Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiered in 1993 and in retrospect; it may have been the most philosophical of all the Trek series. Unlike the two previous series that sought out new life forms and new civilizations with the use of a starship, DS9 relied on such life forms and civilizations to come to them as it was a space station.
During its impressive 7-year run, DS9 produced 176 episodes, the second most behind The Next Generation at 178. DS9was heralded for its religious themes that mirrored our own world and its challenging stance on the concept of war and its lasting effects on society. It did this through many complex and original plots. These themes were dark in nature and it resonated very well with its audience. Not only did the series showcase such diverse topics, its diversity extended itself to the cast as well. DS9 starred the only black captain in Trek’s television history, Captain Benjamin Sisko played by Avery Brooks.
Sisko’s diverse and often at times contentious crew included Bajoran First Officer Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), the shape shifting Constable Odo (René Auberjonois), Sisko’s longtime friend a Trill named Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig). Ferengi bar owner named Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Sisko’s son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) round out the original cast. In season four TNG veteran Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) joined the crew. And in its final season, actress Nicole de Boer took over the role of Ezri Dax after Farrell’s Jadzia Dax was killed at the end of season six.
The premise behind DS9 was the Federations intermediary efforts from the urging of the Bajoran Provisional Government to maintain peace in that sector of the Alpha Quadrant between the Bajorans and the Carsdassians. Years of war between the Bajorans and Cardassians had just ended when Bajor liberated themselves from Cardassian Occupation. Now it was Starfleet’s role to manage the station and keep relations between the warring factions from escalating into another war. This would only be part of the reason why the Federation agreed to such an arrangement. By managing the station, they’re able to study and control a newly discovered stable wormhole that leads to the unknown Gamma Quadrant. This lends itself to incredible storylines and endless possibilities.
A departure from previous series was the use of story arcs that spanned several episodes as well as spanning the life of series as a whole. This was both a curse and a blessing. A curse because it may have been difficult to jump into a random episode without knowing the history behind what was going on. It’s also a blessing because it allowed the writers to shape a world where actions in one episode will have lasting repercussions and consequences in a later one. This is adds to the growth of each character and plays perfectly in the series finale, “What You Leave Behind.”
I used the word contentious earlier to describe the relationship between Sisko and his crew. This was yet another departure from what we’ve previously seen in either Star Trek: The Next Generationor Star Trek: The Original Series. Internal conflicts were at the very heart of DS9. Producers of the show felt that it was only natural for people of different cultures to have conflicts no matter how honorable or noble the people are. This alone rooted DS9 in a greater sense of realism. The characters were so well rounded and so well written and developed that many fans consider Star Trek: Deep Space Nineto be the best of them all. Like anything else it’s subjective. It certainly the most underappreciated and judging by the world we live in today it has never been more relevant.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
