
The world-building continues from The Next Generation‘s template. But Deep Space Nine changes the beat and the rhythm before its done.
With the liberation of the planet Bajor from Cardassian occupation, The Federation establish an outpost nearby. But before they even settle in on the old Cardassian station, a wormhole is discovered. Not only does this phenomenon hold religious significance for the Bajorans, but it also links known space with the Gamma quadrant. An uncharted region of space.
Launched in 1993 (it feels more recent than that!) Deep Space Nine traded a lot with The Next Generation initially. With a pilot episode that featured Sir Patrick Stewart and referenced The Borg, and including TNG characters such as Worf and Miles O’Brian as main cast members. Its early seasons were frequently including TNG references, from Deanna Troi’s annoying mother, to Commander Will Riker. Eventually though, Deep Space Nine would earn its own place in Star Trek history.
Across seven full seasons, the show had a colossal cast. Somehow eclipsing its predecessor. Avery Brooks plays Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko, our first African-American lead Star Trek actor, with tremendous gusto and intellect. Here is a commander who must adapt to very grave scenarios indeed, and control a host of different subordinates. But at the same time, he is a family man, and unlike Captain Picard, he can go easy on the reigns at times.
The show easily sports fifteen regularly featured characters. Perhaps closer to eighteen. From the station crew, Kira (Nana Visitor), Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig, Game of Thrones), Quark, (Armin Shimerman, Buffy), Odo (the late Rene Auberjonois) and many more. Some heavy hitting actors feature regularly: the late Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest) and Andrew Robinson (1987’s Hellraiser, Dirty Harry) feature as well!
The show differs from other Treks; it is rooted to a location. Deep Space Nine‘s space station is a bustling hub of cultural activity. Never before or since has Star Trek’s universe been so scrutinized or elaborated upon. This is perhaps DS9’s greatest strength. It is one of (if not the) most diverse casts the franchise has seen. Following The Next Generation‘s cues, we have a lot of world-building here. It fleshes out aliens and creatures met so briefly once before. Personalities and iconography of disparate races become familiar to the viewer.

Of course, what’s world-building without characters, and what is Star Trek without a final frontier. Answering this is a two-pronged story, which is a double-edged sword for the show. On the one hand, we have Odo, a shapeshifter who is also the station’s security officer. Audiences have never seen a creature like him before; he is instantly fascinating, and the show makes him its strongest storytelling asset. On the other, the Bajoran people’s religious beliefs; that the wormhole is home to their gods, known as The Prophets. Commander Sisko is wrapped up in this, becoming “The Emissary” to The Prophets, causing a dichotomy between this role and his job in Starfleet.
It is very clear that Paramount Studios had money to burn. With Next Generation at warp speeds, and more cinema releases planned, and Voyager… Deep Space Nine looks expensive. Set designs are complex; the station’s promenade features extensively and for good reason. Costumes, technology, and space battles look detailed, precise, and consistent.
We also have a host of great villains. Starting off with a Cardassian tyrant called Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), and the aforementioned Louise Fletcher as perhaps the most corrupt and punchable person in the franchise.

But it isn’t all perfect.
Despite the show’s dedication to The Next Generation, it does set some ugly precedents for the franchise’s possible future. War and greed.
Roddenberry’s Star Trek is a utopian future. The Federation constantly bangs on about there being no need for material wealth; that greed was extinguished for a more prosperous Humanity. For Deep Space Nine, that’s a problem when a portion of your cast is money-hungry Ferengi.
Of course, the Ferengi of the show (spearheaded by the wonderful Armin Shimerman) are very enjoyable. Quark’s antics with Odo and Federation officers are extremely fun. But when Federation officers need to have “latinum” (a Ferengi currency) to deal with them… it starts to put monetary value on everything. How does a Federation Commander earn latinum to be able to trade, exactly?
More ugly, is Deep Space Nine‘s over-reliance on war. By its fifth season, the show is a war show. This is the darkest Star Trek was (at this period of time). Terrible and bleak episodes, featuring torture, kids dealing with PTSD, and other wartime atrocities. The bloody violence of war. It is overwhelming. While The Next Generation had some similar episodes, Deep Space Nine had a persistent narrative; slowly bleaker episodes became the norm. The Federation’s shadowy “Section 31” rears its ugly head here as well… Although not with any of the reverence modern Trek seems to give it.
Granted, seeing the invulnerable Federation with its back against the wall is an interesting experiment. When opposed by an overwhelmed force like The Dominion (a culture not entirely unlike The Federation) where any hope of diplomacy or understanding is lost, it is encouraging to see the good guys prevail.
The final season is… unorthodox for Trek. With so many characters, the season basically becomes a really long finale. Each character gets their arc wrapped up with an episode or two. While the whole series ends with not a double bill, not a triple bill… but with a seven part conclusion. Even with all this time, it doesn’t quite work. The war for the Alpha Quadrant and the battle for Bajor’s spirituality never really mesh. Making for an ending that feels more choppy than entirely satisfying.
But it is worth noting that, with recent Covid-19 lockdown, and Deep Space Nine being available on Netflix, the show has seen a resurgence. Its narrative structure is far closer to that of modern streaming shows; allowing audiences to “binge” on a consistent narrative.
There are a lot of excellent episodes. In fact, one could say Deep Space Nine is more consistent than The Next Generation; very few episodes are actual stinkers. Far Beyond the Stars is a fantastic piece of Star Trek, and sci-fi in general.
When it is all said and done, Deep Space Nine is an excellent Star Trek show. I wouldn’t advise people start with it; there are simply too many references and established norms that will be disorientating. But when finishing watching the show… it feels like a genuine end to this era of Star Trek.