Star Trek Primer Vol. 4

Gene Roddenberry died on Oct 21, 1991 of heart failure at the age of 70. It was early in The Next Generation's fifth season, but despite his declining health, he was working on Star Trek up until his death. However, Roddenberry effectively lost control of TNG during the second season when Hollywood was suffering from a writer's strike. The show was fairly lackluster at that point, so the producers had an open call for scabs. Literally, the show was asking for fans to submit scripts. This desperate move led to the show hiring Ron Moore, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga, Jeri Taylor, and Ira Steven Behr, all of whom really defined this era of the franchise. The showrunner of the series was Gene Roddenberry's collaborative partner from when he was creating TNG: Rick Berman. By 1991, TNG had gained a cult following and plans were set in motion for a spin-off. Although Roddenberry contributed to its creation, there continues to be a debate as to how much influence he had as well as whether or not the series continues in the Star Trek tradition. With the death of Roddenberry, the takeover of the franchise by other writers, and a perceived general loss of quality on the last two seasons of TNG, this began the eventual and very, very slow decline of the franchise.

Splitting the writing staff to support the new spin-off created an interesting philosophical rift amongst the staff. It was decided early on that the new series was going to be much darker and deal with more long-term storylines, so many of the writers who preferred lighter, more episodic stories stayed on TNG while those interested in darker subjects and long-term story development moved to the new series.

The Premise

In creating a spin-off, the writers decided that they had three different locations which would make sense in a science fiction story: a space ship, a space station, or an alien colony. Feeling that two shows about a spaceship would be redundant and a colony would lack the grandeur of space, they decided to go with a space station. Looking back to the original series for inspiration, the creators took the "wagon train to the stars" metaphor and made their space station like an outpost on the final frontier.

The seeds for this new series were sown in TNG. The location for this series was over the planet Bajor, whose population was a deeply spiritual race hardened by one hundred years of brutal military occuptation by the Cardassians, a race defined by militaristic order and absolute obedience to the state. As a result, the Bajorans were a mixture of generous spiritualists and radical xenophobes.

As the victims of an occupied military, the Cardassian/Bajoran situation served to parallel many real life occupations or genocides including the Holocaust, British India, and Israel/Palestine. Many aspects of the Bajoran religion are influenced by styles and terminology used in Hinduism including the priest-like Vedeks who take their name from the Hindu books known as "vedics." Like most alien cultures in Star Trek, the variety of influences is meant to invoke a sense of familiarity while still being foreign.

The story begins on the heels of the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor. Fearing a return of the Cardassians or another aggressive species, the Bajoran provisional government requests a Federation presence on their only remaining space station: Terok Nor, a Cardassian refinery which was worked by Bajoran slave labor. After renaming it with the Federation designation Deep Space 9, the station is populated by a mixture of Federation and Bajoran officers creating a uniquely integrated crew. The Federation commanders mission (given to him by none other than Jean-Luc Picard) is to help Bajor rebuild the damage done to their planet and encourage Bajor to join the Federation.

If that wasn't complicated enough, the moment the commanding officer arrives, he meets the spiritual leader of the Bajoran people, Kai Opaka, who appoints him with finding their fabled celestial temple. When he discovers it, not only does he find out that it is a stable wormhole to the other side of the galaxy, but also that living inside are the Bajoran deities, known simply as the Prophets, who exist outside of linear time. Consequently, they have influenced the Bajoran people for generations but, lacking an awareness of linear time, their prophesies can often be vague as to when something happens.

By discovering the wormhole, Commander Benjamin Sisko becomes the Emissary, a messiah of sorts to the Bajoran people. So now all he has to do is protect the station, planet, and wormhole, help rebuild from the occupation, facilitate exploration and trade in a new area of space, defend from a militaristic neighbor, convince Bajor to join the Federation, and be the spiritual leader of a religion he doesn't believe in.

It is a lot to pack into a single plot, but I'm guessing the thought was that you should have as many sources for future stories as possible. Yet unlike TNG where literally anything could happen in any given episode, DS9's stories usually came out of and contributed to existing story elements to give a greater understanding of the world around them.

Cast/Crew

Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)

Beginning the series as Commander Benjamin Sisko, he was promoted to captain at the end of the third season for a TV Guide article on the "Captains of Star Trek." Although he wasn't the first black lead in a television series, he was certainly the first in a science fiction series. Calling the decision controversial would be an overstatement, but it was definitely revolutionary. The nineties were an era of political correctness and a lot of the arbitrary barriers were slowly falling away, so casting a black man as captain was a statement that we were becoming the raceless society which Star Trek advocated.

Separating him from the older, child-phobic Picard or the brash, playboy Kirk, Sisko was a single father whose wife died in the Borg attack led by the assimilated Picard. This runs counter to a racist tradition in television whereby black fathers were often excluded from shows based on uncomfortable associations of black aggression. Consequently, television reflected a black culture without fathers which is, of course, a major and very sensitive issue within the black community. Sisko is, to my knowledge, the first and only representation of a black single father on television.

Also unlike his predecessors, Sisko is not only a Starfleet captain, but a religious icon as well. This arrangement creates conflict between the character's rational, atheistic Starfleet approach and his growing appreciation for the Bajoran people. Much more than any series before or since, this one explores the meaning of religion and spirituality through a rational secular perspective.

Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor)

Representing the natives in this figurative Western is the hot-headed Major Kira Nerys, a self-described Bajoran terrorist who has been fighting for Bajoran independence her entirely life, and she isn't happy that Starfleet is filling the void that the Cardassians left. What is truly amazing to me is the sheer number of times they refer to her as a "terrorist" or "former terrorist." It's hard to imagine her character existing in a post-9/11 world, but the show doesn't make a distinction between freedom fighter or terrorist, instead allowing the audience to determine their own distinction.

Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney)

The great Colm Meaney was incredibly under utilized as the "transporter chief" of the starship Enterprise, so when he was offered a regular role on Deep Space Nine, his position was upgraded to Chief of Operations, essentially making him the engineer in Star Trek's latest spin-off. The role suits him well as his handyman duties contribute to his everyman quality. O'Brien is the quintessential family man of the crew with his wife, Keiko, and daughter, Molly.

Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell)

One of the odd, breakout characters of the new series is Dax. Originally conceived of as the Spock to Sisko's Kirk, Dax is a Trill, living in a symbiotic relationship with an organism which stores the memories of its former host. Because of this relationship, the Trill are said to live many lives. In her previous life, Jadzia was Curzon Dax, Sisko's mentor in Starfleet. Curzon was an unusual mentor, mostly known for getting in trouble, drinking, and womanizing, but he was also a man of strong character and conviction. In later episodes, it is revealed that Curzon was Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire during the Federation-Klingon peace talks. For this reason, Curzon is well-known and respected by the Klingon people while Jadzia is an expert in Klingon martial arts.

Dr. Julian Bashir (Siddig el Fadil; later, Alexander Siddig)

Julian Bashir represents Starfleet, in many ways. More than any other character, he is the one who represents their boundless optimism and naivete. Julian is Starfleet's newest rising star, a true medical genius, who chose to be assigned to Deep Space Nine because he wanted to practice "frontier" medicine. Although he can be incredibly arrogant and pushy, he is shown to have a great deal of compassion and an iron-clad morality. Consequently, he is always either learning humility or standing up for his ideals.

Security Chief Odo (Rene Auberjonois)

Discovered by Cardassian scientists during the occupation of Bajor, Odo was originally just a protein goo given to a Bajoran scientist to analyze. It was designated "odo ital" which literally translates as "nothing." When the goo started to duplicate simple objects in the lab, it soon became clear that it was alive and "Odo" became its name. Although Odo would never be able to replicate the humanoid form to a degree where he could impersonate other individuals or even races, he would continually take the form of inanimate objects or create tentacles as weapons. Seen as an outsider, Odo became something of a non-biased investigator during the occupation and so developed a reputation for unwavering honesty. For this reason, we was made the sheriff of Deep Space Nine. Although his methods often came into conflict with Starfleet rules, Odo was always more honest and reliable than even Starfleet.

Odo also serves the role of the outsider amongst outsiders, often commenting on "humanoid behavior" but since he never knew any of his own people, I often wondered how he made the distinction. More like Spock than Data, his opinion of humanoid behavior was rarely complimentary.

Lt. Cmd. Worf (Michael Dorn)

Following the destruction of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Generations, the writing staff of DS9 asked themselves if there were any cast members from the original series that they would like to see join the cast. The only name that stood out was Worf. Torn between his idealistic human upraising and his violent Klingon culture, Worf is uniquely suited to the darker themes of Deep Space Nine. In the fourth season, a Klingon invasion of Cardassia brought Worf to Deep Space Nine as an adviser and never has his character been utilized so well. The war themes of the series really give him a chance to let the character go instead of in TNG where Picard constantly had to stop him from shooting at people.

The Others

With its focus on long-term story development decided at the outset, Deep Space Nine had more reoccurring characters than any Star Trek series before or since. Listed below are the major reoccurring characters of Deep Space Nine, roughly in the order of most to fewest appearances.

Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton)

Son of Benjamin Sisko, Jake could have quickly become another Wesley, but unlike Wesley, he was neither a genius nor a perfect student. Along with his best friend, Rom, he was always getting himself into trouble, even though he got good grades and was generally a good person. Ultimately, Jake decides not to go into Starfleet and his story arc involves his passion to be a writer, eventually with him becoming a war correspondent.

Quark (Armin Shimmerman)

No Western would be complete without a tavern owner making nefarious deals. For that, we had Quark. The Ferengi were invented in TNG season one to be the Klingons of the new series, but the big-eared midgets didn't really catch on, so instead they were reduced to the role of irritant for the evolved ideals of Starfleet. In contrast to the Federation, the Ferengi society is ultra-capitalist with greed not only considered good, but central to the order of things. Because DS9 had several Ferengi as regular cast members, the show did more to establish this race than any other series. Although my ex thought they were Jewish stereotypes, Ira Steven Behr, who wrote the bulk of the Ferengi episodes, later commented that the secret to writing the Ferengi is that they are us. Whether he meant Americans or 21st century capitalists, I'm not sure.

Nog (Aron Eisenberg)

Nephew to Quark, Nog's role in the show was originally as the Eddie Haskell to Jake Sisko's Wally. He would get horrible grades, was discouraged from going to school based on its Federation values, and played pranks on travelers to the station. Late in the third season, Nog turns his life around by becoming the first Ferengi in Starfleet thereby abandoning a life of greed and using his manipulative skills for the benefit of the Federation.

Garak (Andrew Robinson)

The only Cardassian on Deep Space Nine is the tailor, Garak, who often finds a way to get involved when certain matters involving Cardassian intelligence reach the station. Although he claims to be nothing more than a simple tailor, Garak was a member of the infamous Cardassian intelligence network known as the Obsidian Order. His current position as a tailor on a Bajoran station is a mystery, but it is believed to be a form of exile imposed on him by the Obsidian Order. Of all the characters in this show, he was always my favorite because he would never tell the truth if he could find something to be gained by lying.

Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo)

The former commanding officer of Terok Nor, Gul Dukat is a high-ranking Cardassian official who constantly comes to the station to throw his weight around. Marc Alaimo always delivers a powerful performance as a Stalin-esque dictator who views himself as a hero of the occupation for not killing as many people as he could. Part of Dukat's arrogance is his need for the approval and admiration of others, particularly Sisko, who receives the love of the Bajoran people that Dukat never did, and Kira, a Bajoran freedom fighter who loathes everything about him.

Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher)

Kai Opaka dies early in the series leaving her role as spiritual leader vacant for the next elected leader. Playing the role of the opportunistic fundamentalist is Vedek Winn, ably played by Louise Fletcher who won an Academy Award for her performance as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Her role in Deep Space Nine is equally frightening as the power hungry egotist who puts herself before the spiritual needs of her people.

Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs)

In the third season, the show introduced the Dominion, a sort of anti-Federation on the other side of the wormhole who enslaved other worlds and genetically manipulated entire races into a servant class. These races were genetically altered to be faithful acolytes to their conquerors, known only as the Founders. The diplomats of the Dominion were the small pale aristocrats called the Vorta and the leader of the Vorta was Weyoun. Played by Jeffrey Combs, the star of the classic B-horror movie Re-Animator, Weyoun added sophistication and duplicity to the Dominion as its always smiling face.

General Martok (J.G. Hertzler)

Following Worf's addition to the series, General Martok took on a major role in the fifth season as leader of the Klingon fleet. Working closely with the Starfleet crew, Martok evokes a sense of honor and nobility missing from most Klingons and his perspective is a nice counterpoint to the much more serious Starfleet officers. To date, Martok is one of my favorite Klingons for the gruff, biker-like personality he gives to the role. When the character lost his eye, the makeup artist wanted to give him a false one, but Hertzler said that he was a Klingon, so they simply had the wound heal over.

Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shaun)

In Ferengi society, the president, CEO, and pope are all wrapped into one person whom they refer to as the Grand Nagus. The Nagus is the pinnacle of Ferengi greed and all must obey and bribe him if they want to get anywhere. The producers cast this role perfectly using Wallace Shawn, best known as Vizzini from The Princess Bride. Shawn's normally whiny voice is turned up a couple notches for this troll. Although Shawn hated all of the makeup, he seems to regularly forget since he showed up every year for another guest appearance.

Vic Fontaine (James Darren)

Appearing late in season six, Vic Fontaine was a holodeck character who was a much more than your average computer program. In order to be able to "really get in the swing of things," he was programmed with a knowledge of his artificial nature and intuition when it comes to matters of the heart. Consequently, he became the show's Guinan by way of Frank Sinatra. James Darren is best known to fans of sixties beach films as Jimmy Darren, a popular beach rock singer at the time. He has since adopted more of a Las Vegas lounge singer persona and he plays the role flawlessly in DS9. It is clear to see why his character was expanded from a single episode into a regular presence, even at the very end of the series.

Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd)

I couldn't finish a list of DS9 characters without mentioning Morn. His name was an anagram of Norm, the ever-present barfly of Cheers. Morn serves the same role in DS9, usually as an interesting prop to add to the Mos Eisley-esque tavern called Quark's Bar. Although the script would often make mention of Morn's long-winded conversations, extended family, sense of humor, and martial arts ability, the audience rarely saw him do anything but sit quietly on his stool.

Episodes
Unlike other Star Trek shows, DS9 gives a lot of emphasis on long-term storytelling so you are going to lose a lot more by "cherry picking" favorite episodes than in other shows. If you want to watch it for long-term story development (which I definitely recommend), you may want to skip forward to the third or fourth season. You are going to miss some good episodes, but on the whole, the quality of the show becomes top notch in season four and only leads to bigger and better things. But if you just want to watch a couple episodes to see what it is all about, below are my recommended episodes in chronological order.

Duet

The first great episode is from the end of the first season with the great character actor, Harris Yulin, as Aamin Marritza, a Cardassian file clerk, who may in fact be the commander of a brutal Bajoran labor camp. When Major Kira holds him on suspicion of being a war criminal, she must come to discover not only the truth, but whether or not her need for revenge is clouding her judgment.

Whispers

This is one of my favorite episodes of the series, based largely on the simplicity of the premise. The episode is your standard conspiracy paranoia tale where O'Brien returns to the station after his most recent mission only to find everyone treating him differently and locking him out of secure areas. I won't spoil the ending, but its one of those stories that you'll get a lot from if you join in the mystery, and it will all make sense in the end.

Blood Oath

The show's first Klingon episode is a treat for fans as it brings back three of the original Klingon commanders for a story of old men seeking revenge. John "Kor" Colicos, William "Koloth" Campbell, and Michael "Kang" Ansara dawn the prosthetic ridges to reprise their classic villainous roles from the original series. All three, it turns out, are old friends with Curzon Dax who swore a blood oath to avenge the death of his grandson who was murdered by a Klingon albino. Together, the four of them plot their revenge, but Dax must decide if Curzon's oath applies to her as well.

The Wire

This is the first standout episode featuring Deep Space Nine's local Cardassian spy/tailor Garak and it clearly illustrates why he is one of my favorites. An old implant designed to protect Garak from torture begins to malfunction when he alters it to relieve the every day torture of exile while Dr. Bashir tries to help him work through the effects of withdrawal. But while Bashir attempts to solve the mystery of the device, Garak is doing everything possible to get in his way and Bashir is determined to find out why.

Crossover

After encountering an anomaly in the wormhole, Kira and Bashir find themselves in the "mirror universe" world of TOS' Mirror, Mirror where Major Kira is now Intendent Kira, overseeing a human slave labor force on the station. It is said that the goatee'd Spock of the original episode began a Federation based in pacifism. This kind Federation was then destroyed by the Klingon Empire, which Bajor is now a part of. This is a fun episode that gives us a dark look at the regular cast, but unlike the original series, DS9 would return to this universe almost every year, presenting it as a major sub-plot in the overall series arc. For more, check out the sequels Through the Looking Glass and Shattered Mirror or rent Star Trek: Alternate Realities.

Past Tense

A standout two-part episode from the third season, Past Tense features Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally traveling to San Francisco in the early 21st century where Sisko and Bashir, having no form of ID, are sent to a controlled community for the homeless where they are forced to live like prisoners. Dax, lucky enough to be found by a kind benefactor, tries to get them out just as the community is stuck in the middle of a riot. After accidently contributing to the death of one of the heroes of the riot, Sisko must take his place and protect the hostages if the future is to remain unaltered.

Way of the Warrior

Season four gets off to a strong start when the Klingon fleet shows up at DS9. Sisko requests a Klingon adviser and is sent Worf. This episode really started to highlight what this show could do with CGI technology for large fleet battles which I consider unparalleled today. Add to that, the whole episode parallels our invasion of Iraq with America as the Klingon Empire and changelings as WMDs. Granted the episode predates the second Gulf War by roughly five years, but that goes to show you that the writers know their history.

Rejoined

This is the only episode of Star Trek to address the issue of homosexuality directly (unlike TNG's The Outcast) and it handles the matter beautifully by hiding a metaphor in with the reality. The plot centers around Jadzia Dax reuniting with her wife from a former life (now in a new body herself), but forbidden from exploring her feelings due to a cultural stigma regarding associating with loved ones from past lives. What makes this episode particularly interesting is that the characters don't mention any issue with the fact that they are both women, either implying that homosexuality is not an issue in the future or simply demonstrating that Jadzia is known to be a bisexual. However, the Trill taboo of "reassociation" draws obvious parallels in the taboo of homosexuality. This episode was quite controversial. I know of at least one person who stopped watching the series becaue of it.

Little Green Men

When Quark brings his nephew to Starfleet Academy for his first day of school, the Ferengi family accidentally travel back in time and crash in Roswell, New Mexico. Mistaken for Martians, Quark tries to barter his way into riches, but discovers that ancient humans are far too brutal and primitive.

Our Man Bashir

This is another fun little episode when Dr. Bashir is spending his off-hours in a James Bond-esque holosuite program which is crashed by his frequent dinner companion, the real life spy Garak, who relentlessly mocks the doctor's fantasy life. When a transporter error turns his fictional enemies into his real life friends, he must find away to save the day without killing anyone.

Homefront/Paradise Lost

After an assassination at Starfleet headquarters by the Dominion, Sisko and Odo travel to Earth to oversee Starfleet security, but as security tightens across the planet, Sisko begins to wonder if the cost of protecting paradise might be greater than the risk of preserving it. Once again, this series both challenges and champions the utopian vision of Star Trek.

Trials and Tribble-ations

Considered by voters to be the best episode of the series, in this episode, the crew travels back in time to the original series episode The Trouble With Tribbles. The original villain of this episode returns to play his older self in a plot to assassinate Captain Kirk with a bomb implanted in a tribble. As tribbles multiply across the space station and the original Enterprise, the DS9 crew go retro so they can protect the timeline and save Captain Kirk. To pull off this effect, they cut old footage with new in a style that was referred to at the time as "Forrest Gump-style."

Rapture

On the eve of Bajor's induction into the Federation, an energy explosion leaves Sisko with visions of the future that cause him to embrace his role as emissary to the Bajoran people, but when his visions tell him that Bajor cannot join the Federation or it will be destroyed, he must choose between his duty as a Starfleet officer and as spiritual leader of the Bajoran people.

For The Uniform

Sisko pursues a former officer of his, Michael Eddington, who stole from Starfleet to support the Maquis, human-Bajoran terrorists living on the Cardassian border. As Sisko's quest becomes more and more dedicated, he begins to question the line between hero and villain.

Waltz

Stranded with Dukat on a hostile environment after breaking his leg, Sisko must reason with a man half-mad and willing to say anything to justify his actions. The two actors play off of each other brilliantly highlighting Dukat's retroactive morality versus Sisko's moral absolutism.

Far Beyond The Stars

Probably the best episode of the series, this is also one of the most approachable. It is similar to City on the Edge of Forever both in terms of setting and sophistication. Experiencing something of a relapse of his psychic ability in The Rapture, Sisko begins experiencing a second life as 1950s sci-fi writer, Benny Russell, who upon seeing a picture of a space station, begins to write the adventures of Benjamin Sisko. The rest of the cast play Benny's friends, enemies, and co-workers including a notable performance by Rene Auberjonois as his conservative editor who is unwilling to publish a story about a negro captain because he considers it unbelievable.

In The Pale Moonlight

Possibly my favorite episode, this one is told from a first-person perspective by Sisko as he explains the aftermath of a decision he made to bring the Romulans into the war against the Dominion. Deciding that he is willing to do whatever it takes given the circumstances, he enlists the help of Garak, but as they begin a massive deception, Sisko begins to wonder if he can justify his actions.

His Way

This is the episode which introduces Vic Fontaine to the regular cast. When Vic notices the long hidden feelings Odo has for Kira, he takes Odo as his own pupil in fun and style. James Darren's performance is fantastic and he doesn't hesitate to make jokes at the uptight Starfleet types. To fans who have been watching the series for years, it was a pleasure to see Odo finally relax a bit.

Take Me Out to the Holosuite

Taking a break from the war, this episode features Sisko volunteering his crew to play an ancient Earth game with the all Vulcan crew commanded by Sisko's academy rival, an arrogant, condescending Vulcan captain. The game is baseball and only the Sisko boys know how to play it. While its hardly the best episode, the story asks "What do you do when you are facing an opponent who is stronger, faster, and smarter than you?" It is an interesting take on the "old human emotionalism versus Vulcan stoicism" argument from the original series.

The Siege of AR-558

More than any other single episode, this one epitomizes what makes this show different from its counterparts. The episode begins when the crew of DS9 make a supply delivery to a small outpost of soldiers guarding a communications array. They are tired and frightened, and most of their friends are dead. Sisko volunteers his crew to back them up until they can receive replacements. They soon discover that being on the ground with a phaser is a lot different than being on the bridge of a starship.

Bonus!

This is a fairly maudlin trailer, but it works to give you a broad sense of the series.



Next

The other half of the TNG writers move directly from the Enterprise to the franchise's third spin-off, sending them across the galaxy desperate to reach home.