![]() ![]() And Deep Space Nine has, more so than any other Trek show, a sense of place. 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. 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. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning 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. It’s possible to come away from certain episodes and story arcs feeling almost physically winded. But right near the season one finale, Deep Space Nine reveals its true face, before diving into dark, deep philosophical waters. The first season treads a lot of the same ground as the other Star Trek shows. “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?”Īdmittedly, many viewers get thrown off early. “Deep Space Nine is not about solving the problems of the world every 46 minutes,” Shimerman says. Photograph: Michael Tran/AFP/Getty Imagesĭeep Space Nine resonates now because it is set in a bifurcated world, much like our own. ‘It stands up!’ … Nana Visitor pictured at Paramount+ Star Trek Day, held in California in September 2022. Watch it to inspire a philosophical discussion.” skip past newsletter promotion 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. And what makes good acting? Good writing. “Watch us for the performances,” he says. I ask Shimerman why people should give the show a shot. 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. And there’s Odo’s nemesis, Quark (Armin Shimerman), the Ferengi bartender. 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. We meet Dax (Terry Farrell), who is a Trill, a species that gives Doctor Who a run for its money. ![]() (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. 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. 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. ![]() People watch, and go … holy shit! This is what we’re going through right now! Nothing has changed!” “And it stands up! And I think that’s why there’s a resurgence. “The show looked forward,” says Nana Visitor, who plays Kira Nerys, the brilliant and fiery Bajoran liaison officer assigned to Deep Space Nine. 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! When he arrives, a wormhole opens between Bajor and the far-flung Gamma quadrant, making the planet suddenly strategically vital. Starfleet commander Benjamin Sisko (played by Avery Brooks) is assigned to manage the station. Many pooh-poohed Trek because they thought it was all about the phasers … our show is really about social issues Armin Shimerman Bajor wants to avoid being invaded again, so they ask the Federation for membership. Terok Nor, a Cardassian space station floating above the planet, is renamed Deep Space Nine. 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. ![]()
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