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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.
01:20Legate Damar first appeared in a tiny guest spot back in Deep Space Nine's fourth season as an
01:25unnamed aide to Golda Cat. This was a very small spot, which eventually evolved to Damar running
01:31the Cardassian Union and finally instigating the insurrection against the Dominion, giving his life
01:37for the fight in the process. Not bad for a walk on pie. Since Deep Space Nine, he's appeared in ER,
01:42The Good Wife, Elementary, Person of Interest, and Unbelievable, a show which features many of his former
01:49co-stars along with other Trek alumni. Number 17. Rom, Max Groddenchik.
01:55First appearing in The Next Generation as Sovac in Captain's Holiday and Parlenor in The Perfect
02:00Mate, Max Groddenchik, like his on-screen brother Armin Shimmerman, has played several different
02:06characters in Star Trek. He is, of course, most well-known for playing the lovable buffoon Rom,
02:11Quark's brother in Deep Space Nine. Originally written as Ferengi Pit Boss in Emissary,
02:16his character grew immeasurably over the seasons until he was finally made the Grand Nagus in the
02:22series' penultimate episode. He has also made guest appearances in ER, well, like much of Hollywood
02:27during the show's run, Crossing Jordan, Six Feet Under. He's also an accomplished singer writing and
02:33performing Rom's song, which he often knocks out at conventions. The song, of course, laments his
02:37wishes to take over Quark's bar and have Odo finally leave the station. Cute. Like many of his co-stars,
02:43he's appeared in What We Left Behind, wherein he also sings, this time with Jeffrey Coombs,
02:48Casey Biggs and Armin Shimmerman.
02:50Number 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 for
03:03helping 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 the big Trekkie in their relationship.
03:17Since the show ended, she is probably best known for her role in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville,
03:22where she plays Dr. Claire Finn. The show is very obviously a loving tribute to Star Trek,
03:27the original series, and of course, the Next Generation eras. Before this, she appeared in a
03:31starring role on Castle, where she shared several episodes with both Michael Dorn and Robert Picardo.
03:36She has also appeared with Michael Dorn back in The Next Generation in the seventh season episode,
03:42Homeward. Cassidy Yates was recently teased in the first season of Star Trek's Picard,
03:46where her shipping company has an office 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 Reanimator and Bride of Reanimator. He has a special love for
04:10these films and appeared in the direct-to-DVD third film, Beyond Reanimator, in 2003. He also gave his
04:16voice 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
04:26and Star Trek Enterprise as well, as several other roles. He has appeared in many horror films,
04:31including a large amount based on Lovecraft's literature, starting back in the 80s but continuing
04:36on up until quite recently. In 2018, he played Lovecraft himself in Howard Lovecraft and the
04:42Kingdom of Madness. He can also be seen in Unbelievable alongside many other great Star Trek actors.
04:49Number 14. Gul Dukot. Mark Alaimo. Mark Alaimo is most recognizable to most Star Trek fans as
04:56Gul Dukot, the evil leader of the Cardassian Union and then later the Parr Wraith Acolyte.
05:02His slow manner of speaking hooked audiences from the beginning, though Dukot was not his first role
05:08on Trek. In the years since Deep Space Nine has finished, Alaimo has stayed away from the spotlight
05:13somewhat. He has continued to work on stage using his role as Gul Dukot as an inspiration for much
05:18of his work since then. Alaimo has the distinction of being probably the most developed villain in all
05:23of Star Trek as Dukot appeared in 33 separate episodes where his story went from shady Cardassian
05:30soldier to the harbinger of doom in the show's finale. Be that as it may, Dukot remains a firm
05:36fan-favorite character. Number 13. Garruk. Andrew Robinson. Garruk remains one of the most interesting
05:43recurring characters on any of the Star Trek series, thanks in large to the wonderful performance
05:48by Andrew Robinson himself. Introduced early in the series, he appeared in many episodes throughout
05:53the show's run. He originally auditioned for Odo, but secured Garruk instead. He kept a character
05:58bible throughout the series, using it to frame and then fully compose the novel a stitch in time once
06:04the show was finished. The novel chronicles not just the aftermath of the Dominion War, but expands
06:09on Garruk's early life as well. He and Alexander Siddiq collaborated on a stage play entitled The Dreambox,
06:15which they often performed together at conventions. He was recently interviewed for the behind-the-scenes
06:20look at the making of the 80s horror film Hellraiser, wherein he played the father of the original lead
06:25character. Prior to Deep Space Nine, he would have been widely recognized as the Scorpio Killer
06:29from 1971's Dirty Harry. He was one of the first backers of What We Left Behind and provides a narration
06:35thread throughout, using his instantly recognizable voice to both chill and intrigue. Number 12. General
06:41Martok, J.G. Hertzler. Hertzler actually appeared as far back as the pilot emissary, as the Vulcan
06:47captain of the USS Saratoga. He would of course become best known for his role as General Martok,
06:53with two of his many appearances being as a changeling imposter. Hertzler has a long and
06:58distinguished career on stage and screen. He has a vast Shakespearean credit, something he feels adds to
07:03his ability to play a Klingon. After Deep Space Nine wrapped, he appeared on the series Charmed and
07:08Roswell, the latter of which had an episode written by Ronald D. Moore. However, it is in the political
07:13arena that Hertzler has been busy for the last few years. In 2013, he was elected as a Democrat of the
07:19board to Ulysses, New York, close to a town called Romulus. In 2016, he and James Cromwell were arrested
07:26for civil disobedience, protesting the greenlighting of underground gas storage in Seneca Lake over public
07:32opposition. In 2017, he announced his candidacy for the U.S. 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
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 behind,
08:27I 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 7th 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 in
08:52Star Trek. As a major, and later a Colonel Kira, she was tasked with making an admitted terrorist a
08:57sympathetic character, something she not only achieved, but did so in such a way that it
09:01cemented her character as one of the best across all entries in the franchise. Since the show wrapped,
09:07she 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.
09:23She then went on to appear in Battlestar Galactica for one episode of its fourth season, where she
09:28plays a woman dying from cancer who strongly believes in the message of God, tying back to
09:32her days as the devout Kira. She appeared in the BBC sci-fi series Torchwood, Miracle Day,
09:37for two episodes, and then in Castle with former co-star Penny Johnson. Like many other Trek actors,
09:42she has done voice work in Family Guy, appearing in 12 episodes to date. She's also appeared in the
09:47remake of Friday the 13th. She's a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions, and it's safe to say that
09:52she's kept busy since the show wrapped.
09:54Number 9. Julian Bashir, Alexander Siddiq.
09:57Introduced to the show in Emissary, the cocky young recruit Julian Bashir would rise through
10:01the show to become one of the most beloved characters in the series. Siddiq was only 25
10:06when he landed the role of Dr. Bashir, after being passed over for the role of Commander Sisko.
10:11That was a great idea, guys. During the show's run, he fell in love with and had a child with
10:15co-star Nana Visitor, with whom he married and subsequently divorced, although they remain on good
10:20terms. His later credits include Spooks, Family Guy, 24, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, and Gotham.
10:26He has appeared in many films since the show finished as well. He appeared in Reign of Fire,
10:30Kingdom 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,
10:41so it's safe to say that he's been busy.
10:43Number 8. Quark, Armin Shimmerman.
10:45Armin Shimmerman has enjoyed a very long association with Star Trek. He made his first
10:50appearance on screen all the way back in the Next Generation's first season. He appeared as the face
10:55of L'Oxana Troi's jewelry box in Haven, and then appeared in the flesh, so to speak, in The Last
11:01Outpost, portraying one of the first Ferengi ever seen in Star Trek. While that episode was mixed in
11:06terms of reception, his turn as Quark undeniably was one of the highlights of Deep Space Nine. Through him,
11:12the Ferengi were given a greater depth and breadth, evolving from something of a joke to a well-rounded
11:17species. He also appeared as the horrible Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There were few
11:22fans who didn't have a smug smile when that giant snake chomped down on him. Since then,
11:28he's appeared in Nip Tuck, an ER, and has lent his voice to video games including 2007's Bioshock
11:33and Mass Effect. He'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 in
11:441994. He quickly rushed home to check on his family, forgetting that he was in full makeup,
11:49and in his own words, scared the s*** 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 all the
12:00way back in 1992. It was just a few weeks after his 14th birthday at the time, but it wasn't his first
12:06appearance on TV. He'd already appeared in several other productions. Throughout the run of the show,
12:10Lofton grew very close to his on-screen father, Avery Brooks, a relationship that he has recently
12:15revealed has survived to this day. Both Brooks and Lofton cite that this relationship was one of
12:20their favorite takeaways from their time on the show. Lofton is currently the host of the podcast,
12:24The Seventh Rule, which he previously hosted with Aaron Eisenberg. Although Eisenberg was several
12:29years his senior, on the show they developed a firm friendship that lasted up until his death in 2019.
12:34Though his current acting credits are sparse, Lofton continues to attend Star Trek conventions
12:39and appeared in What We Left Behind, the documentary chronicling both the making of Deep Space Nine
12:44and celebrating the anniversary of the show. He remains involved in the Star Trek universe and has
12:49appeared in some Star Trek web series that have unfortunately had their Trek overtones dulled due to
12:54the lawsuit on fan productions. He now resides in California and has one daughter.
12:59Number 6. Miles O'Brien, Colin Meaney
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 Meaney 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
13:16of the pilots and final episodes for The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Meaney was perhaps
13:21best known to audiences for his roles in the Barrytown trilogy outside of Star Trek, but he has also
13:26appeared in a vast array of both Irish, UK and American productions. He appeared in Die Hard 2,
13:30Into the West and The War of the Buttons. After the show, he went on to appear in The Simpsons and
13:35Stargate Atlantis. He had a starring role in AMC's Hell on Wheels from 2011 to 2016,
13:41as well as a role in the adaption of Childhood's End.
13:45Number 5. Esri Dax, Nicole DeBoer
13:47Nicole DeBoer joined Deep Space Nine in the role of Esri Dax and appeared in all episodes of the seventh
13:52and final season. She was actually given quite a few episodes revolving entirely around her character,
13:57which gave her a short amount of time but the opportunity to really establish herself on the show.
14:02Esri was a very different character from Jadzia, something that fans were quick to point out even
14:06though Star Trek painfully goes through the effort to explain why symbiotes are different when they
14:10are in different bodies. Um, do you not know how Trill work?
14:13Opinion has softened a bit in the intervening years. The introduction of her character allowed
14:17writers to better resolve the Dax Worf storyline, which by necessity was cut brutally short.
14:22I'll explain why that happened in just a minute. She eventually ended up in a relationship with
14:26Julian, 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,
14:38which also starred Robert Picardo, although their characters were never seen on screen at the same
14:43time. DeBoer was also a part of What We Left Behind, expressing her fond memories of her
14:47relatively short time on the show. She currently has a recurring role on the Canadian series Private Eye,
14:52and she has one daughter named Summer.
14:54Number 4. Jadzia Dax, Terry Farrell
14:57Terry Farrell of course played Jadzia Dax for Deep Space Nine's first six series,
15:01being memorably killed off in the six season finale, Tears of the Prophets. She also remains
15:05one of the few main actors to be killed on screen and not have her character come back in some form
15:10or another. The reason for this was due to behind-the-scenes strife. Farrell's contract had ended,
15:14and she wanted to renegotiate a contract where she had less episode appearances. This had the
15:19unfortunate effect of angering producers to the point where they decided they would give her all
15:23the time off she wants by killing Jadzia Dax. Though this relationship has since been mended,
15:28it had not been fixed in time for the series finale What You Leave Behind, which features no
15:32tribute to Jadzia in the closing minutes. Since then, Farrell went on to star in shows like Becca,
15:37where she remained for four seasons. At various conventions, she has expressed her regret at how
15:41the situation ended between her and, in particular, Rick Berman, who she cites as the main reason Dax was killed
15:47off. Officially, though, it stated she did not give her permission to use her likeness for the
15:51show's finale. She's in fact stated that she was never approached about it. In 2018, she married
15:56Adam Nimoy, yep, Leonard's son, and had a son named Max from a previous marriage. She's appeared in
16:02Renegades and continues to tour the convention circuits. Number 3. Worf, Michael Dorn. Like Colin Meaney,
16:09Michael Dorn was an alumni of The Next Generation, where he played Worf for seven seasons. Once that show
16:14finished and Generations had been released in theatres, the producers decided to bring Worf
16:18over onto Deep Space Nine, making him the first Trek actor to play a leading role on two of the
16:23different spin-offs. He remained with the show until completion in 1999. Following Star Trek,
16:29he appeared as a pilot in the biography film of Ali. Dorn is actually an experienced pilot in real life
16:34and owns several jets. He appeared in the Disney movies The Santa Claus 2 and 3, playing the Sandman.
16:39He's continued to work on television and film, occasionally with his Star Trek castmates.
16:43He was also one of many Star Trek actors who provided their voice on the Disney animated
16:48series Gargoyles, wherein he played the role of Cold Stone and Taurus. He has appeared in many
16:53video games and joined the rest of The Next Generation castmates in the Family Guy episode,
16:57Not All Dogs Go To Heaven. Word on the street is that Dorn has pitched a Worf spin-off series,
17:02but nothing has come of that yet, and he was allegedly offered a role in Star Trek Discovery,
17:06but apparently was offered so little money he had to turn it down. He's gone on the record to say how
17:10much he hated the makeup required for the role of Worf, but still. When this article was first
17:15written, we did say that we hoped that he would be making a cameo appearance in the new season of
17:19Picard. I better buy myself a lottery ticket because 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
18:20films. He appeared in Stargate SG-1, took part in the comedy roast of William Shatner along with
18:25appearing in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He directed several episodes of Deep Space Nine and
18:30took part in several of the video games. More recently, a lovely tribute to Odo is made in an episode of
18:35Prodigy. It's the episode titled Kobayashi, and it uses existing dialogue from DS9. It's fair to say
18:41that the face of Odo and Obagenois will be remembered forever.
18:451. 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 in
19:02several of the franchise's most well-known takes on civil rights. He actually directs the episode
19:07Far Beyond the Stars, in which he stars as a science fiction writer, Benny Russell. Whilst there are
19:12currently no plans for Brooks to return to the franchise, I mean, who wouldn't love a Star Trek
19:17Sisko series? His work on Deep Space Nine serves among the most inspirational acting across the
19:22franchise. 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 that the
19:31franchise bought 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
19:44subscribe. You can also follow Trek Culture on Twitter. I too, I'm on Instagram, Twitter,
19:48and TikTok, at MarcusBronzy, M-A-R-C-U-S-B-R-O-N-Z-Y, or twitch.tv slash MarcusBronzy weekdays
19:55at 9am GMT. Until next time, see you around. Bless.
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