Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Twenty Four Years Old Today

As with The Next Generation, there was initially a lot of skepticism, anger and what you would call a dismissive attitude toward Deep Space Nine. In fact, there are still many today who just do not like this part of the Star Trek television franchise. However on January 3, 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted with the two hour premiere, “Emissary.”

The series did indeed go through some growing pains in the first few seasons, coming to terms with the political and religious landmines it was constantly tiptoeing around, but the high quality of the acting and some truly great storylines began to shape the show into something worthy of watching each and every week. The cast, led by Avery Brooks as Commander Benjamin Sisko, was diverse and not always in agreement, which would turn out to be part of the show’s charm. Nana Visitor ( Kira Nerys ), Rene Auberjonois ( Odo ), Alexander Siddig ( Julian Bashir ), Terry Farrell ( Jadzia Dax ), Colm Meaney ( Miles O’Brien ), Cirroc Lofton ( Jake Sisko ) and Armin Shimerman ( Quark ) rounded out the regular cast on the show. Michael Dorn ( Worf ) would join the series in Season Four.

The biggest difference between this series and all the other Trek series would be the dark overtones and subject matter. The war with the Founders took up the bulk of two seasons and had a definite impact and a couple more. This was not the usual sunny outlook that the Star Trek was known for and some fans wanted nothing to do with it. There were many episodes which were not just dark but where death was a constant companion, making it hard for some Trek fans to not only digest but deem acceptable for the Star Trek universe.

However, out of all of this conflict rose some truly outstanding performance and episodes. Star Trek has never been afraid to use science fiction to tackle current problems and Deep Space Nine seemed to take that a step further. Digging deeper into issues such as war, religion, racism and two faced governments, the writers gave the actors some truly wonderful moments to tackle and make their own and on many occasions, they did just that. While there a many people who have a problem with the long running story arc with The Founders and all the death and violence that came with that, it also brought out the best in the talent on the show and I believe the fans benefited in the end.

It must have been very hard for Deep Space Nine, as it started what would be a seven season run. As The Next Generation had the unenviable task of following the Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty, Deep Space Nine had to then break out of the shadow created by the excellent cast and writers of The Next Generation and make their own mark in the Trek universe. It was tough in the beginning but to these eyes, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended up being the best television show in the Trek universe.

No matter where you stand on this issue, join me in wishing the show a happy twenty fourth birthday. Thanks for the memories, DS9. You are truly missed.