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