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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
00:40Deep Space Nine, Where Are They Now? 19. Admiral Ross, Barry Jenner. Admiral William Ross was an
00:47addition to the series in the sixth season, taking Sisko on as his right-hand man. Barry Jenner
00:53appeared in several more episodes up to the seventh season finale, and he passed away in 2016.
00:58He was a popular addition to the convention circuit and attended as often as possible.
01:02He also made appearances in Knotts Landing, Dallas, Somerset, and Another World. He was an avid fan of
01:08both tennis and golf, playing in many tournaments to raise money for charity. Unfortunately, he died in
01:132016 from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 75.
01:16Number 18. Legate Damar, Casey Biggs. Legate Damar first appeared in a tiny guest spot back in Deep Space Nine's
01:24fourth season, as an unnamed aide to Golda Cat. This was a very small spot, which eventually evolved
01:30to Damar running the Cardassian Union and finally instigating the insurrection against the Dominion,
01:36giving his life for the fight in the process. Not bad for a walk on pie. Since Deep Space Nine,
01:41he's appeared in ER, The Good Wife, Elementary, Person of Interest, and Unbelievable, a show which
01:47features many of his former co-stars along with other Trek alumni.
01:51Number 17. Rom.
01:53Max Groddenchik. First appearing in The Next Generation as Sovak in Captain's Holiday and Parlenor
01:59in The Perfect Mate, Max Groddenchik, like his on-screen brother Armin Shimmerman, has played
02:05several different characters in Star Trek. He is, of course, most well-known for playing the
02:09lovable buffoon Rom, Quark's brother in Deep Space Nine. Originally written as Ferengi Pitboss
02:15in Emissary, his character grew immeasurably over the seasons until he was finally made the
02:20Grand Nagus in the series' penultimate episode. He has also made guest appearances in ER,
02:26well, like much of Hollywood during the show's run, Crossing Jordan, Six Feet Under. He's also
02:31an accomplished singer writing and performing Rom's song, which he often knocks out at conventions.
02:36The song, of course, laments his wishes to take over Quark's bar and have Odo finally
02:40leave the station. Cute.
02:42Like many of his co-stars, he's appeared in What We Left Behind, wherein he also sings,
02:46this time with Jeffrey Coombs, Casey Biggs and Armin Shimmerman.
02:50Number 16. Cassidy Yates.
02:52Penny Johnson.
02:53Cassidy Yates was introduced in the show's third season and was quickly established as a
02:58love interest for Ben Sisko. After a slightly rocky first year where she was, well, sent to
03:02prison for helping the marquee, she returned in the show's fifth season where she and Ben
03:07picked things up from where they left off. Penny Johnson wasn't originally a Star Trek fan,
03:11so when she told her other half that she got the job, he was over the moon because he was
03:15the big Trekkie in their relationship. Since the show ended, she is probably best known for
03:19her role in Seth MacFarlane's The Orville, where she plays Dr. Claire Finn. The show is very
03:24obviously a loving tribute to Star Trek, the original series, and of course, the Next Generation
03:29Before this, she appeared in a starring role on Castle, where she shared several episodes with
03:34both Michael Dorn and Robert Picardo. She has also appeared with Michael Dorn back in The Next
03:39Generation in the seventh season episode, Homeward. Cassidy Yates was recently teased in the first
03:44season of Star Trek's Picard, where her shipping company has an office in Boston. A precursor to
03:50an appearance, maybe? Well, hopefully.
03:52Number 15. Weyun slash Brunt.
03:54Jeffrey Coombs.
03:55Jeffrey Coombs is an actor with a vast body of work to his name. Before he joined the cast
04:00of Deep Space Nine in the dual role of Weyun and Brunt, he was most famous for portraying
04:05Dr. 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
04:16gave his voice to the role of the redesigned Scarecrow in the animated series of Batman, picked
04:21primarily for the deep sense of dread he could instill with his voice. He appeared in both
04:26Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Enterprise as well, as several other roles. He has appeared
04:30in many horror films, including a large amount based on Lovecraft's literature, starting back
04:35in the 80s but continuing on up until quite recently. In 2018, he played Lovecraft himself
04:40in Howard Lovecraft and the Kingdom of Madness. He can also be seen in Unbelievable alongside
04:46many other great Star Trek actors.
04:49Number 14. Gul Dukot Mark Alaimo
04:52Mark Alaimo is most recognizable to most Star Trek fans as Gul Dukot, the evil leader of the
04:58Cardassian Union and then later the Parr Wraith Acolyte. His slow manner of speaking hooked audiences
05:05from the beginning, though Dukot was not his first role on Trek. In the years since Deep Space
05:10Nine has finished, Alaimo has stayed away from the spotlight somewhat. He has continued to work
05:14on stage using his role as Gul Dukot as an inspiration for much of his work since then.
05:19Alaimo 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-favorite character.
05:38Number 13. Garak Andrew Robinson
05:40Garak remains one of the most interesting recurring characters on any of the Star Trek series,
05:45thanks in large to the wonderful performance by Andrew Robinson himself. Introduced early in the
05:50series, he appeared in many episodes throughout the show's run. He originally auditioned for Odo,
05:55but secured Garak instead. He kept a character bible throughout the series, using it to frame and then
06:01fully compose the novel a stitch in time once the show was finished. The novel chronicles not just the
06:06aftermath of the dominion war, but expands on Garak's early life as well. He and Alexander
06:11Siddiq collaborated on a stage play entitled The Dream Box, which they often performed together at
06:17conventions. He was recently interviewed for the behind the scenes look at the making of the 80s
06:21horror film Hellraiser, wherein he played the father of the original lead character. Prior to Deep
06:26Space Nine, he would have been widely recognized as the Scorpio killer from 1971's Dirty Harry. He was one of
06:32the first backers of What We Left Behind and provides a narration thread throughout, using his instantly
06:37recognizable voice to both chill and intrigue. Number 12, General Martok, JG Herzler. Herzler
06:44actually appeared as far back as the pilot emissary, as the Vulcan captain of the USS Saratoga. He would
06:49of course become best known for his role as General Martok, with two of his many appearances being as a
06:55changeling imposter. Herzler has a long and distinguished career on stage and screen. He has a vast
07:01Shakespearean credit, something he feels adds to his ability to play a Klingon. After Deep Space Nine
07:06wrapped, he appeared on the series Charmed and Roswell, the latter of which had an episode written
07:10by Ronald D. Moore. However, it is in the political arena that Herzler has been busy for the last few
07:16years. In 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, protesting the
07:28greenlighting of underground gas storage in Seneca Lake over public opposition. In 2017,
07:33he announced his candidacy for the US Senate, planning to run in 2018, advancing to the primary
07:39but withdrawing his candidacy a little later. Number 11, Nog, Aaron Eisenberg.
07:44Forever known to Star Trek fans as Nog, Quark's nephew, best friend of Jake Sisko and ensign aboard
07:50Deep Space Nine and the USS Defiant, Aaron Eisenberg sadly passed away in September 2019. He had suffered
07:56ill health for many years beginning with a kidney transplant in his teens that stunted his growth
08:01and eventually a second kidney transplant in 2015. He had two sons and a loving wife whom he married
08:06in 2018. He was a professional photographer with his own gallery. He appeared on other shows like
08:12The Secret World of Alex Mack in the 90s and was also a theatre director up to the time of his death.
08:17He played Nog 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 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.
08:49Nana Visitor had one of the hardest roles to play in Star Trek. As a major and later a Colonel Kira,
08:54she was tasked with making an admitted terrorist a sympathetic character, something she not only
08:59achieved but did so in such a way that it cemented her character as one of the best across all entries
09:04in the franchise. Since the show wrapped, she is kept very busy in terms of work. She went from space
09:10to dancing, appearing in Las Vegas and Washington as Roxy Hart in Chicago before joining the Broadway
09:16version. She appeared in Dark Angel, Frasier, CSI and in Wildfire in which she had the starring role
09:22for four seasons. She then went on to appear in Battlestar Galactica for one episode of its fourth
09:27season where she plays a woman dying from cancer who strongly believes in the message of God,
09:31tying back to her days as the devout Kira. She appeared in the BBC sci-fi series Torchwood,
09:36Miracle Day for two episodes and then in Castle with former co-star Penny Johnson. Like many other Trek
09:42actors, she has done voice work in Family Guy, appearing in 12 episodes to date. She's also
09:46appeared in the remake of Friday the 13th. She's a frequent guest at Star Trek conventions and it's
09:51safe to say that she's kept busy since the show wrapped.
09:539. Julian Bashir – Alexander Siddiq
09:57Introduced to the show in Emissary, the cocky young recruit Julian Bashir would rise through the
10:01show to become one of the most beloved characters in the series. Siddiq was only 25 when he landed the
10:06role of Dr Bashir after being passed over for the role of Commander Sisko. That was a great idea guys.
10:12During the show's run he fell in love with and had a child with co-star Nana Visitor with whom he
10:17married and subsequently divorced, although they remain on good terms. His later credits include
10:21Spooks, Family Guy, 24, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders and Gotham. He has appeared in many films
10:27since the show finished as well. He appeared in Reign of Fire, Kingdom of Heaven, Doomsday with his uncle
10:33Malcolm McDowell and Siriana, to name a few. He has also been one of the few actors to both work in
10:39Star Trek and Doctor Who, so it's safe to say that he's been busy.
10:438. 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
10:52Next Generation's first season. He appeared as the face of Luoxana Troi's jewellery box in Haven and
10:58then 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,
11:07his 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 he's appeared in
11:28Nip Tuck, an ER and has lent his voice to video games including 2007's Bioshock and Mass Effect.
11:34He'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 makeup and,
11:49in his own words, scared the sh** out of several onlookers.
11:52Number 7. Jake Sisko, Ciroc Lofton. Ciroc Lofton was the youngest lead actor in the Star Trek series
11:58when he was cast as Jake all the way back in 1992. It was just a few weeks after his 14th birthday at
12:04the time, but 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. Both Brooks and Lofton
12:18cite that this relationship was one of their favourite takeaways from their time on the show.
12:22Lofton is currently the host of the podcast The 7th Rule, which he previously hosted with
12:27Aaron Eisenberg. Although Eisenberg was several years his senior, on the show they developed a
12:31firm friendship that lasted up until his death in 2019. Though his current acting credits are sparse,
12:37Lofton continues to attend Star Trek conventions and appeared in What We Left Behind, the documentary
12:42chronicling both the making of Deep Space Nine and celebrating the anniversary of the show.
12:46He remains involved in the Star Trek universe and has appeared in some Star Trek web series that
12:50have unfortunately had their Trek overtones dulled due to the lawsuit on fan productions.
12:56He now resides in California and has one daughter.
12:586. Miles O'Brien, Colin Meany
13:01The long-suffering chief of operations on Deep Space Nine, or to others, the most important man on
13:06Starfleet, Miles O'Brien was a role that Colin Meany landed back in The Next Generation, appearing in the
13:12pilot Encounter at Farpoint. He is one of the few guest stars to appear in both of the
13:16pilots and final episodes for The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Meany was perhaps best
13:21known 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 as well as a role in the
13:42Adaption of Childhood's End. 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
13:52seventh and final season. She was actually given quite a few episodes revolving entirely around
13:56her character which gave her a short amount of time but the opportunity to really establish herself on
14:01the show. Esri was a very different character from Jadzia, something that fans were quick to point
14:05out even though Star Trek painfully goes through the effort to explain why symbiotes are different
14:10when they are in different bodies. Um, do you not know how Trill work? Opinion has softened a bit
14:14in the intervening years. The introduction of her character allowed writers to better resolve the
14:19Dax-Whorf storyline which by necessity was cut brutally short. I'll explain why that happened
14:23in just a minute. She eventually ended up in a relationship with Julian which sort of brings his
14:27arc with Dax in a full circle. Following the end of the show's run, DeBoer then took a starring role in
14:33the dead zone based 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 relatively
14:48short time on the show. She currently has a recurring role on the Canadian series Private Eyes and she has
14:53one daughter named Summer. Number four, Jadzia Dax, Terry Farrell. Terry Farrell of course played
14:58Jadzia Dax for Deep Space Nine's first sixth series, being memorably killed off in the sixth season
15:03finale, Tears of the Prophets. She also remains one of the few main actors to be killed on screen
15:07and not have her character come back in some form or another. The reason for this was due to behind
15:12the scenes strife. Farrell's contract had ended and she wanted to renegotiate a contract where she had
15:17less episode appearances. This had the unfortunate effect of angering producers to the point where
15:22they decided they would give her all the time off she wants by killing Jadzia Dax. Though this
15:26relationship has since been mended, it had not been fixed in time for the series finale What You Leave
15:31Behind, which features no tribute to Jadzia in the closing minutes. Since then, Farrell went on to
15:35star in shows like Becca where she remained for four seasons. At various conventions, she has expressed
15:40her regret at how the situation ended between her and in particular Rick Berman, who she cites as the
15:45main reason Dax was killed off. Officially though, it stated she did not give her permission to use her
15:50likeness for the show's finale. She's in fact stated that she was never approached about it. In 2018,
15:55she 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.
16:04Number 3. Worf, Michael Dorn
16:07Like Colin Meany, Michael Dorn was an alumni of The Next Generation, where he played Worf for seven
16:13seasons. Once that show finished and generations had been released in theatres, the producers decided to
16:17bring Worf over 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. Dawn is actually an experienced pilot in real life
16:34and owns several jets. He appeared in the Disney movies The Santa Clause 2 and 3, playing the Sandman.
16:39He's continued to work on television and film, occasionally with his Star Trek castmates. He was
16:44also one of many Star Trek actors who provided their voice on the Disney animated series Gargoyles,
16:49wherein he played the role of Cold Stone and Taurus. He has appeared in many video games and joined the
16:54rest of The Next Generation castmates in the Family Guy episode, Not All Dogs Go to Heaven.
16:58Word on the street is that Dawn 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
17:16he would be making a cameo appearance in the new season of Picard. I better buy myself a lottery
17:21ticket because it's happening. 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
17:32as Colonel West in Star Trek Undiscovered Country. He would later appear in a guest role on Enterprise.
17:38Sadly, 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,
17:49and appeared in several theatre productions, earning him a Tony Award along the way.
17:53Following Star Trek, he went on to star in Boston Legal, which also featured William Shatner,
17:58and his long-time friend Armin Shimmerman. Obagenois was an accomplished voice actor as well.
18:03Perhaps his best-known voice role was Disney's The Little Mermaid, where he played Louis the Chef,
18:08a role he reprised in the animated television series that followed.
18:11Speaking 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,
18:25along with appearing in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
18:28He directed several episodes of Deep Space Nine, and took part in several of the video games.
18:32More 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.
18:40It's fair to say that 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.
18:53He was already a well-known actor before taking on the role of Commander Sisko.
18:56He was the first African-American lead actor in any of the Star Trek series,
19:00and throughout his time on the show, was involved in several of the franchise's
19:04most well-known takes on civil rights.
19:06He actually directs the episode Far Beyond the Stars, in which he stars as a science fiction
19:11writer, Benny Russell. Whilst there are currently no plans for Brooks to return to the franchise,
19:15I mean, who wouldn't love a Star Trek Sisko series?
19:17His work on Deep Space Nine serves among the most inspirational acting across the franchise.
19:22The fact that he juggled all seven seasons, whilst retaining a professorship at a university,
19:27occasionally conducting lectures in costume, is no mean feat.
19:30One of the best actors that 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
19:44subscribe. You can also follow Trek Culture on Twitter. I too, I'm on Instagram, Twitter,
19:48and TikTok, at Marcus Bronzy, M-A-R-C-U-S-B-R-O-N-Z-Y, or twitch.tv slash Marcus Bronzy weekdays at 9am GMT.
19:56Until next time, see you around. Bless.
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