Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (or DS9) was the third live action Star Trek television series, which aired from January 1993 to May of 1999. During in and after the TV series it has spawned numerous other stories in prose, comics and other media.

Overview
Unlike the previous Star Trek, set on starships, Deep Space Nine's primary setting is a space station, Deep Space 9, formerly the Cardassian station Terok Nor. The station is a key strategic location, near to the planet Bajor, itself near the Cardassian border, and most significantly (following the events of the first episode) the station is situated next to the Bajoran wormhole, giving access to the Gamma Quadrant. The station also had a complement of runabouts, and later the USS Defiant (NX-74205), allowing stories to take the characters away from the station itself.

Due to the mostly stationary situation of the series, DS9 tended more toward continuing stories, rather than the "alien of the week" approach common to other series. Some of the main arc's involved: the Bajorans growing from years under occupation by the Cardassians, eventually joining the Federation; Captain Sisko's role as the Emissary; and the build up to, eventual breakout, and aftermath of, the Dominion War.

The series established and developed several races and cultures, most prominently the Bajorans and Cardassians, but with significant attention also paid to the Trill, Ferengi and Klingons. The Cardassians were commonly portrayed as the series' villains, and were later supplemented by the Dominion, led by the Founders, and represented by the Vorta, and Jem'Hadar soldiers, and the Dominion's allies, the Breen.

Characters
The main characters in the series are: Benjamin Sisko, commanding officer of DS9 and the Defiant, and emissary to the Prophets; Sisko's son, Jake Sisko; Kira Nerys, first officer and Bajoran liaison, and eventually commander of DS9 following Sisko; Odo, the station's chief of security, and a changeling, the same species as the Dominion's Founders; Jadzia Dax, a Trill and the station's science officer, until her death, when the symbiont is transferred to a new host: Ezri Dax; Julian Bashir, the station's chief medical officer; Miles O'Brien, the station's chief of operations; Worf, son of Mogh, the station's tactical officer; and Quark, the owner of Quark's, and establishment on the station's promenade. Stories set after the Dominion War introduced, or elevated several, other major characters: Elias Vaughn, the station's new first officer once Kira takes command; Ro Laren, who takes over from Odo as chief of security; Nog, Quark's nephew, who was featured throughout the series as Jake Sisko's best friend replaces O'Brien as operations officer; Thirishar ch'Thane is the station's new Andorian science officer; Prynn Tenmei is the Defiant's new helm officer; Sam Bowers is the station's new tactical officer; and Taran'atar, a Jem'Hadar, is sent by Odo as an envoy to the Alpha Quadrant.

The series arc based story telling also established numerous recurring characters, just some of the most prominent include; Cardassians such as Elim Garak, Skrain Dukat, Corat Damar and Akellen Macet; Bajorans including Opaka Sulan, Winn Adami, Bareil Antos, Shakaar Edon and Yevir Linjarin; Representatives of the Dominion such as the Female Changeling and Weyoun; Ferengi including Rom, Zek, Ishka and Brunt; Patrons and employees of Quark's such as Morn, Leeta and Treir; Klingons including Gowron and Martok; members of Starfleet such as Admiral William Ross, and other station personnel, including Michael Eddington, Simon Tarses and Phillipa Mathias; friends and family of the primary characters such as Keiko O'Brien and her children with Miles: Molly and Kirayoshi; Sisko's father, Joseph, and partner Kasidy Yates; Tora Ziyal, Dukat's daughter and Kira's friend; and Vic Fontaine, a hologram.

Episodes
Between January 1993 to May of 1999 there were 173 episodes of Deep Space Nine, including six direct two-parters over the course of seven seasons. Deep Space 9 also appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation; "Birthright" and "Firstborn", and the first episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Caretaker".

Prose
Pocket Books have published numerous prose works based on Deep Space Nine. These include a series of twenty-seven numbered novels published during Deep Space Nine's television run. These stories generally take place within the first four seasons of the series.

Along side the numbered series Pocket published the occasional unnumbered novels, including several novelizations of key episodes. Following the conclusion of the television series the books have continued the narrative in what is informally referred to as the "DS9 relaunch".

In addition to stand alone novels the series has had short stories and novellas, including the short story anthologies The Lives of Dax and Prophecy and Change and the series of novel anthologies, Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (which make up part of the relaunch series).

The series is also featured in a line of young adult novels, about the adventures of Jake and Nog while growing up on the station.

Deep Space Nine stories have appeared in many of the crossover miniseries Pocket Books have published, including ', ', The Dominion War, ', ', The Badlands, Dark Passions, ', ', The Brave and the Bold, ', ' and The Typhon Pact

Additionally the Lost Era novel Catalyst of Sorrows prominently features Sisko; There have been several direct crossovers with the Star Trek: Corps of Engineers series, which is set in the same time period as the DS9 relaunch.

In 2008 the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy established Ezri Dax as the captain of the USS Aventine, with the relaunch characters Sam Bowers and Mikaela Leishman as part of her crew. After Destiny the Aventine also appeared in A Singular Destiny and Zero Sum Game, the latter a novel in The Typhon Pact miniseries.

Comics
The first Deep Space Nine comics were published by Malibu Comics shortly after the series started. Malibu published a wide range of comics; A monthly series which ran for thirty-two issues; Two annuals, and four one-shots or specials; The Celebrity Series, which comprised of two one-shots written by Star Trek actors; and three miniseries, including The Landmark Crossover, a DS9/TNG crossover story co-published with DC Comics (who were publishing TNG comics at the time).

In 1996 Marvel Comics took on the Star Trek license; they too published a monthly series of Deep Space Nine comics, which ran for fifteen issues. Marvel also published a spin-off series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy which featured Nog at the Academy, and several crossovers with DS9. Both series, along with elements from Star Trek: The Next Generation, were part of Marvel's Telepathy War crossover series, which included one issue of the Starfleet Academy series, two issues of the Deep Space Nine series, a crossover issues published in the  series, and grand finale in a special one-shot crossover titled Reality's End. One further DS9 story was published in Unlimited, Issue 8.

WildStorm Comics acquired the Star Trek license in 1999; they published the Deep Space Nine miniseries N-Vector, and the DS9/TNG crossover series Divided We Fall, both set after the TV series in the same continuity as the prose DS9 relaunch. Additionally, a Benny Russell story, "When the Stars Come a-Calling", was published in Wildstorm's Star Trek: Special.

IDW Publishing do not hold a license to write Deep Space Nine comics, but several editors and writers have commented they would like to. In 2007, Sisko appeared in the second Klingons: Blood Will Tell comic Beneath the Skin. In 2009, IDW released Best of DS9, which collected several early DS9 Malibu Comics.

Audio books
Deep Space Nine had no original audio productions, but four novels were adapted into audiobooks.

Video games
The first Deep Space Nine game was Crossroads of Time, published in 1995. Three other DS9 games followed, the most recent being Dominion Wars, released in 2001.

Additionally, elements of DS9 appear in the crossover games , Encounters and Conquest.

RPGs
Last Unicorn Games published a series of three Deep Space Nine themed RPG books in 1999 and 2000. Decipher took on the RPG license in 2000 and published a series of eight books utilising elements from the entire Star Trek franchise, so feature some DS9 derived content.

Reference works
There have been three in-universe and two real-world reference works produced for Deep Space Nine. The series is also represented in many pan-frnachise reference works, including the in-universe books: Star Trek Chronology, Star Trek Encyclopedia, Federation Passport, Q's Guide to the Continuum, The Tribble Handbook, ', ', ', ', ' and Ships of the Line; the in-universe reference magazine Star Trek: Fact Files; and real world reference books such as: The Art of Star Trek, ', Star Trek 101 and the guide to Star Trek prose works, Voyages of Imagination

Other media
In addition to its RPG, Decipher have also produced the Star Trek: Customizable Card Game since 1994, which encompasses the entire Star Trek franchise, including numerous DS9 based cards.

Deep Space Nine imagery can also be found in the Ships of the Line calendars.