"...a part of us will always remain here on Deep Space Nine."


DEEP SPACE NINE:  STARDATES 46379.1 TO 52680.5

"Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine" premiered on January 13, 1993 with the episode "Emissary". The Star Trek saga continued. Many people didn't like DS9 until it started hitting its bigger strides with the Dominion War, but the series had picked up on the almost lost art of storytelling.  From the very first episodes, we understood where the cast was coming from and what made them tick.  The fact that Commander Sisko wanted to quit Starfleet, Major Kira was a hothead (with very good reason), Dr. Bashir was rather inexperienced, but happy to be there, Lieutenant Dax was level-headed and cool (and how far DO those spots go), O'brien was a carry-over from TNG, Odo was a shape-shifter trying to understand the universe of the "solids", and Quark was, well, Ferengi.  Everybody had their favorites, and the supporting cast played a large roll in this series.  We could explore deeply into the cultures of different races and understand what it was like to be Ferengi, Cardassian, Klingon, or Bajoran.  I fell in love with the series because it not only had cool stuff, like the runabouts and the wormhole, but it also satisfied the side of me that wants to know anything and everything about the Star Trek universe. The story started as Sisko took command of Terak Nor, renamed DS9 by Starfleet, which had just been vacated by the Cardassians.  As was becoming the tradition, the torch was passed to DS9 by Jean-Luc Picard himself, with the Enterprise-D docked at one of the upper pylons.  The Bajoran Provisional Government asked for the Federation to be there, sensing that they didn't have what it took to defend themselves in the hostile universe, and that was a major sticking point with Major Kira.  Also, it was established that Commander Sisko was the Emissary, the one who spoke for the Prophets.  Over the years, we got to see little Jake Sisko and Nog grow up, Odo and Quark constantly play off of each other, Julian become fascinated with one thing or another, the O'briens' family life, the stupidity of Rom, the deviousness of Gul Dukat, the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, the mysteriousness of Garak, the total silence of Morn, the beauty of the Dabo girls, the behind-the-scenes cunning of Kai Winn, the beauty and intelligence of Dax, and the dangers of being on the fringes of the Federation.  The 24th Century was expanded upon in ways that TNG could not, all without leaving the space station (for awhile, anyway).  Later, the Defiant and Worf were introduced along with a nemesis, the Dominion. The Dominion War is probably what saved the series, causing many people who didn't care much for DS9 to tune in, if for nothing else than the explosions and battles.  The stories arced through more than one season, lending a sense of continuity to the series that had never before or since been done on Star Trek.  It all ended with the climatic battle for Cardassia, where the Dominion is defeated once and for all, and the Emissary defeating Gul Dukat and the Pah Raiths (sp?), ultimately being called to the Celestial Temple by the Prophets.  I absolutely cried my eyes out when Benjamin came to his wife in a vision, and she then explained it to Jake.  The fact that Colonel Kira made it a point to pick up Sisko's baseball and toss it in the air gave me the idea that the story wasn't over and Benjamin would return one day. The series ended on June 2, 1999 with the episode "What You Leave Behind", an edge-of -my-seat tear-jerker if I do give it to the writers, but not before passing the torch to Voyager.

"........."


DEEP SPACE NINE MOVIES - STARDATES UNKNOWN

As of yet, there are no DS9 movies, or any known plans to make one.  I think this is a travesty.  DS9 at its best was action and intrigue, with characters we grew to know and love, set in an era we are all familiar with.  At its worst, it was still great storytelling. I for one want to know when Ben Sisko is going to return from the Celestial Temple, and what happens when he does.  Kai Opaka had told him that their "paths were destined to cross again", and I for one want to see her again. You may be able to help get a DS9 movie on the big screen, click on the link below to sign the petition.  It's the least we can all do.