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It's been over 20 years since DS9 wrapped: what have the cast been up to since?
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00:00Deep Space Nine was the show that enjoyed one of the largest supporting casts out of all of the
00:04Trek series to date. Aside from the core characters, there were regulars in Quark's bar,
00:09looking at you, Morn, and those Starfleet officers who dropped in from time to time.
00:13Add to this the mighty Dominion, the Klingon Empire, and all sorts, and without a chance,
00:18sometimes it's a little difficult to keep all of these characters in check.
00:21One of the major positives are the directions that the actors' careers can take during the show,
00:25and also afterwards. Whilst many have remained on television, some of the cast of Star Trek DS9
00:30have moved into entirely new directions. Some are teaching, some are writing, and others,
00:35well, they've run for office. I'm Marcus Bronzy, this is Trek Culture, and this is the cast of Deep Space Nine,
00:41Where Are They Now?
00:43Number 19. Admiral Ross, Barry Jenner. Admiral William Ross was an addition to the series in the sixth
00:49season, taking Sisko on as his right-hand man. Barry Jenner appeared in several more episodes up to the
00:55seventh season finale, and he passed away in 2016. He was a popular addition to the convention circuit
01:00and attended as often as possible. He also made appearances in Knotts Landing, Dallas, Somerset,
01:06and Another World. He was an avid fan of both tennis and golf, playing in many tournaments to raise
01:11money for charity. Unfortunately, he died in 2016 from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 75.
01:17Number 18. Legate Damar, Casey Biggs. Legate Damar first appeared in a tiny guest spot back in
01:23Deep Space Nine's fourth season, as an unnamed aide to Golda Cat. This was a very small spot,
01:29which eventually evolved to Damar running the Cardassian Union and finally instigating the
01:34insurrection against the Dominion, giving his life for the fight in the process. Not bad for a walk on
01:40pie. Since Deep Space Nine, he's appeared in ER, The Good Wife, Elementary, Person of Interest,
01:45and Unbelievable, a show which features many of his former co-stars along with other Trek alumni.
01:51Number 17. Rom, Max Groddenchik. First appearing in The Next Generation as Sovak in Captain's Holiday
01:58and Parlenor in The Perfect Mate, Max Groddenchik, like his on-screen brother Armin Shimmerman,
02:04has played several different characters in Star Trek. He is, of course, most well-known for playing
02:09the lovable buffoon Rom, Quark's brother in Deep Space Nine. Originally written as Ferengi Pitboss in
02:15Emissary, his character grew immeasurably over the seasons until he was finally made the Grand Nagus,
02:20in the series' penultimate episode. He's also made guest appearances in ER, like much of Hollywood
02:27during the show's run, Crossing Jordan, Six Feet Under. He's also an accomplished singer writing
02:32and performing Rom's song, which he often knocks out at conventions. The song, of course, laments
02:37his wishes to take over Quark's bar and have Odo finally leave the station. Cute. Like many of his
02:43co-stars, he's appeared in What We Left Behind, wherein he also sings, this time with Jeffrey Coombs,
02:48Casey Biggs, and Armin Shimmerman. Number 16, Cassidy Yates, Penny Johnson.
02:53Cassidy Yates was introduced in the show's third season and was quickly established as a love
02:58interest for Ben Sisko. After a slightly rocky first year where she was, well, sent to prison
03:03for helping the marquee, she returned in the show's fifth season where she and Ben picked things up from
03:08where they left off. Penny Johnson wasn't originally a Star Trek fan, so when she told her other half that
03:13she got the job, he was over the moon because he was a big Trekkie in their relationship. Since the
03:17show ended, she is probably best known for her role in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, where she
03:22plays Dr. Claire Finn. The show is very obviously a loving tribute to Star Trek, the original series,
03:28and of course, the Next Generation eras. Before this, she appeared in a starring role on Castle,
03:33where she shared several episodes with both Michael Dorn and Robert Picardo. She has also appeared
03:38with Michael Dorn back in The Next Generation in the seventh season episode, Homeward. Cassidy Yates
03:43was recently teased in the first season of Star Trek's Picard, where her shipping company has an
03:47office in Boston. A precursor to an appearance, maybe? Well, hopefully.
03:52Number 15. Weyun slash Brunt. Jeffrey Coombs. Jeffrey Coombs is an actor with a vast body of work to his
03:58name. Before he joined the cast of Deep Space Nine in the dual role of Weyun and Brunt, he was most famous
04:04for portraying Dr. Herbert West in the films Re-Animator and Bride of Re-Animator. He has a special love
04:10for these films and appeared in the direct-to-DVD third film Beyond Re-Animator in 2003. He also gave
04:16his voice to the role of the redesigned Scarecrow in the animated series of Batman, picked primarily
04:21for the deep sense of dread he could instill with his voice. He appeared in both Star Trek Voyager and
04:27Star Trek Enterprise as well, as several other roles. He has appeared in many horror films, including a large
04:32amount based on Lovecraft's literature, starting back in the 80s but continuing on up until quite
04:37recently. In 2018, he played Lovecraft himself in Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness.
04:43He can also be seen in Unbelievable alongside many other great Star Trek actors.
04:49Number 14. Gul Dukot. Mark Alaimo. Mark Alaimo is most recognisable to most Star Trek fans as Gul Dukot,
04:57the evil leader of the Cardassian Union and then later the Parwraith Acolyte. His slow manner of
05:03speaking hooked audiences from the beginning, though Dukot was not his first role on Trek.
05:08In the years since Deep Space Nine has finished, Alaimo has stayed away from the spotlight somewhat.
05:13He has continued to work on stage using his role as Gul Dukot as an inspiration for much of his work
05:19since then. Alaimo has the distinction of being probably the most developed villain in all of Star Trek,
05:24as Dukot appeared in 33 separate episodes, where his story went from shady Cardassian soldier to the
05:31harbinger of doom in the show's finale. Be that as it may, Dukot remains a firm fan favourite character.
05:38Number 13. Garrick. Andrew Robinson. Garrick remains one of the most interesting recurring
05:43characters on any of the Star Trek series, thanks in large to the wonderful performance by Andrew
05:49Robinson himself. Introduced early in the series, he appeared in many episodes throughout the show's run.
05:54He originally auditioned for Odo, but secured Garrick instead. He kept a character bible
05:58throughout the series, using it to frame and then fully compose the novel, a stitch in time once the
06:04show was finished. The novel chronicles not just the aftermath of the Dominion War, but expands on
06:09Garrick's early life as well. He and Alexander Siddig collaborated on a stage play entitled The Dreambox,
06:15which they often perform together at conventions. He was recently interviewed for the behind-the-scenes
06:20look at the making of the 80's horror film Hellraiser, wherein he played the father of the
06:24original lead character. Prior to Deep Space Nine, he would have been widely recognised as the Scorpio
06:29killer from 1971's Dirty Harry. He was one of the first backers of What We Left Behind and provides a
06:35narration thread throughout, using his instantly recognisable voice to both chill and intrigue.
06:40Number 12. General Martok. J.G. Hertzler. Hertzler actually appeared as far back as the pilot emissary,
06:47as the Vulcan captain of the USS Saratoga. He would of course become best known for his role
06:51as General Martok, with two of his many appearances being as a changeling imposter.
06:57Hertzler has a long and distinguished career on stage and screen. He has a vast Shakespearean
07:01credit, something he feels adds to his ability to play a Klingon. After Deep Space Nine wrapped,
07:06he appeared on the series Charmed and Roswell, the latter of which had an episode written by Ronald D.
07:11Moore. However, it is in the political arena that Hertzler has been busy for the last few years,
07:16In 2013, he was elected as a Democrat of the board to Ulysses, New York, close to a town
07:22called Romulus. In 2016, he and James Cromwell were arrested for civil disobedience,
07:28protesting the greenlighting of underground gas storage in Seneca Lake over public opposition.
07:33In 2017, he announced his candidacy for the US Senate, planning to run in 2018,
07:38advancing to the primary but withdrawing his candidacy a little later.
07:41Number 11, Nog, Aaron Eisenberg. Forever known to Star Trek fans as Nog,
07:47Quark's nephew, best friend of Jake Sisko and Ensign aboard Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant,
07:52Aaron Eisenberg sadly passed away in September 2019. He had suffered ill health for many years,
07:58beginning with a kidney transplant in his teens that stunted his growth and eventually a second
08:02kidney transplant in 2015. He had two sons and a loving wife, whom he married in 2018. He was a
08:08professional photographer with his own gallery. He appeared on other shows like The Secret World
08:13of Alex Mack in the 90s and was also a theatre director up to the time of his death. He played
08:17Nog for all seven seasons of Deep Space Nine. Of the role, he had this to say,
08:22I'll always carry love for the show with me, wherever I go. So when you ask me what I've left
08:27behind, I can't think I've left anything behind because it's still here with me every day.
08:32A consummate professional, a devoted father and friend, he was a co-host with Sirach Lofton on the
08:37podcast The Seventh Rule, keeping their friendship going in the years after the show wrapped.
08:42Taken far too young by heart failure at the age of 50, he sorely missed.
08:46Number 10, Colonel Kira, Nana Visitor. Nana Visitor had one of the hardest roles to play
08:51in Star Trek. As a major and later a Colonel Kira, she was tasked with making an admitted
08:56terrorist a sympathetic character, something she not only achieved but did so in such a way that
09:01it cemented her character as one of the best across all entries in the franchise. Since the show wrapped,
09:06she is kept very busy in terms of work. She went from space to dancing, appearing in Las Vegas and
09:13Washington as Roxy Hart in Chicago before joining the Broadway version. She appeared in Dark Angel,
09:18Frasier, CSI and in Wildfire in which she had the starring role for four seasons. She then went on
09:24to appear in Battlestar Galactica for one episode of its fourth season where she plays a woman dying
09:29from cancer who strongly believes in the message of God, tying back to her days as the devout Kira.
09:33She appeared in the BBC sci-fi series Torchwood, Miracle Day for two episodes and then in Castle
09:39with former co-star Penny Johnson. Like many other Trek actors, she has done voice work in Family Guy,
09:44appearing in 12 episodes to date. She's also appeared in the remake of Friday the 13th.
09:48She's a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions and it's safe to say that she's kept busy since the
09:53show wrapped. Number 9, Julian Bashir, Alexander Siddiq. Introduced to the show in Emissary,
09:58the cocky young recruit Julian Bashir would rise through the show to become one of the most beloved
10:03characters in the series. Siddiq was only 25 when he landed the role of Dr. Bashir after being passed
10:09over for the role of Commander Sisko. That was a great idea guys. During the show's run, he fell
10:14in love with and had a child with co-star Nana Visita, with whom he married and subsequently divorced,
10:19although they remain on good terms. His later credits include Spooks, Family Guy, 24, Game of Thrones,
10:24Peaky Blinders and Gotham. He has appeared in many films since the show finished as well. He appeared
10:29in Reign of Fire, Kingdom of Heaven, Doomsday with his uncle Malcolm McDowell and Siriana to name a few.
10:36He has also been one of the few actors to both work in Star Trek and Doctor Who, so it's safe to say
10:42that he's been busy. Number 8, Quark, Armin Shimmerman. Armin Shimmerman has enjoyed a very long
10:48association with Star Trek. He made his first appearance on screen all the way back in the next
10:52generation's first season. He appeared as the face of L'Oxana Troi's jewellery box in Haven,
10:58and then appeared in the flesh, so to speak, in The Last Outpost, portraying one of the first
11:02Ferengi ever seen in Star Trek. While that episode was mixed in terms of reception, his turn as Quark
11:08undeniably was one of the highlights of Deep Space Nine. Through him, the Ferengi were given a
11:13greater depth and breadth, evolving from something of a joke to a well-rounded species. He also appeared
11:19as the horrible Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There were few fans who didn't
11:23have a smug smile when that giant snake chomped down on him. Since then, he's appeared in Nip Tuck,
11:29an ER, and has lent his voice to video games including 2007's Bioshock and Mass Effect.
11:35He's married to actress Kitty Swink, who guest-starred in Deep Space Nine as well.
11:39Bonus fact, he was actually present on set as Quark when the Paramount lot was hit by an earthquake
11:44in 1994. He quickly rushed home to check on his family, forgetting that he was in full
11:48makeup and, in his own words, scared the sh** out of several onlookers.
11:52Number 7. Jake Sisko, Siroc Lofton.
11:55Siroc Lofton was the youngest lead actor in the Star Trek series when he was cast as Jake
12:00all the way back in 1992. It was just a few weeks after his 14th birthday at the time,
12:05but it wasn't his first appearance on TV, he'd already appeared in several other productions.
12:09Throughout the run of the show, Lofton grew very close to his on-screen father, Avery Brooks,
12:13a relationship that he has recently revealed has survived to this day.
12:17Both Brooks and Lofton cite that this relationship was one of their favourite takeaways from their
12:21time on the show. Lofton is currently the host of the podcast The 7th Rule, which he previously
12:26hosted with Aaron Eisenberg. Although Eisenberg was several years his senior, on the show they
12:30developed a firm friendship that lasted up until his death in 2019. Though his current acting credits
12:36are sparse, Lofton continues to attend Star Trek conventions and appeared in What We Left Behind,
12:41the documentary chronicling both the making of Deep Space Nine and celebrating the anniversary
12:46of the show. He remains involved in the Star Trek universe and has appeared in some Star Trek web
12:50series that have unfortunately had their Trek overtones dulled due to the lawsuit on fan
12:55productions. He now resides in California and has one daughter.
12:58Number 6. Miles O'Brien, Colin Meany
13:01The long-suffering chief of operations on Deep Space Nine, or to others, the most important man
13:06on Starfleet, Miles O'Brien was a role that Colin Meany landed back in The Next Generation,
13:11appearing in the pilot Encounter at Farpoint. He is one of the few guest stars to appear in both of
13:16the pilots and final episodes for The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Meany was perhaps best known
13:21to audiences for his roles in the Barrytown trilogy outside of Star Trek, but he has also appeared in a
13:26vast array of both Irish, UK and American productions. He appeared in Die Hard 2, Into the West and The
13:32War of the Buttons. After the show, he went on to appear in The Simpsons and Stargate Atlantis.
13:37He had a starring role in AMC's Hell on Wheels from 2011 to 2016, as well as a role in the adaption
13:43of Childhood's End. Number 5. Esri Dax, Nicole Deboer. Nicole Deboer joined Deep Space Nine in the role of
13:50Esri Dax and appeared in all episodes of the seventh and final season. She was actually given quite a few
13:55episodes revolving entirely around her character, which gave her a short amount of time, but the
13:59opportunity to really establish herself on the show. Esri was a very different character from
14:03Jadzia, something that fans were quick to point out even though Star Trek painfully goes through
14:08the effort to explain why symbiotes are different when they are in different bodies.
14:12Um, do you not know how Trill work? Opinion has softened a bit in the intervening years. The
14:16introduction of her character allowed writers to better resolve the Dax Worf storyline, which by necessity
14:21was cut brutally short. I'll explain why that happened in just a minute. She eventually ended
14:25up in a relationship with Julian, which sort of brings his arc with Dax in a full circle.
14:30Following the end of the show's run, Deboer then took a starring role in The Dead Zone,
14:34based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. She appeared in Stargate Atlantis, which also starred
14:39Robert Picardo, although their characters were never seen on screen at the same time. Deboer was also a
14:45part of What We Left Behind, expressing her fond memories of her relatively short time on the show.
14:49She currently has a recurring role on the Canadian series Private Eyes, and she has one daughter
14:53named Summer. Number 4, Jadzia Dax, Terry Farrell. Terry Farrell of course played Jadzia Dax for
14:59Deep Space Nine's first six series, being memorably killed off in the sixth season finale, Tears of
15:04the Prophets. She also remains one of the few main actors to be killed on screen and not have her
15:08character come back in some form or another. The reason for this was due to behind the scenes strife.
15:13Farrell's contract had ended and she wanted to renegotiate a contract where she had less episode
15:18appearances. This had the unfortunate effect of angering producers to the point where they decided
15:22they would give her all the time off she wants, by killing Jadzia Dax. Though this relationship
15:27has since been mended, it had not been fixed in time for the series finale What You Leave Behind,
15:31which features no tribute to Jadzia in the closing minutes. Since then, Farrell went on to star in
15:36shows like Becca, where she remained for four seasons. At various conventions, she has expressed her
15:41regret at how the situation ended between her and, in particular, Rick Berman, who she cites as the main
15:46reason Dax was killed off. Officially, though, it stated she did not give her permission to use
15:50her likeness for the show's finale. She's, in fact, stated that she was never approached about it.
15:55In 2018, she married Adam Nimoy, yep, Leonard's son, and had a son named Max from a previous marriage.
16:01She's appeared in Renegades and continues to tour the convention circuits.
16:05Number three, Worf, Michael Dorn. Like Colin Meaney, Michael Dorn was an alumni of The Next Generation,
16:11where he played Worf for seven seasons. Once that show finished and Generations had been released,
16:16in theaters, the producers decided to bring Worf over onto Deep Space Nine, making him the first
16:20Trek actor to play a leading role on two of the different spin-offs. He remained with the show
16:25until completion in 1999. Following Star Trek, he appeared as a pilot in the biography film of Ali.
16:31Dorn is actually an experienced pilot in real life and owns several jets. He appeared in the
16:36Disney movies The Santa Clause 2 and 3, playing the Sandman. He's continued to work on television and
16:41film, occasionally with his Star Trek castmates. He was also one of many Star Trek actors who
16:46provided their voice on the Disney animated series Gargoyles, wherein he played the role
16:50of Cold Stone and Taurus. He has appeared in many video games and joined the rest of the
16:54Next Generation castmates in the Family Guy episode, Not All Dogs Go to Heaven.
16:59Word on the street is that Dorn has pitched a Worf spin-off series, but nothing has come of that yet,
17:03and he was allegedly offered a role in Star Trek Discovery, but apparently was offered so little
17:08money he had to turn it down. He's gone on the record to say how much he hated the makeup required
17:12for the role of Worf. But still, when this article was first written, we did say that we hoped that
17:17he would be making a cameo appearance in the new season of Picard. I better buy myself a lottery ticket
17:21because it's happening.
17:23Number 2. Odo
17:25René Obagenois
17:26Obagenois starred as Odo for the entirety of Deep Space Nine's run, but appeared in Star Trek before as
17:32Colonel West in Star Trek Undiscovered Country. He would later appear in a guest role on Enterprise.
17:37Sadly, he passed away from lung cancer in 2019, but not before leaving a significant body of work
17:44behind. Prior to his work in Star Trek, he appeared in Benson from 1980 to 1986 and appeared in several
17:50theatre productions, earning him a Tony Award along the way. Following Star Trek, he went on to star in
17:55Boston Legal, which also featured William Shatner and his longtime friend Armin Shimmerman.
18:00Obagenois was an accomplished voice actor as well. Perhaps his best-known voice role was Disney's
18:06Little Mermaid, where he played Louis the Chef, a role he reprised in the animated television series
18:11that followed. Speaking of animated series, he also lent his voice to Batman the animated series,
18:16and he's one of the few actors to appear both in the animated Batman series and the live-action films.
18:21He appeared in Stargate SG-1, took part in the comedy roast of William Shatner along with appearing
18:26in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He directed several episodes of Deep Space Nine and took part in
18:31several of the video games. More recently, a lovely tribute to Odo is made in an episode of Prodigy.
18:36It's the episode titled Kobayashi and it uses existing dialogue from DS9. It's fair to say that
18:41the face of Odo and Obagenois will be remembered forever.
18:45Number 1 Captain Sisko Avery Brooks
18:48Avery Brooks is an actor of course, but also an activist and a highly talented musician. He was
18:53already a well-known actor before taking on the role of Commander Sisko. He was the first African-American
18:58lead actor in any of the Star Trek series and throughout his time on the show, was involved
19:02in several of the franchise's most well-known takes on civil rights. He actually directs the
19:07episode Far Beyond the Stars, in which he stars as a science fiction writer, Benny Russell. Whilst
19:12there are currently no plans for Brooks to return to the franchise, I mean, who wouldn't love a Star
19:16Trek Sisko series, his work on Deep Space Nine serves among the most inspirational acting across
19:21the franchise. The fact that he juggled all seven seasons, whilst retaining a professorship at a
19:26university occasionally conducting lectures in costume, is no mean feat. One of the best actors
19:31that the franchise brought on board, Brooks is truly a credit to Star Trek.
19:35So there you have it, I've been Marcus Bronzy and this is Trek Culture and that was
19:39the cast of Deep Space Nine Where Are They Now? Please don't forget to give us a like and a subscribe.
19:44You can also follow Trek Culture on Twitter. I too, I'm on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok at
19:49marcusbronzy, m-a-r-c-u-s-b-r-o-n-z-y or twitch.tv slash marcusbronzy weekdays at 9am GMT.
19:56Until next time, see you around, bless.
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