Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

For the title Space Station, see [[:Deep Space Nine]].

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
File:DS9logo.JPG
Created by	Rick Berman Michael Piller
Starring	See cast
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	176
Production
Executive producers	Ira Steven Behr Michael Piller Rick Berman
Running time	About 45 min. per episode
Original release
Release	January 3, 1993 – June 2, 1999

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series that debuted in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, finishing in 1999. Based on Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and produced by Paramount Pictures. The main title is sometimes shortened to ST:DS9, or simply DS9.

DS9 began while Star Trek: The Next Generation was still on the air, and there were several crossover episodes between the two series. Unlike its predecessor, DS9 was original and often broke the rules laid down by Gene Roddenberry. In contrast with the other series, Deep Space Nine took place on a space station instead of a starship. It also relied heavily on continuing story arcs, many recurring characters, and darker themes.

About the show

Originally conceived in 1991, shortly before Gene Roddenberry’s death, DS9 chronicles the events surrounding space station Deep Space 9, a former Cardassian ore-processing station, which has recently been placed under joint control of the United Federation of Planets and Bajor, the planet it formerly orbited. The station was repositioned to monitor traffic through the recently discovered Bajoran wormhole. As a result of the wormhole, the station became a cornerstone of interstellar trade and political activity in the Bajoran sector particularly, and the quadrant at large. This unique premise makes it the first, and so far only, Star Trek series not to be set aboard a starship.

According to co-creator Berman, he and Piller had considered setting the new series on a colony on an alien planet, but they felt a space station would both appeal more to viewers and save money due to the high cost of on-location shooting for a "land-based" show. However, they were certain that they did not want the show to be set aboard a starship because The Next Generation was still in production at the time and, in Berman’s words, it "just seemed ridiculous to have two shows—two casts of characters—that were off going where no man has gone before."

In the first episode, the crew discovers the presence of a nearby stable wormhole, which provides immediate transportation to and from the distant Gamma Quadrant; this makes the station an important strategic asset, as well as a vital center of commerce with a largely-unexplored area of space. Inside the wormhole live aliens who exist beyond time and do not understand the linear temporal nature of other lifeforms. To the people of Bajor, these aliens are the Prophets and the wormhole itself is the long-prophesied Celestial Temple. Commander Benjamin Sisko, who discovers the wormhole with Jadzia Dax, becomes revered as the Emissary of the Prophets, a spiritual role with which he is initially extremely uncomfortable.

File:Ds9.jpg

Space station Deep Space Nine.

Deep Space Nine was well received by critics, with TV Guide describing it as "the best acted, written, produced, and altogether finest" Star Trek series. However, some fans grew dissatisfied with the show’s generally darker themes and objected to the notion of a series set on a space station. Some fans of the series call themselves "Niners", after a baseball team of the same name, which appeared in the seventh-season episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite".

Although DS9's ratings were initially solid, it was never as successful as Next Generation had been, and its ratings declined in later seasons. A number of factors were given for this decline, including an increasingly crowded television marketplace, cannibalization of viewership between Deep Space Nine, Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, and viewer fatigue. Nonetheless, it remained the top rated first-run syndicated drama series throughout most of its run.

The show is best remembered for its well-developed characters and its original, complex plots. The main writers for DS9, in addition to creators Berman and Piller, included Ronald D. Moore, Peter Allen Fields, Ira Steven Behr, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Joe Menosky, René Echevarria. Richard Manning, and Hans Beimler.

Cast

Main characters

File:STDS9 cast season 5-6.jpg

The cast of DS9 in season six.

Featuring the most diverse cast in Star Trek history, DS9 was the first series to include main characters that were not members of Starfleet. Kira Nerys is an officer in the Bajoran militia, Odo is a Changeling who worked for the Cardassians during the Occupation of Bajor, while Jake Sisko and Quark are both civilians. Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) was reportedly the first choice of the producers for a First Officer, but as Ms. Forbes did not wish to commit to a television show, Kira Nerys was created instead. Among Starfleet characters, Miles O'Brien is the first enlisted (non-commissioned) main character, reprising a supporting role he played on several episodes of The Next Generation.

Over the course of its seven-year run, DS9’s core cast underwent two major changes. The first change, at the start of the fourth season, was the addition of Michael Dorn as Worf, who had recently spent seven years aboard the Enterprise on The Next Generation. The original reason for this addition was to boost ratings, but the Klingon soon became an integral part of the show and fit in well. Worf eventually married Jadzia Dax.

The second change was the removal of Terry Farrell (Jadzia Dax) and subsequent addition of Nicole de Boer (Ezri Dax). This was more of an abrupt change, and it came about because Farrell did not wish to renew her contract at the end of the sixth season, stating that she felt she would receive more screen time elsewhere due to the increasingly large cast of DS9. However, the writers did not want to lose Dax, so the Dax "symbiont" was saved when Gul Dukat killed Jadzia, and de Boer was brought on as its new host.

Alexander Siddig (Julian Bashir) appeared in the opening credits by a shortened form of his his birth name, "Siddig el Fadil", for the first three seasons. He appeared as Alexander Siddig after he married co-star Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys), which placed their names together in the alphabetical cast credits, although his stated reason for the name change was that he discovered that nobody watching the show knew how to pronounce 'el Fadil'. Siddig continued to be credited as "Siddig el Fadil" when he directed episodes.

Picture	Role	Rank	Performer	Position
File:Sisko8.jpg	Benjamin Sisko	Commander, later Captain	Avery Brooks	Commanding officer
File:WorfDS9.jpg	Worf	Lt. Commander	Michael Dorn	Strategic Operations Officer (seasons 4-7)
File:Terry Farrell Star Trek 1.jpg	Jadzia Dax	Lieutenant, later Lt. Commander	Terry Farrell	Science Officer (seasons 1-6)
File:Ezri Dax.jpg	Ezri Dax	Ensign, later Lt. Junior Grade	Nicole deBoer	Station Counselor (season 7)
File:Julian Bashir.png	Julian Bashir	Lt. Junior Grade, later Lieutenant	Alexander Siddig	Chief Medical Officer
File:Cirroc LoftonA.jpg	Jake Sisko	Civilian	Cirroc Lofton	Civilian reporter/writer
File:Miles O'Brien.jpg	Miles O'Brien	Senior Chief Petty Officer	Colm Meaney	Chief of Operations
File:STDS9Ep612.jpg	Quark	Civilian	Armin Shimerman	Civilian entrepreneur
	Kira Nerys	Major, later Colonel (Bajoran Militia); Commander (Starfleet)	Nana Visitor	Executive Officer & Bajoran Liaison Officer
	Odo	Chief Constable	Rene Auberjonois	Chief of Security

Recurring characters

Main article: List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters.

The very nature of the show—being set on a space station rather than aboard a starship—fostered a rich assortment of recurring characters, and it was not unheard of for "secondary" characters to play as much, or even more, of a role in an episode as the regular cast. For example, "The Wire" focused almost entirely on Garak, while "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" featured an A-story about Weyoun and a B-story about Nog. Lasting consequences and the presence of familiar faces aboard the station were among the reasons Berman and Piller chose to set the series aboard a space station.

Of particular note to Star Trek fans is Jeffrey Combs (of Re-Animator fame), who made his Star Trek debut on Deep Space Nine. Combs has stated that he had auditioned for the role of William T. Riker on Next Generation, but when Jonathan Frakes (who won the part) later directed the DS9 episode "Meridian", he recommended Combs for a part. Combs would go on to appear in thirty-one episodes of Deep Space Nine, playing four distinct characters—five if one counts the "mirror universe" version of Brunt as a distinct character. In "The Dogs of War", he also became the only Star Trek actor to play two distinct roles (those of Brunt and Weyoun) in a single episode.

Morn, a minor character who frequents Quark's bar, is the only named character in the series who never utters a single line of dialogue. So great was the fan support for the silent character that a special episode called "Who Mourns for Morn?" was written for him in the sixth season. Morn’s name is an anagram of the character Norm from Cheers, who also spent seemingly all of his time sitting on his favorite bar stool and drinking. Ironically, for a character who never spoke, the other characters commented on what an extremely talkative person he was.

Several of the series’ prominent recurring characters are also known for their work on other projects, the most prominent of whom were Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher (the Bajoran spiritual leader Kai Winn) and sci-fi veteran Salome Jens (the Female Changeling). Other prominent celebrities seen in guest and recurring roles included Vanessa L. Williams, Wallace Shawn, Lark Voorhies of Saved By The Bell fame, James Cromwell, Gabrielle Union, Iggy Pop, Steven Berkoff and James Darren. John Colicos reprised his TOS role as Kor on several occasions.

Character	Role	Performer	Appearances
Bareil Antos	Bajoran Vedek	Philip Anglim	Seasons 1 through 3 and 6
Brunt	FCA (Ferengi Commerce Authority) liquidator	Jeffrey Combs	Seasons 3 through 7
Damar	Dukat’s aide, later leader of the Cardassian Union and then leader of the Resistance against the Dominion	Casey Biggs	Seasons 4 through 7
Dukat	Cardassian military officer; arch-nemesis of Benjamin Sisko	Marc Alaimo	Seasons 1 through 7
Michael Eddington	Starfleet Security Chief, later Maquis leader	Kenneth Marshall	Seasons 3 through 5
Vic Fontaine	Vegas lounge singer (Hologram)	James Darren	Seasons 6 and 7
Elim Garak	Plain, simple tailor; exiled former spy for the Obsidian Order	Andrew Robinson	Seasons 1 through 7
Gowron	Chancellor of the Klingon Empire	Robert O'Reilly	Seasons 3 through 7
Ishka	Quark and Rom’s mother (aka Moogie)	Andrea Martin Cecily Adams	Season 3 and 4 through 7
Leeta	Dabo girl, and later Rom’s wife	Chase Masterson	Seasons 3 through 7
Martok	Klingon General and later Chancellor	J.G. Hertzler	Seasons 4 through 7
Morn	Barfly (anagram of Norm)	Mark Allen Shepherd	Seasons 1 through 7
Nog	Rom’s son and the first Ferengi in Starfleet - Cadet, later Ensign and then Lieutenant	Aron Eisenberg	Seasons 1 through 7
Keiko O'Brien	Schoolteacher, botanist, wife of Miles O’Brien	Rosalind Chao	Seasons 1 through 7
Molly O'Brien	Daughter of Miles and Keiko O’Brien	Hana Hatae	Seasons 1 through 7
Kai Opaka	Kai of Bajor	Camille Saviola	Seasons 1, 2 and 4
Rom	Quark’s brother; waiter and engineer	Max Grodénchik	Seasons 1 through 7
William Ross	Admiral, Fleet commander during the Dominion War	Barry Jenner	Seasons 6 and 7
Shakaar Edon	Former Leader of a Bajoran Resistance cell, later First Minister of Bajor	Duncan Regehr	Seasons 3 through 5
Joseph Sisko	Father of Benjamin Sisko, grandfather of Jake Sisko	Brock Peters	Seasons 4 through 7
Luther Sloan	Section 31 operative	William Sadler	Seasons 6 and 7
Enabran Tain	Former head of the Obsidian Order and Garak’s father	Paul Dooley	Seasons 2, 3 and 5
Lwaxana Troi	Betazoid ambassador	Majel Barrett	Seasons 1, 3 and 4
Weyoun	Vorta leader of the Dominion forces on the Alpha Quadrant	Jeffrey Combs	Seasons 4 through 7
Winn Adami	Bajoran Vedek and later Kai	Louise Fletcher	Seasons 1 through 7
Kasidy Yates	Freighter captain and Sisko’s second wife	Penny Johnson Jerald	Seasons 3 through 7
Zek	Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance	Wallace Shawn	Seasons 1 through 7
Tora Ziyal	Dukat’s illegitimate daughter, Garak’s love interest	Cyia Batten, Tracy Middendorf, and Melanie Smith	Seasons 4 through 6
Female Changeling	Leader of the Dominion	Salome Jens	Seasons 3 through 7

Plots

Deep Space Nine also differs from previous Star Trek series in that it contains more story arcs that span several episodes and, indeed, seasons. Previous Star Trek series tend to restore the status quo ante at the end of an episode so that the episodes could be seen out-of-order without compromising their plots. On Deep Space Nine, however, not only are events in one episode often referenced and built upon in later episodes, but sometimes several episodes in a row are cliffhangers. This trend is especially strong near the end of the series’ run, by which point the show is very much a serial, and it was very much intentional, as the producers have all stated that they felt it enriched the show.

One such story arc is Benjamin Sisko’s role as a religious icon. He initially faces it with open discomfort and skepticism, referring to the Bajoran Prophets simply as "wormhole aliens" and striving to keep his role as commander of the station distinct from any obligations that the Bajorans try to place on him. Later, he becomes more accepting of his role and, by the end of the series, he appears to openly embrace it.

The station crew early on contend with a terrorist group known as the Maquis. Rooted in the events of The Next Generation episode "Journey's End", in which a group of Native American settlers refuse to leave when their colony world is given to Cardassia as part of a treaty, the Maquis are an example for the show’s exploration of darker themes: Its members are Federation citizens who take up arms against Cardassia in defense of their homes, and some—such as Calvin Hudson, a long-time friend of Sisko's, and Michael Eddington, who defects while serving aboard the station—are former Starfleet officers. The show’s violent departure from traditional Star Trek themes can be seen in episodes such as "For the Cause", in which Eddington tells Sisko, "Everybody should want to be in the Federation. Nobody leaves paradise. In some ways you’re even worse than the Borg. At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You assimilate people and they don’t even know it."

File:Bajoran wormhole.jpg

The Bajoran wormhole

The second-season episode "Rules of Acquisition" introduces the Dominion, a ruthless empire in the Gamma Quadrant. It is led by "the Founders", a race of shapeshifters known as Changelings—the same race as station security chief Odo. They were once persecuted by non-shapeshifters (whom they call "Solids") and they seek to instill "order" upon those who might otherwise cause them harm—including the Solids. The Founders have created two races to serve them: the Vorta, sly and subversive diplomats, and the Jem’Hadar, their vicious shock troops. These races worship the Founders as gods.

The Dominion forms an uneasy alliance with the Cardassians in the fifth-season episodes "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light" and goes to war with the other major powers of the Alpha Quadrant. Throughout the series, loyalties and alliances change repeatedly: alliances with the Cardassians are made, broken, and remade; a short war with the Klingons flares and settles, and the Federation finds an alliance with the Romulans.

Another example of DS9’s darker plot material is Section 31, a secret organization that exists within the Federation, dedicated to preserving the Federation way of life at any and all cost. This undemocratic shadow organization, introduced in "Inquisition", justifies its unlawful and ethically questionable tactics by claiming that it is essential to the continued existence of the Federation. Section 31 features prominently in several episodes of the Dominion War arc; such darker plot elements, as well as DS9’s relative lack of exposure compared to its predecessor, garnered the show a reputation as the "black sheep" of the Trek family.

File:Defiant-top.jpg

The USS Defiant (NCC-75633)

At the start of Deep Space 9’s third season ("The Search"), with the threat of a Dominion attack looming on the other side of the wormhole, Commander Sisko returns from a trip to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth with the USS Defiant, a prototype starship that was built to fight the Borg, but is determined to be 'overgunned and overpowered'. It remains stationed at Deep Space Nine until the end of the series, providing not only defense but also an avenue by which plotlines could progress without being limited by the stationary nature of DS9 itself.

Many fans believe that the Dominion War was the height of DS9 and, according to Michael Piller, tend to overlook the first two "pre-Dominion" seasons. However, Piller has indicated that the second season was his favorite.

In DS9, the Ferengi are no longer an enemy of the Federation, but rather an economic power whose political neutrality is, for the most part, respected. Several episodes explore the capitalist nature of the Ferengi, while others delved into the race’s sexist social norms. Ferengi are guided in their lives and in their business transactions by the Rules of Acquisition.

Interpersonal conflict between regular characters was something previously forbidden by Roddenberry in Star Trek and The Next Generation, but features prominently on DS9. This was brought about at the suggestion of The Next Generation’s writers (many of whom also wrote for DS9) because they felt that the prohibition on interpersonal conflict between the main characters limited their ability to develop new and interesting stories. The intentional coming together of different people whose values and agenda regularly conflicted with one another was intended to bring a new dimension to the series; in Piller's words, "people who come from different places—honorable, noble people—will naturally have conflicts".

Several of the characters also have their own personal demons and stories that are rather specific to their character. For instance, Jadzia Dax, a Trill, has seven lifetimes' worth of memories as a result of her joining with the Dax symbiont. Security chief Odo, a Changeling, yearns to find others like him and believes he is the only one of his kind; later, he finds his own people are the ruthless leaders of the Dominion and is torn between his desire to join them, his sense of morality, and his love for Kira Nerys. Meanwhile, Worf struggles (even more so than on The Next Generation) with conflicting loyalties to the Federation and his own people, the Klingons – as well as life on the station, which he finds is not at all what he expected.

Themes

File:STDS9Ep205.jpg

Rugal, a Cardassian boy, and his adoptive Bajoran father in "Cardassians"

Deep Space Nine sheds some of the Utopian themes that embodied the previous versions of Star Trek. Its darker setting—being based on a station in a region of space recovering from sixty years of brutal occupation—focuses more on war, religion, political compromise, and other modern issues.

The most prominent theme in the series is that of the deeply religious Bajoran people attempting to rebuild their world and their economy after sixty years of oppression from Cardassia. The relationship between the Bajorans and the Cardassians is intentionally portrayed as a powerful Holocaust allegory, though there are also striking comparisons to be made with the Serbian occupation of Bosnia, the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the Armenian Genocide. The Cardassians had put the Bajorans to work in forced slave labor camps under terrible conditions, killed them with impunity, and now refuse to acknowledge the atrocities that occurred during the Occupation, as depicted in "Duet", "Things Past", etc. Deep Space Nine’s first officer, Kira Nerys, who was formerly an underground resistance leader responsible for many acts of sabotage and subversion aimed at the Cardassians, is required in her new role as Bajoran Liaison Officer and the station’s First Officer to learn diplomacy and patience.

The relationship between the Cardassians and the Bajorans could also be regarded as colonial in nature. Much like Kipling’s "The White Man's Burden", the Cardassians believed themselves both technologically and culturally superior to the Bajorans they had subjugated. According to Dukat ("Waltz"), at the time of first contact, Cardassia was at least a century ahead of Bajor "in every way". The Cardassians strip-mined Bajor and instituted forced labor camps under the guise of civilizing a lesser people. Guerrilla tactics by Bajoran fighters led to their freedom in the same way that many colonies gained their independence in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Star Trek universe portrayed in Deep Space Nine is one of power politics among the galaxy’s great powers. Prior to the series, the Federation was depicted as a near utopian society guided by human rights, or rather sentient rights. In contrast, the Federation in Deep Space Nine tries to balance its high ideals with the practical realities of galactic politics. Kira Nerys, in the pilot episode, says 'We fought to free Bajor and end the occupation, and what do the Council of Ministers do? They call in Starfleet.'

Another theme DS9 visited on several occasions is the idea that the universe is not perfect and there is often no right or wrong answer to difficult situations. This theme is embodied by the Maquis storyline; members of the Maquis were neither enemies nor criminals; they take up arms against Cardassia in defense of their homes. Perhaps a quote from Sisko in the second-season episode "The Maquis, Part II" best describes not only the Maquis but also the stark contrast between DS9 and its predecessors:

"On Earth there’s no poverty, no crime, no war. You look out the window of Starfleet headquarters and you see... paradise. Well, it’s easy to be a saint in paradise. But the Maquis do not live in paradise. Out there in the Demilitarized Zone, all the problems haven't been solved yet. Out there, there are no saints... just people. Angry, scared, determined people who are going to do whatever it takes to survive. Whether it meets with Federation approval or not."

Awards and distinctions

"Think of it. Four years ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space Nine. Now all our hopes rest here. Where the tides of fortune take us, no one can know." - Gowron, voicing Rick Berman and Brannon Braga's thoughts in "By Inferno's Light"

Despite arguably debuting in the shadow of Next Generation, DS9 maintained a high profile. According to a press release through the Newswire on April 7 1999, it was the #1 syndicated show in the United States for adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 (National Television Index). Additionally, the series was nominated for Emmy Awards every year of its run, winning some of them. It was also nominated for two prestigious Hugo Awards as well. (This link has a list of awards.) The characters of DS9 were also featured on the cover of TV Guide ten times during its run, including several "special issue" editions in which a set of four different-covered versions of the issue were printed.

Critically, the show has received much acclaim for its character and plot development. Even minor characters tended to be multi-faceted; for instance, StarTrek.com in an article about Star Trek's greatest villains described Gul Dukat as "possibly the most complex and fully-developed bad guy in Star Trek history". Dukat in particular was the focus of several episodes, such as the sixth-season episode "Waltz", in which he has gone insane and begins to hallucinate, and "Covenant", in which he becomes a twisted messianic figurehead for a group of Pah Wraith-worshipping Bajorans.

The series was not without its detractors , but ultimately Michelle Erica Green, reviewer for the fan site Star Trek Nation, said in her review of the series finale "What You Leave Behind": "This is a grand, satisfying conclusion to this greatest of Star Trek series."

Criticism

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was conceived while Gene Roddenberry was still alive but not put into production until after his death. This has led to debate over whether he would have approved of the show, and a contingent of Star Trek fandom felt it took its darker themes too far. Although writer/producer Ira Steven Behr has acknowledged that some fans feel the show has "gone away from the image of the future as a paradise", he defends the show as moving forward and believes Roddenberry would have understood their motivations and, as a "forward thinker", been pleased with the results. Additionally, Michael Piller, who spoke very highly of Behr's contributions to the series, believed one of the series' most redeeming qualities was that the repercussions of past episodes remained with the show and characters were forced to "learn that actions have consequences".

Another contingent of fans believe that DS9 went too far in serializing its stories. They maintain that each Star Trek episode should be its own self-contained story because the strength of TOS lay in social commentary and not in long, complicated storylines. As with Roddenberry’s take on the series, there is no consensus about the issue, but there is less evidence to support it. While DS9 exhibited many soap-like qualities, it still allowed for issue shows such as "Far Beyond the Stars", which was the first Star Trek episode to deal directly with racism among humans, and "The Siege of AR-558", which dealt with the effects of war, desperation and isolation. Further, one could argue that the heavier reliance on drama and action is less a product of DS9’s individual contributions and more a general shift in all of Star Trek.

Some fans of Babylon 5, another science-fiction show based on a space station, contend that DS9 plagiarized elements of Babylon 5’s premise. There are indeed many similarities between the two shows, although later seasons of DS9 and particularly the introduction of the Defiant (introduced prior to a new ship called the White Star on Babylon 5) took the show in a new, more original direction. (See Similarities between Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.)

Taboos

File:STDS9Ep406.jpg

Lenara Khan and Jadzia Dax

Deep Space 9 is also notable for breaking several cultural taboos during its run. Most prominent among these is the issue of homosexuality. Gay and gay-friendly fans of the franchise had been waiting for a Star Trek television spin-off to address how the utopian society dealt with the issue of sexual orientation since Gene Roddenberry had promised to tackle the issue in 1987. Whilst Star Trek: The Next Generation would occasionally gingerly address the issue through gender identity, DS9 had two episodes with lesbian kisses.

The first same-sex kiss on a Star Trek television series was shown in the episode "Rejoined". In the episode, Jadzia Dax and another Trill named Lenara Khan are in love and at one point embrace in a passionate kiss. While it was only technically a lesbian kiss – as the two had been married previously when the Dax symbiont was in a male host and in love with the previous (female) host of the Kahn symbiont – none of the other characters expressed any shock at temporary homosexuality. Writer Rene Echevarria made a conscious effort not to glamourize the kiss and make it a ratings boost, wanting the kiss to be romantic rather than sensational. This aired a year and a half before the controversial "out of the closet" shift in the sitcom Ellen, and proved controversial among some local affiliates. It would be followed up by the seventh-season episode, "The Emperor’s New Cloak", which features the Mirror Universe versions of Kira Nerys and Ezri Dax kiss in a clearly lesbian or bisexual context and the Mirror Universe Leeta depicted as having been assigned to "debrief" Mirror Ezri. Although none of these instances dealt directly with a homosexual character per se, the pre-Ellen same-sex kisses were often compared to the TOS episode "Plato’s Stepchildren", which featured the first interracial kiss to air on network television. See also LGBT characters in the Star Trek universe.

In addition to homosexuality, there were several instances of potentially offensive language during the series' run, unprecedented for the Star Trek franchise (although Star Trek: Enterprise went much further, even using the phrase "you son of a bitch" in its pilot). The episode "Far Beyond the Stars", much of which takes place in 1950s Earth, features a scene in which Cirroc Lofton, as an African-American man, claims that blacks will never get to space except to "shine the shoes" of whites, to whom his character feels blacks "would always be niggers." Although not the first time the word had been used on American television (it was commonly used in dramas in the 1970s as well as the groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family), by the late 1990s utterance of the word in any context in the mainstream media had all but vanished. Another instance of offensive language likely went unnoticed among American audiences. The episode "Time’s Orphan" features the Irish Chief O’Brien exclaiming the swear word "bollocks". The word was edited out in daytime UK showings. In addition to these, the series spawned and used several racial epithets for alien races in the series, namely "spoonhead" and "Cardies" for Cardassians.

Multimedia

Music

On June 30, 1993, between seasons one and two, DS9 followed other series of Star Trek in releasing the original score from its pilot episode, "Emissary", on CD. The title theme was also made available as a CD single, although not in wide circulation. Another compilation entitled "Warped" was also released later in the series’ run. Several episodes received awards for their scores, such as "Our Man Bashir", which received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Score. However, as with other post-TNG series, no further scores were made available on CD.

James Darren’s album of songs performed on DS9.

Musically, the series is far better known for one of its most original elements: the character of Vic Fontaine, a holographic Las Vegas lounge lizard from the 1960s. Introduced in the sixth-season episode "His Way", Vic (played by 60s heart throb James Darren) was very popular with the crew of the station and performed many period songs, most notably Frank Sinatra tunes. Among the songs in Fontaine’s repertoire were "The Best is Yet to Come" (performed in "Badda-Bing, Badda Bang"), "Come Fly with Me", and "You’re Nobody ‘til Somebody Loves You" (both performed in "His Way"). In addition to providing a backdrop for some of the series’ more memorable moments, such as a battle scene in "The Siege of AR-558", in which he sang "I'll Be Seeing You" during a battle scene, and the series finale "What You Leave Behind", in which "The Way You Look Tonight" played during a series of flashbacks, Darren’s role as Fontaine allowed him to release a new album on August 24, 1999, entitled This One’s From the Heart.

VHS and DVD releases

Episodes of DS9 were made available on VHS cassettes, which generally contained one episode each (two-part episodes were combined on a single cassette). The first of these releases came on November 19, 1996 in the United States, but due to the inherent space-consuming nature of the cassettes, as well as the rise of DVD as the standard for home-video releases, the line was discontinued once all of DS9 had been released on DVD. The VHS covers can still be found on many review websites, which sometimes use them in place of a screen capture. The entire series was released on VHS in the UK starting from August 2, 1993 onwards, with one or two releases per month and with two episodes per cassette. Each video box contained unique artwork and character/plot information.

File:ST-DS9 complete series.jpg

DS9 Region 1 packaging

Following the DVD release of The Next Generation in 2002, DS9 was released on DVD beginning in late February 2003. As with other television shows, the DS9 was released in the form of boxed sets containing one season each and released approximately a month apart. On 26 October 2004, a compilation of all seven season sets was also released; however, for unexplained reasons (perhaps due to the unique packaging) the DS9 boxed set costs considerably more than other Star Trek series.

The DVD release of DS9 contains more "special features" than that of The Next Generation. Each season contains a Crew Dossier that gives a biographical look at one of the main characters, a section where make-up designer Michael Westmore details how the various aliens were created for the show, and numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes. These include original interviews with cast members, writers, and other members of the staff. Unique to the DS9 release are "Section 31" files (also known as easter eggs), which give a brief (between two and five minute) look at something unique about the show. Each season contains between ten and fifteen Section 31 segments.

Books

File:STDS9 Avatar Part 1.jpg

The cover of Avatar, Part I

See also Deep Space Nine relaunch

Pocket Books has published several dozen books based on DS9 since its premiere in 1993. Some of these were novelizations of memorable episodes, such as "Emissary", "The Search" and "What You Leave Behind", which were usually published a few days after the episode officially aired in the United States. Several novels were part of "crossover" series between the Star Trek franchises, while others were part of other franchises but dealt with events laid out in DS9. For example, The Battle of Betazed tells of how Deanna Troi attempted to resist the Dominion occupation of her world (Betazed had fallen to the Dominion in DS9 episode "In the Pale Moonlight"). Most focus on the station and its crew, with a notable exception being Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe’s Legends of the Ferengi.

Of particular importance among the books published after DS9 concluded its run is Avatar, a two-part novel published on May 1, 2001, which continued DS9’s legacy by picking up where the series left off. It began season 8 of DS9, into which A Stitch in Time (a biographical look at the life of Elim Garak, written by Andrew Robinson) was incorporated retroactively. The events of "What You Leave Behind", DS9’s series finale, caused some radical changes to occur in season 8. As Benjamin Sisko had entered the Celestial Temple, Colonel Kira was given command of the station while a new Commander named Elias Vaughn took over her position, Garak became the leader of post-war Cardassia, Odo (now a part of the Great Link) helped the Changelings rebuild, and Rom presided over the Ferengi Alliance, among other things.

Outside its line of novels, DS9 has been the subject of several comic books and other publications. One comic is a spin-off of DS9, detailing Nog’s experiences at Starfleet Academy. Another DS9 comic series became an exceptional example of licensed Star Trek works influencing each other, a major character from WildStorm Comics’ N-Vector, Tiris Jast, appeared in the Avatar, Part I novel. Other publications, such as the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual and Deep Space Nine Companion, are common to all Trek series. DS9 series influences were included in role-playing game reference books from Last Unicorn Games and Decipher. Additionally, several novels have also been released in audio form, narrated by Rene Auberjonois (Odo).

Games

Several video games have been released over the years focusing on DS9, although they are relatively few in number compared to TNG. The first was Crossroads of Time, a side-scrolling platform game released for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis in 1995. The game takes place around the time of the series premiere, borrowing some stories from early episodes such as "Past Prologue" and creating others. A number of problems reportedly impeded the game’s development process, and it met with mixed reactions. No further games were released outside the PC platform, although DS9’s influence (particularly the presence of the Dominion) is present in many other games.

Other games had similar results. Three DS9-themed games were released for the PC: Harbinger (1996), The Fallen (2000) and Dominion Wars (2001). A little-known board game was released as part of the now-defunct "component board game" series, which included an intercompatible board name for The Next Generation. DS9’s role-playing book, was one of several which went unpublished when Decipher, publisher of the Star Trek role-playing game, discontinued its line.

The series features prominently in the Star Trek Customizable Card Game, particularly its second edition. In the game’s first edition (originally the Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game), Deep Space Nine was the titular fifth set released, followed by one entitled "The Dominion" and several other DS9-themed sets. In the second edition, however, DS9 has a much stronger presence. In this version, there are two types of cards for the United Federation of Planets, which may be placed at Earth or Deep Space Nine. The Ferengi, Dominion, Cardassian, Bajoran, and Maquis affiliations are comprised primarily of DS9-derived material, while the Klingon affiliation also borrows strongly from it.

Other merchandising

File:ST Experience Quarks.jpg

Promotional photo for Quark’s

Along with the rest of the Star Trek franchise, Deep Space Nine has been the subject of many merchandizing attempts. Action figures, keychains, and models, and other items have been released. The station itself, which is highly recognizable and iconic of the series, is the subject of many of these items. Paramount also sells Starfleet uniforms; among the styles is the so-called "DS9-style" uniform, which is primarily black with a division colour (red for command, yellow for engineering or security, blue for medical and the sciences) on the shoulders.

DS9 is also well represented at Star Trek: The Experience, where both Quark’s Bar & Restaurant and the Promenade have been recreated faithfully. The former takes formal reservations or walk-ins, and is open daily from 11:30am-10:00pm (11 on Fridays). It serves Star Trek-style food and drinks, hosting gatherings such as conventions as well. The latter (called the Shopping Promenade) was the natural choice for a place to sell various souvenirs and rarities; among the items for sale are Niners jerseys, official Starfleet uniforms and action figures.

References

General references

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Complete Seasons 1-7 (DVD)
• DS9 recurring character appearances at Memory Alpha

See also

• List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs
• Deep Space Nine relaunch
• Similarities between Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

External links

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at StarTrek.com
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at IMDb
• Template:Tvtome show
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at Memory Alpha
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at TrekCore.com
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs at DVD Journal
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Scripts