mischievous but charismatic Vorta representative of the Dominion who coordinates the war effort against the Federation and their allies.

Combs seemingly hasn't been interested in taking a break since the vengeful Garak murdered his final clone in the "Deep Space Nine" series finale. The following year he appeared as an alien gladiator recruiter in the Season 6 "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Tsunkatse" and, starting with its first season, portrayed the recurring blue-skinned frenemy Commander Shran on "Star Trek: Enterprise." Along with other brief appearances, he's the paranoid Kevin Burkhoff on "The 4400" and has a prosperous voice acting career.

Nicole de Boer is still entertaining in the Great White North

Terry Farrell's departure from "Deep Space Nine" marked the tragic end of Jadzia's story, but not the end of her symbiote Dax. In the final moments of the Season 7 premiere, Nicole de Boer reveals herself to the Siskos as Ezri — the newest host of the Dax symbiote. Less confident than Jadzia and more socially awkward, Ezri Dax gives the series an interesting new chemistry in its twilight season.

De Boer is Canadian, and much of her post-"Trek" work has been in joint American-Canadian productions such as her first big TV role after leaving "Deep Space Nine" — as Sarah Bracknell Bannerman, the female lead of USA's "The Dead Zone." Starting in 2010, she landed a recurring role on another Stephen King adaptation. She plays the antique store owner Marion Caldwell in the supernatural series "Haven," based on King's 2005 novel "The Colorado Kid." More recently on the Canadian crime drama "Private Eyes," De Boer plays the ex-wife of Jason Priestly's investigator lead.

Chase Masterson found her voice

As soon as Leeta (Chase Masterson) shows up in Season 3's "Explorers," the attractive Bajoran Dabo girl is set up as a new romantic interest for Dr. Bashir. The pair enjoy a romance that ends with Season 5's "Let He Who Is Without Sin..." She goes on to fall in love with her boss' brother Rom and marry him in the Season 5 finale. While she's rarely a major player, "DS9" wouldn't be the same without her. 

Since shedding her Bajoran nose ridges, Masterson has taken command of her voice in more than one way. Like a number of "DS9" alum, she's become a hotly sought-after voice actor. Along with other series, she provides the voice of the computer for the CW's sci-fi series "Pandora." After appearing in "Doctor Who" audio plays as the bounty hunter Vienna, Masterson landed her own spinoff "Vienna" audio series. She's also a singer and has released a number of jazz records, including 2008's "Thrill of the Chase." 

Louise Fletcher loved her time on DS9

If you want to make a "Deep Space Nine" fan growl, say the name "Kai Winn" within earshot. Best known for her Oscar-winning performance as Nurse Ratched in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Louise Fletcher evokes similar reactions from "Trek" fans as Winn Adami. Winn is a power-hungry religious fanatic who reeks of passive aggression in almost every scene. 

Speaking to StarTrek.com in 2012, Fletcher said she wasn't much of a Trek fan before joining the cast of "Deep Space Nine," but she treasured the experience of playing Kai Winn . She said the show was blessed with "the most professional cast and crew imaginable," and that working with them "was like playing a symphony for the 99th time."

Fletcher continued to appear in TV and films regularly after "Deep Space Nine." Among other productions, she landed recurring roles on "ER" and "Heroes," as well as playing the main character's mother on Showtime's "Shameless." 

Salome Jens continued her already impressive career after DS9

While subordinates like Dukat and Weyoun might have more screen time, on "Deep Space Nine" there was no higher-ranking villain in the Dominion than the unnamed Female Changeling, played by Salome Jens. While she would later take a larger hand in the military aspect of the war with the Federation, at first the Female Changeling is at her most devious in her attempts to seduce Odo away from his DS9 found family.

Few "Deep Space Nine" cast members had careers as prolific as Jens, who first started showing up on the screen in the mid-'50s. Jens appeared in classic TV series like "The Untouchables," "Gunsmoke," and the original '60s "The Outer Limits." A few years before showing up on "Deep Space Nine," she even played Martha Kent on the syndicated "Superboy" series. 

Since "Deep Space Nine," Jens appeared as one of the Guardians of Oa in 2011's "Green Lantern." She's also scored a number of voice roles in "Star Trek" video games, along with the 2001 comedy "Cats & Dogs."

Penny Johnson Jerald found her way back to the stars

Ben Sisko doesn't have a lot of romantic storylines in "Deep Space Nine," though that changes in Season 3's "Family Business" when his son Jake plays matchmaker and sets him up with the freighter captain Kassidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald). They seem like the perfect match right away, and their relationship miraculously survives the reveal toward the end of Season 4 that Yates is working with the rebellious Maquis. In the final season, Ben and Kassidy are married in spite of warnings from the Prophets, though their wedded bliss ends in the series finale when Sisko is called home to live among the godlike aliens. 

Jerald has enjoyed a rich and diverse acting career since the end of "Deep Space Nine." She's President Palmer's ex-wife Sherry in "24," precinct captain Victoria Gates in "Castle," and the Director of National Intelligence in "The 4400." She also got the chance to graduate from Captain Sisko's love interest to the ship's doctor as Claire Finn on Seth MacFarlane's love letter to "Star Trek," "The Orville."

Casey Biggs is a lot more resilient than Damar

When he spoke to TrekMovie in June 2020, Casey Biggs said he never expected to play Damar — Gul Dukat's second-in-command — for more than one episode, but his character would go on to become one of the most important recurring characters in the series. Little more than the Dominion's puppet, Damar is installed as the Cardassian head of state after Starfleet captures Dukat. Unable to confront his impotence as a leader, Damar first tries to drink his problems away. Eventually, however, his masters heap enough abuses on Cardassia that Damar is willing to lead a rebellion against the Dominion and dies fighting in the series finale.

Biggs returned to the world of "Star Trek" as an Illyrian captain in the final season of "Star Trek: Enterprise." Along with his "Trek"-related appearances at conventions and other events, Biggs continues his career as a character actor. Since the end of "Deep Space Nine," he's appeared mostly in minor roles on TV series like "The X-Files," "Shameless," and "The Mentalist." 

Rosalind Chao could have spent a lot more time on Star Trek

When Miles O'Brien accepts his new position on DS9, he's joined by his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao), who never seems to find a place for herself. She eventually accepts a research job that keeps her away from the station for months at a time, but things change when she finds herself pregnant with a second child. 

For all seven seasons of "Deep Space Nine," Chao only appears in 19 episodes as Keiko O'Brien, though according to the actor, she could have had a lot more time onscreen if she'd wanted. In 1996, she told the Chicago Tribune she was originally offered a regular role on the series but preferred the option of a recurring role, which freed up her schedule to pursue outside opportunities.

Chao's work in film and TV has kept her very busy since "Deep Space Nine," including appearing in the 2001 drama "I Am Sam," as Dr. Kim on "The O.C.," and as Hua Li, the titular hero's mother in the live-action remake of Disney's "Mulan." 

J.G. Hertzler still hasn't left Star Trek behind

While he plays a few other characters on the series — including an unnamed Vulcan captain in the premiere episode — J.G. Hertzler's best-remembered "Deep Space Nine" role is the Klingon General Martok, a one-eyed warrior who forges a strong friendship with Worf and eventually ascends to the Chancellorship of the Klingon Empire. Speaking to StarTrek.com in 2019, Hertzler said he secured his role as Martok in a surprising but effective way — by slamming a chair into a wall during the audition.

While "Deep Space Nine" may be over, Hertzler never fully put "Star Trek" in his rear view mirror. He was cast as one of the hunting-obsessed Hirogen on "Voyager," played two different Klingons on "Enterprise," provided voices for multiple "Trek" video games, and as recently as 2020 voiced a Drookmani captain for the goofball animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks." He's also lent his vocalizations to non-"Trek" video games like "Dead Space" and the first two "BioShock" installments. 

Brock Peters left behind wonderful performances

In Season 4's "Homefront," we're introduced to a new Sisko — Ben's father Joseph, played by Brock Peters. A chef and New Orleans restaurant owner, Joseph is stubborn, charismatic, and fiercely protective of his grandson Jake. While he only appears in six episodes, Peters' time as Joseph Sisko is unforgettable. "Deep Space Nine" wasn't Peters' first time in the "Trek" franchise, either. In 1986's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," Peters plays Admiral Cartwright — a high-ranking Starfleet officer who eventually turns traitor. 

Peters enjoyed a long acting career before "Deep Space Nine." He plays the wrongly convicted Tom Robinson in 1962's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Chief Hatcher in the classic 1973 dystopian thriller "Soylent Green." 

Unfortunately, Peters passed away from pancreatic cancer in August 2005 at the age of 78 . Much of his acting between "Deep Space Nine" and his death was voice work, including voicing the police officer Jomo in the 2002 animated film "The Wild Thornberrys" and playing the Klingon General Mi'Qogh in a video game from the same year, "Star Trek: Starfleet Command III."

Will Star Trek: Deep Space Nine return as a revival or reboot?

By rachel carrington | aug 7, 2022.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters have been conspicuously absent from the newer Star Trek series.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is one of the most beloved of the Star Trek series. It was the darkest of the series that wasn’t afraid to tackle the tough stuff head on. While all of the newer series on Paramount+ today have been reconnecting with past series like Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine characters have been absent from them all.  Although Lower Decks will be paying an animated visit to the station in its upcoming season, it isn’t quite as satisfying as it would be to see some of the familiar characters in live action.

Recently, Alex Kurtzman discussed, in a roundabout way , bringing these characters back. He didn’t come out and say that anything was definitive, only that “conversations were being had.” And he called Captain Sisko a “critcal, critical figure.” So while it sounds like he’s interested in returning the captain to a series, what isn’t clear is if that character would be portrayed by Avery Brooks.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could be rebooted with new actors.

It’s a horrifying thought because who wants to see Captain Sisko without Brooks or Colonel Kira without Nana Visitor? But if one or more of the actors aren’t interested in returning to their previous roles, would Kurtzman then turn to a reboot instead of bringing any familiar faces back?

Let’s consider this. Deep Space Nine wasn’t about Utopia. It didn’t show the best parts of living in the future. Characters struggled with war, enslavement, economic injustice, racism, and terrorism. It wasn’t a series about space exploration, and that lessened its popularity in the eyes of some viewers. The ratings for the series weren’t as strong as those that were enjoyed by Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Now that all of Trek is on streaming, a revival of the series is certainly an option if enough actors are onboard, but there would be the cost of securing those actors as well as the per episode cost to create the updated effects. And it would be done so without knowing if such an undertaking would be more successful this time around. On the other hand, a reboot of the series with new characters could lower some of the overhead and give Paramount+ the chance to see if a new Deep Space Nine would work with perhaps investing in one or two of the original characters.

Personally, I’m not interested in a reboot of any Star Trek series, and I’m not so sure a revival of Deep Space Nine would work, either. When the series ended, many of the main characters had departed from the station, including Captain Sisko, Worf, Odo, and Chief O’Brien. So that doesn’t leave very many original characters to bring back to a revival. And Deep Space Nine was a work of art, and reviving it could ruin its legacy.

We don’t know what Alex Kurtzman has in mind when it comes to this series, but those of us who love it don’t want to see it or the characters that brought it to life damanged. So if Star Trek has any interest in another series set on a space station, perhaps it would be better off starting over with a new station and a new cast.

Next. Penny Johnson Jerald calls Star Trek: Deep Space Nine set rigid. dark

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Pluto TV Adds Dedicated ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ Channel

| April 2, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 26 comments so far

PlutoTV is part of the Paramount Global portfolio of services, and as we’ve reported before , the ad-supported free streaming service has multiple Star Trek series that run on their “Star Trek” and “More Star Trek” channels. PlutoTV has been streaming Star Trek: The Original Series , The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager on those two live Star Trek channels. This week, PlutoTV launched a third channel in the USA, solely dedicated to a Deep Space Nine . This is a first for Trek on PlutoTV.

3 live Trek channels

Adding a channel just for DS9 is part of Pluto’s 10th anniversary celebration:

In April, we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary in a big way, welcoming a dedicated Deep Space Nine channel to our growing Star Trek lineup and more.

The Deep Space Nine channel is already up and running next to the two other Trek channels…

Pluto now has 3 Trek channels

Pluto’s original Star Trek channel is now dedicated to streaming episodes of TOS and TNG. For now the More Star Trek channel is streaming episodes of  Voyager .

Trek on demand

In addition to episodes being shown on live-streaming channels, select seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series ,  Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and Star Trek: Voyager are also available on demand.

Star Trek plays a big part for Paramount’s free streamer. Periodically Pluto has Star Trek movies streaming live and on demand. And when new seasons of Paramount+ original Star Trek shows arrive they often use their “Paramount+ Picks” channel to stream season premiere episodes for free.

Pluto TV’s advertisements often feature Trek in some manner. This includes their most recent “Couch Potato” advert which aired during the Super Bowl.

And back in October, Pluto TV had this TNG-inspired advertisement

Pluto TV is available on the web at pluto.tv , and via apps for smart TVs, consoles, and mobile devices.

Keep up with the  Star Trek Universe on TV here at TrekMovie.com .

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As a kid, I used to tell my friends if there was a 24/7 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine channel, I would absolutely tune in regularly.

I think my kid self just called my bluff.

I watch Star Trek on Pluto TV nearly everyday.

Same here. It’s great to have on ‘in the background’ while making dinner, etc.

Someone can dedicate an entire channel to Deep Space Nine, but the owners of Deep Space Nine can’t convert it to HD? To quote a droid from another franchise, “This is madness!”

I feel you but like hear me out

I think one of these things is far more expensive than the other

There’s an old adage about gratitude that goes something to the effect of, “If you find yourself having to walk for miles because your car broke down, try to remember how many people would be thrilled to be able to take that walk.” In this case, if your vision is good enough to make a real distinction between standard-def and HD, be happy you can see that well. Many others can’t, myself included.

Damn, that really sucks, Michael. Is it cataract-related or something less treatable? I’m always worried about vision myself, given the connection between diabetes and blindness.

The Pluto news is pretty good, as I still haven’t gotten season 5 on dvd, which is where my favorite Eddington show appears, plus the baseball card episode.

My vision has been terrible for my entire life, with myopia so severe that it lands me in the top 95th percentile. The good news is that it’s been correctable, so while I was never going to fly the space shuttle (or anything else) I’ve been able to wear contacts that allow me to drive and do just about everything a person with normal vision can do. It’s gotten somewhat worse lately, where I’ll now be in the ridiculous position of having to wear glasses on top of my contacts to see things up close, but that’s my particular burden to bear and I’ll deal with it while still indulging my passion for photography. I’m 65, am in mostly good health, still have the greater percentage of my hair and can press 200+, for all of which I’m grateful. Don’t cry for me, Argentina. 😊

I actually got a doctor’s excuse to get out of swimming in high school owing to what he described as my 20/500 vision (I think it was a bit less than that), saying I’d keep colliding with the pool walls unless the school wanted to make me prescription scuba masks (oddly enough, I met up with my dad later that same year and found out he actually did have a prescription scuba mask for snorkeling, which I guess makes sense given he lived in Hawaii and was probably as nearsighted as I was.)

Wow, my long-lost nearsighted brother. (My actual brother’s eyesight is even worse than my own.) After losing an expensive pair of glasses — there’s no other kind with my prescription — I came to understand that swimming in the ocean would always be problematic for me.

In Canada Pluto has one Star Trek channel and the play TOS and TNG on it. They’ll play roughly 4 or 5 TOS episodes then same amount of TNG episodes and keep rotating.

Yeah, I am envious of those in the US because they not only have two channels plus the new DS9 channel, they also have TOS, TNG and DS9 on demand. To top it off, Pluto US also has a Stargate channel showing episodes of SG1 and Atlantis. Up here we have one live only channel of TOS and TNG.

That said, I guess I should not complain because CTV Sci-Fi channel does show multiple episodes of TOS, TNG, Voyager, DS9 and Enterprise along with SG1 throughout the week and weekend mornings.

Here in Australia our pluto.tv doesn’t have any Star Trek

Thanks for keeping things in perspective. Hopefully sometime soon, Pluto adds a Trek channel to their lineup down under.

Wow great news! I’m amazed how popular DS9 has become the last few decades.

Yup pretty cool. IMHO DS9 is perhaps my favorite series competing head to head with TNG followed by TOS. SNW is also up there too, but not quite in the league with the top 3!

I recently fully rewatched the series (first time since it aired and I was a wee child glued to it) and I can’t honestly say I know what I think of it. Season four and five were almost exclusively excellent and the rest was ups and downs, save for season seven which was almost complete garbage. I loved the best of it and couldn’t stand a lot of it. Do I love the show?? I don’t even know. It left a bad taste but when I look a bit further back I remember how much I loved some of it…and I’m glad it’s getting some love b/c I think the best of it is among the best of Trek. But I can’t say I want to go back to this style of making a season of television. 🫠 I’d love to see some of the available characters again, though, some kind of follow up that did away with the worst flaws. (I do need to read the comics.) (And in case anyone wants to do the toxic nostalgia song n dance, I only did that rewatch b/c modern Trek star Tawny Newsome talks DS9 up at every opportunity. And overall it left me so grateful for the modern era and newly appreciative of the work done in the past. And pleased that I’ll get more of the references in Lower Decks now I’m refreshed, lol)

I agree, for the most part. Season 7 is not garbage and had some of the best episodes, but the final 10 were rough. But I think that is what left that “bad taste.”

If were to rank the 7 seasons of DS9 from best to worst:

4 5 6 3 7 2 1

That is how I feel now, but that could change after another re-watch.

Nothing wrong with liking what you like. I happen to think that the best of DS9 was as good a Star Trek as we’re ever likely to get, but that doesn’t mean the series as a whole was anything like perfect.

I still haven’t seen several trill-oriented eps because the whole subject doesn’t speak to me. Doesn’t stop me from being blown away by a number of great and good eps, though.

am thinking by season, it would probably be, top to bottom: 4 6 3 5 7 2 1

Looks like the “More Star Trek” channel is now the Star Trek: Voyager channel. So DS9 and Voyager both have their own “new” channels.

I’m guessing the More Star Trek channel will add something to the rotation besides Voyager. Otherwise, it seems like they would have renamed it the Star Trek Voyager channel when they were making their changes. I would love for every ST series to have its own channel, or at least for TOS to have its own channel, but I guess we’ll see what happens.

I would imagine Pluto’s unpausable live streaming format probably doesn’t work the best for DS9’s serialized nature. But definitely can cater to the fan wanting o drop in and “trek channel surf”

Pluto needs the ability to pause live content . Even if it’s a max of 15 mins. You can do that with current cable.

Right now it’s literally like watching over the air TV before VCRs were created. No ability to pause or even ” record ” what your seeing.

I disagree. I actually like the lack of ability to pause to mimic the “before-time.”

Also, if you have Paramount + or the shows on disc, then you can pause them that way.

• The Inventory

Another Deep Space Nine Star Wants to Return to Star Trek

Plus, get a look at a few more familiar faces in new pictures from netflix's avatar: the last airbender ..

David Oyelowo has an update on his sequel to The Rocketeer . The next Saw movie might have already found its place in the chronology. Zack Snyder wants to take on a young James Bond. Plus, behind the scenes on Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa. Spoilers, away!

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Armin Shimerman told Screen Rant he “would say yes” if asked to return as Quark in a future Star Trek project.

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The 7th Rule began when Aron Eisenberg & Cirroc Lofton (Nog & Jake Sisko from Star Trek Deep Space Nine) reunited and teamed up with host Ryan T. Husk in January of 2019 to rewatch and discuss the show we all know and love. Years later, and after the tragic passing of our brother, Aron Eisenberg, we have continued on, in his name, with in-depth discussions, joined by creators, directors, writers, actors, and Aron's widow, Malissa Longo. ***Pardon our space dust as we are in the process of RELAUNCHING our podcast for the next few weeks. We have remastered all of our episodes and will be adding them all until we resume Season Seven of DS9.*** SUPPORT the show and join the awesome community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule WATCH the episodes with full video and SUBSCRIBE to our channel for tons of extra footage here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Listen to all our DEEP SPACE NINE AUDIO PODCAST episodes on your favorite podcasting platform here: pod.link/1453564609 Listen to all our NEW STAR TREK AUDIO PODCAST episodes on your favorite podcasting platform here: pod.link/1633001537 Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Produced by Ryan T. Husk Audio Remastered by Scott "Gul DuScott" Jensen Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Special Thanks to Russ Haslage and Subspace Radio

The 7th Rule -- A Star Trek Podcast with DS9's Cirroc Lofton Virtual Trek Con

• 22 APR 2024

Who's Telling The Truth? | TNG 3.14, "A Matter of Perspective" | T7R #274

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: The Next  Generation, Season 3, episode 14,"A Matter of Perspective." Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell  Dr. Ann Marie Segal   Eve England  Yvette Blackmon-Tom  TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor   Tierney C. Dieckmann   Anil O. Polat  Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett  Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Every week, we rewatch an episode of The Next Generation, relive and review it. Join us! Rewatch TNG every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you! If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here:  https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

• 1 hr 13 min
• 15 APR 2024

The One With Q Memes | TNG 3.13, "Deja Q" | T7R

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: The Next  Generation, Season 3, episode 13, "Deja Q." Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Every week, we rewatch an episode of The Next Generation, relive and review it. Join us! Rewatch TNG every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you! If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here:  https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

• 1 hr 14 min

Action Scenes! | With Dennis Madalone | TNG 3.12, "The High Ground" | T7R #272

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: the Next Generation, Season 3, episode 12, "The High Ground." Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer:   Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Every week, we rewatch an episode of The Next Generation, relive and review it. Join us! Rewatch TNG every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you!  If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here:  https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

• 1 hr 17 min

Mythology | With Walter Koenig |TOS 2.2, "Who Mourns for Adonais" | T7R #271

Walter Koenig ("Chekov" on Star Trek The Original Series), Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, episode 2, "Who Mourns for Adonais." Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Join us as we rewatch an episode of The Original Series, relive and review it with Chekov himself the legendary Walter Keonig! Rewatch TOS every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you! If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here: https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

• 1 hr 32 min

Roga Danar | With Jeff McCarthy | TNG 3.12, "The Hunted" | T7R #270

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: the Next Generation, Season 3, episode 12,"TheThe Hunted" Special Guest: Jeff McCarthy  Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Every week, we rewatch an episode of The Next Generation, relive and review it. Join us! Rewatch TNG every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you! If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here:  https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

• 1 hr 25 min
• 25 MAR 2024

Patahk & PetaQ | TNG 3.10, "The Defector" | T7R #269

Cirroc Lofton (Jake Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and sci-fi producer, Ryan T. Husk review and react to Star Trek: the Next Generation, Season 3, episode 10,"The Defector" Producer: Ryan T. Husk Audio Engineer: Scott Jensen Executive Producer: Jason Okun Associate Producers: Homer Frizzell Dr. Ann Marie Segal Eve England Yvette Blackmon-Tom TJ Jackson-Bey Titus Mohler Dr. Mohamed Noor Tierney C. Dieckmann Anil O. Polat Joe Balsarotti Mike Gu Dr. Stephanie Baker Carrie Schwent Faith Howell Edward Foltz AKA Crewman guy Mai, Live From Tokyo Matt Boardman Chris McGee Justin Weir Jake Barrett Henry Unger Allyson Leach-Heid Julie Manasfi Marsha "Classic" Schreier Greg K. Wickstrom Jed Thompson Dr. Susan V. Gruner Glenn Iverson Dave Gregory Tim Baum Special Thanks to Malissa Longo Every week, we rewatch an episode of The Next Generation, relive and review it. Join us! Rewatch TNG every week and get in on the discussion - we'd love to have you! If you enjoy our content please leave us a five star rating and comment/review. Support and join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/The7thRule Watch the episodes with full video here: https://www.youtube.com/c/The7thRule Social media: https://twitter.com/7thRule https://www.facebook.com/The7thRule/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/The7thRule Get cool T7R merchandise here: https://the-7th-rule.creator-spring.com/ Malissa Longo creates fun and functional Star Trek art at: https://theintrovertedrepublic.com/ Get radical Trek swag at Ryan's online store here:  https://star-trek-and-chill.myshopify.com/ We continue The 7th Rule journey without our friend, our brother, Aron Eisenberg. He is still with us in spirit, in stories, in laughter, and in memories, and the show must go on.

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‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s Best Crossover Character Changed the Show Forever

It also results in some of the best relationships within the Star Trek universe.

The Big Picture

• Worf's arrival on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine deepened the exploration of Klingon culture and his personal identity.
• Worf's relationship with Jadzia adds depth to his character and highlights his humanity.
• Worf's struggles adjusting to life on DS9 test his loyalty, friendship, and honor.

Worf, son of Mogh ( Michael Dorn ), is a beloved character initially introduced to audiences in Star Trek: The Next Generation , known for his battle-hardened stoicism and the comedic relief that his upright and rigid demeanor brings. Worf crossed over to Deep Space Nine in the fourth season, much to the delight of Star Trek fans. Initially, his arrival on DS9 allowed the show to explore the Klingon Empire in-depth by extrapolating his inner conflict between his roles as a dutiful Federation Officer and a fierce Warrior of The Klingon Empire.

However, Worf's presence on DS9 would also forever change the series , allowing a deep exploration of the machinations of the Empire through its saga with Gowron ( Robert O'Reilly ). His relationship with Jadzia ( Terry Farrell ), a Trill learned in the ways of the Klingon, would help highlight Worf's humanity, act as a romantic counterpoint to his rigidity, and provide context for the curious observer. Jadzia and Worf are similar in some respects, as they both have multiple identities to reconcile. Jadzia would be the first non-Klingon woman that Worf could be with in the traditional sense, giving a vulnerability to the character that would carry on throughout the series and provide a deep richness to DS9 that helped cement it as a critical series in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

What Is 'Deep Space Nine' About?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth series in the Star Trek universe, created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller . Deep Space Nine ran from January 3, 1993, to June 2, 1999, for 176 episodes over seven seasons. It was the first Star Trek series to be created without the involvement of series founder Gene Roddenberry , the first to be set on a space station, and the first to boast a Black captain in Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ). The series follows the exploits of a hybrid crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers on the titular space station, in orbit above Bajor and adjacent to a wormhole leading to the distant and mysterious Gamma Quadrant. Starfleet has come to oversee the transfer of power from the oppressive Cardassian Empire to the Bajoran civilian government, which has been under the heel of the Cardassians for some time.

The series is much darker than its predecessors . At one point, Major Kira Nerys ( Nana Visitor ), the first officer of Deep Space Nine, is a Cardassian prisoner of war, and even Sisko himself saw his wife killed during a Borg raid on a space station. The currents of trauma that run through the ensemble invoke feelings of loneliness, desperation, and fear, which the characters must overcome in typical Starfleet fashion. The well-roundedness of the characters makes them very compelling and adds a layer of sophistication to the series, which, while present in its predecessors, came into its own during DS9 and became a recurring theme on the show.

One particular theme that runs through Deep Space Nine is the duty to one's station and the duty one has towards one's individuality. This exploration of where duty and individuality meet is present in many characters. Take Odo ( René Auberjonois ) , for example, a Founder separated from his people and planted firmly in the camp of the Alpha Quadrant. In contrast, his people wage war on the planets of the Federation. Odo must choose between his people, Starfleet, and his cultural identity and individuality. So, too, must Kira, whose hatred for the Cardassian is a defining feature of her character, and who has to learn to overcome this so that it does not interfere with her duties to Starfleet. This war between the Founders, their allies, and Starfleet is the primary conflict in the series . They are a formidable race of shapeshifters backed by the Jem'Hadar, a warrior race of beings whose soul existence is to crush opposition. They are a tough, genocidal race, terrifying in their methods and fearsome enough to give the Klingon Empire a run for its money.

Worf's Arrival Changed 'Deep Space Nine' for the Better

Worf joins the crew of Deep Space Nine during the feature-long premiere episode of Season 4 in "The Way Of The Warrior." At the beginning of the episode, the Klingon Empire, led by Gowron, shows up at the space station to aid them in their fight against the Founders. This is a serious boon for Starfleet and the Alpha Quadrant, as the Klingons are such fearsome and brutal fighters that they may tip the balance of power throughout the war. But they push things too far, illegally searching Bajoran ships and starting a war with the Cardassians, whom they believe to be comprised of the shapeshifting Founders. Worf is brought to gather intelligence by reaching out to the Empire. He is very close with Gowron, who has absolved Worf and his family of their generations-long disgrace. Worf learns of the Klingon plans to invade Cardassia and must choose between fulfilling his duties to Starfleet or joining Gowron in battle. Worf's choice to maintain his honor by remaining in Starfleet is a moral choice that tests his individuality against those of his bloodthirsty cultural traditions.

Throughout the series, Worf meets Deep Space Nine's chief science officer, Jadzia Dax, a Trill and the host of the symbiont that once belonged to Curzon Dax . Due to the Dax symbiont carrying all its previous hosts' memories, Jadzia can tap into Curzon's familiarity with Klingon customs. The characters are exciting foils to one another. Worf is glib, stoic, and utterly humorless, while Jadzia is more irreverent and open, owing to the many past lives she recalls through her symbiont. However, the two also have more in common than one might think ; they are both people who have multiple identities. The critical difference is that Jadzia has reconciled her identities, while Worf remains at odds with his.

Jadzia is the only person aboard Deep Space Nine who can genuinely understand Worf , and it is this factor that blossoms their innocuous meeting into what may be one of the most fantastic love stories ever told in the Star Trek universe. Their connection is marvelous as their conflicting natures are both points of contention that allow for humorous moments where Jadzia's tenderness assuages the beast within Worf. It is delightful to watch Worf babysit chief operations officer Miles O'Brien's ( Colm Meaney ) daughter, paving the way for the couple to conceive a child of their own — which is made all the more tragic by Jadzia's murder and Worf's spiral into despair.

Worf Had a Difficult Time Adjusting To Life On Deep Space Nine

Initially, Worf has his former Enterprise crewmate O'Brien to help ease his transition into life on the space station. The two were close, and their relationship strengthened on The Next Generation , after Worf helped O'Brien's wife Keiko ( Rosalind Chao ) give birth to their daughter. When Worf joins the crew of DS9, O'Brien is among the first to receive him to help him acclimate — introducing him to Doctor Julian Bashir ( Alexander Siddig ), a rival suitor for Jadzia's affections and eventual boyfriend to Ezri ( Nicole de Boer ), who becomes the host of the Dax symbiote after Jadzia's untimely death.

O'Brien is the only person Worf can genuinely confide in after the death of his wife, and he heartbreakingly confesses to his friend that he fears Jadzia's soul may never make it to Klingon heaven because she hadn't eaten the heart of her enemy after a night of too much blood wine. Worf longs to be with his wife in the afterlife, making Ezri's relationship with Bashir a sore point for the commander. But Worf eventually becomes a friend to Ezri, who, in effect, helps Worf to properly grieve Jadzia's death so that he can move on and step up to be the man that the Klingon Empire needs.

It isn't an easy transition for Worf after he accepts the commission of Special Operations Officer on Deep Space Nine — yet Captain Sisko has incredible foresight when he offers Worf the position. He sees Worf as a profoundly knowledgeable and capable military strategist whose intuition and extensive knowledge of warfare, particularly Klingon warfare, would greatly benefit the station and Starfleet. This position puts Worf in direct opposition to his people and weighs heavily on his mind. By siding with Sisko over Gowron, Worf again sees himself as an outsider among his people . His frustrations are palpable, but he can sublimate these into his work and subsequently earn a place of deep respect in Sisko's heart. It is summed up rather nicely between the two with a hearty handshake when Worf accepts the role of Ambassador to the Klingon homeworld.

Until this point, Worf wants to restore his family's honor, and ironically, he loses it again while pursuing what he believes to be honorable. Here is the show's crux: how far someone is willing to go to do what they believe to be correct. Sisko tests the bounds of his morality while making difficult choices about defeating the Founders. Odo turns his back on his people. On the fringes of the known universe, a brave crew of deeply traumatized heroes will learn exactly that. Worf's crossover on Deep Space Nine marks the point where the series descends into a dark rabbit hole spurned on through the fog of war, but it also results in some of the best character relationships within the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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Episode list

Star trek: deep space nine.

S7.E1 ∙ Image in the Sand

S7.E2 ∙ Shadows and Symbols

S7.E3 ∙ Afterimage

S7.E4 ∙ Take Me out to the Holosuite

S7.E5 ∙ Chrysalis

S7.E6 ∙ Treachery, Faith and the Great River

S7.E7 ∙ Once More Unto the Breach

S7.E8 ∙ The Siege of AR-558

S7.E9 ∙ Covenant

S7.E10 ∙ It's Only a Paper Moon

S7.E11 ∙ Prodigal Daughter

S7.E12 ∙ The Emperor's New Cloak

S7.E13 ∙ Field of Fire

S7.E14 ∙ Chimera

S7.E15 ∙ Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang

S7.E16 ∙ Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

S7.E17 ∙ Penumbra

S7.E18 ∙ 'Til Death Do Us Part

S7.E19 ∙ Strange Bedfellows

S7.E20 ∙ The Changing Face of Evil

S7.E21 ∙ When It Rains...

S7.E22 ∙ Tacking into the Wind

S7.E23 ∙ Extreme Measures

S7.E24 ∙ The Dogs of War

S7.E25 ∙ What You Leave Behind

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