Star Trek - Deep Space Nine Bible

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Star Trek DS9Bible

FOR EDUCATIONALSCRIPT READINGPURPOSES ONLYNo Rights Implied or Given 12 June 1992


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Berman-Piller6-12-92

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINEBIBLE

(Revised)

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, a series set in the 'NextGeneration' of Star Trek lor., follows a team of Starfleetofficers who take command of ,an alien space station situatednear the Bajoran wormhole, one of the most strategiclocations in the galaxy.

THE BAJORAN WORMHOLEWormholes, simply put, are shortcuts through space. You goin'one end and come out the other in seconds ... but findyourself billions of kilometers away. All known wormholespreviously encountered in the star Trek universe have beenunstable. Their ends can whip randomly around theuniverse .. they last for brier periods of time beforecollapsing. But, in our pilot episode, the first stablewormhole is discovered near the Denorios asteroid field,close to the planet Bajor. Like other wormholes, it is onlyvisible when an object enters or exit. through it.

A brief journey through the Bajoran Wormhole willtake a starship to the Gamma Quadrant ... normally a sixty


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year journey at warp nine. The ride is a spectacular lightshow, with brilliant colors surrounding the ship ... whileinside, strange visual distortions affect perceptions aspassengers tear through the space-time continuum. (Therewill be different optical effects going the oppositedirection through the wormhole.)

This wormhole is a new passageway to hundreds otunexplored sectors of space. And it will turn Bajor intothe leading center of commerce and scientific exploration inthe sector ... attracting travelers from allover the galaxy.

In the first episode, we learn that the" wormholehas been artificially created by a species of aliens that donot live in the same space-time continuum as we do. Thus,we encounter them unexpectedly within the wormhole itself.They have been sending out orb-like probes from thewormhole, one orb every century for a thousand years,seeking contact with other lifeforms.

THE BACK STORYThe Cardassians and the Bajora are known to star Trekaudiences. A century ago, the Cardassians conquered theplanet Bajor, an ancient society with a dedication tospiritual pursuits. The mysterious orbs that have arrivedeach century are among the fundamental sacraments of theBajoran reli gion.

Bajoran terrorism during the last several decadeshas been a significant problem for the Cardassians. Just

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before our series begins, the Cardassians have completedmining operations on Bajor, stripping the planet of all itsresources. They have decided to unilaterally withdraw fromBajoran space and give up the headaches the Bajora havecaused them.

They have not left quietly -- in revenge for theyears of terrorism, the Cardassians ravaged the planet,poisoned wells, scorched the ground and, striking at theheart of the Bajoran people, have desecrated the ancientmonastery that is the center ot spirit ual life.

The Bajora desperately need help. They ,have askedfor membership in the Federation and have been grantedpreliminary acceptance. But the political situation on theplanet is terribly unstable. Factions that had been unitedin opposition to Cardassian rule have resumed age oldconflicts.

The Starfleet team's mission is to spearhead thearduous diplomatic and scientific efforts that accompany thelengthy entry procedure. Allot this is about to becomplicated by the discovery of the wormhole.

Due to the turmoil on the planet, it is deemedunsafe to create a Federation base on the surface so, at therequest of the provisional government, Starfleet takescommand of a recently abandoned Cardassian space station inorbit of Bajor. Curing the first episode, the station istowed to the Cenorios Asteroid Belt near the mouth of thenewly discovered wormhole. It still belongs to Bajor but is

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administered by Startleet ... (in contemporary terms, aUnited Nations base located within the territory of asovereign nation.)

DEEP SPACE NINEThe station designated ~ by Starfleet was assembledhaphazardly over several years by Cardassian and Bajoranwork teams and anybody else who happened to offer servicesat a premium. It was used by 'the Cardassians primarily tomonitor mining operations on Bajor and to service incomingand outgoing crews. About two hundred people, mostlyBajorans, still live there. By episode three, there will baabout fifty Starfleet officers and crewmen stationed there.

When the Cardassians abandoned Bajor, theystripped the station of all advanced technology and detensecapabilities ... and the Startleet team has a huge job ofmaking it operational again. In fact, it will never work upto our reqUirements and will always be causing theengineering crew a lot of headaches.

The operations control center (OPS), the heart ofthe space station is a multi-tiered facility lined withcomputer and life support systems, tactical controls, themaster communications panel and a transporter padd to beamon and off the station (further design specifications tofollow). It is always a hub of activity as ships move inand out ot the wormhole. There are shuttlebays tor smaller

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vessels ... larger ships dock outside and crew. have accessto the station via airlocks and interconnecting tunnel .

On a given day, there might be anywhere from tento three hundred visitors to DS9 as ships come through ...explorers, scientists, merchants, spies . moat of thevisitors stay on their ship. but there are special quarter.for some guests. All of their ships need to .top at DS9 tobe outfitted and tuned with special impulse energy buffersto travel safely through the ~ormhole. (In the firstepisode, we learn that ships' power sources are destructiveto the ionic field that is home to the aliens who createdthe wormhole, and live within it on a different time plane.During that experience, we are told how to travel throughwithout harming them.)

One aspect of life on the space station hasn'tchanged since the departure of the Cardassians. Duringtheir tenure, they sold commercial concessions to thehighest bidder to provide services to the mining crews. Theresult is the Promenade ... unlike any space interior everseen on star Trek. It's somewhere between a free port and aflea market, bustling with aliens ot all sorts when a ship'sin ... intriguing and unusual characters at every bend.There's gambling and smuggling .. alien grifters at workhere ... bars with sexual holosuites upstairs ... right nextto traditional ship's stores, a Bajoran temple and a kioskserving live food. Part of the job of the Starfleet teamwill be to try and 'tame' this hankey-tonk atmosphere.

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RUNABOUTSStartleet has stationed three mid-sized Runabout Classpatrol ships at DS9 which allow our characters to trav.l tothe numerous star systems in the sector as well a. throughthe wormhole. Theee ships are twenty meters long, withimpulse and warp capabilities, a maximum speed at warp 4.7.They're generally operated by a two .an crew, but a .inglepilot can control them it necessary. They can transport upto torty people but that's a crowd. There are craaped,uncomtortable sleeping quarters tor six people. A multi-purpose room tor meetings and dining is located directly offthe cockpit. These ships are the symbol at the Federationpresence in this ctor . the only startl t hardware inthis eclectic environment.

BAJORBajor is the world we will visit moat often because at itaproximity to the space station. striking architecture, withrounded domes and spherical shapes, marks the landscap The ancient Bajora were great architects and engineersbefore huaans were even standing erect.

The people are deeply mystical . on their planetwe will tind monks who meditate and chant in chords. Theyare a people who believe in spiritual phenomena; are d.votedto a non-secular philosophy that goes against theFederation's logical, scientitic way ot lite. Their

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religious leader, known as the Kai, is curious andinsightful and develops a strong bond with our Commander.

The political situation remains precarious and theonly stabilizing influence is the Rai. Bajoran terroristsstill populate camps on neighboring planets.

CHARACTERSBENJAMIN SISKOA human Starfleet Commander with a 12-year-old son. Hiagentle, strong, soft-spoken demeanor belies a temper thathe's constantly trying to control. And when he lo s it, h.gets furious with himself. He's a man ot action who qet.impatient with too much talk, but as he's become more maturehe's learned to stop and think twice before losing control.He has a weakness for baseball ... a sport that died out inthe 22nd century. He frequently goes into a holosuite tohave a catch and a chat with one of his legendary ballplayerheroes.

sisko was on a starship with his wite and 80n atthe famous encounter with the Borg (led by the Borgitiedpicard), and his wife was killed. That leads to somebitterness toward Picard. (Picard: Have we met before?Sisko: Yes, we met in battle.) Since that tragedy, he hasbeen assigned to shore duty on Mars working with the teamreconstructing the fleet at the Utopia Planitia Yards.

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Sisko objected to being assigned to 059. He toldStartleet that he has a son to raise, he's been asking toran earth assignment, not this. In our tirst episode, Siskoeven hints that he's considerinq resigning trom Startleet.

He is a man who carries with hi. the guilt andanguish ot the death ot his wite. Until he ha. an &aotionalpassage in the opening episode, as he confronts aliens inthe guise ot people from his past, he cannot move on withhis lite. His important work on OS9 gives him a newdirection, but his is still very much a life tramed bytragedy.

MAJOR IURA

A tormer 'Major' in the Bajoran underground, Kira i. now anoutspok en crit ic ot the provisional government. Havingtought tor treedom all her lite, it has angered her to aeethe older leaders throw it away through their pettydissensions. She'. been trying without success to reach theKai herself to air her grievances. It's very possible thatshe waa sent by the government to be the Bajoranadministrator at the station simply to get her outspokenvoice out ot earshot.

At tirst, Kira is not a supporter ot Federationinvolvement at 059, preferring Bajor to remain independentot all outside interests. As the representative ot theBajorans on board the space station, she has no contidence

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in sisko when he arrives. In fact, she's working in hisoffice when he gets there.

Kira loathes the Cardassians. She comaittedatrocities against them in the name of freedoa, soae ofwhich bother her. When other. in the Bajoran undergroundbegin a new wave of terrorism, she i8 forced into a aoralquandry about tracking them down and bringing thea tojustice. Former terrorists consider her a turncoat.

She will come to respect and bond with Siakoalthough they will continue to bave different agendas as newis su es a ris e.

MILES Q'BRIENO'Brien has been the Transporter Chief on STTNG for fiveyears. This assignment represents a promotion to MasterChief of Operations, and a tremendous career opportunity forhim.

He's an Irishman, a man's man, with a down-to-earth quality. He's organized, efficient and smart .. andknows the hardware as well a8 any man in the fleet. Heloves hi. work. He has a wite, KEIKO, and a 3-year-old babygirl, MOLLY. He will be in charge ot the comings and goingsof vessels, plus the nuts and bolts maintenance of thestation. He's constantly frUstrated by the jerry-rigged waythis place is put together.

Before he joined the crew of the Enterprise, heserved aboard the U.S.S. Rutledge along the Cardassian

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border during territorial disputes that led to bitterfighting. He saw the Cardassians commit unspeakableatrocities and lost close triends in the massacre at SetlikThree. The war changed him, hardened him. The tirst zan h.ever killed was a Cardassian who jumped him on patrol. Ashe tells the story to another Cardassian in the ST:TNGepisode "The Wounded", he says "lid never killed anythingbefore. When I was a kid, I would worry about having toswat a mosquito. It's not you I hate, cardassian. I hat.what I became ... because of you."

JAPZIA PAXScience Officer, rank of Lieutenant. An alien woman, veryattr active, lat e twenties.

Pax is a Trill ... a "joined" species firstencountered in the ST:TNG episode "THE HOST". A Trill iscomprised of two separate but interdependent entities: ahost and a symbiont. The hoat provides a humanoid body.The symbiont is an invertebrate, androgynous lifetorm thatlives within the host. It looks like a short, tat snake.Hany centuries ago, the symbionts lived underground whilethe humanoids were on the surtace ... and due to anenvironmental disaster, they were forced to 'join' tosurvive. As time went on, this mutual support evolved intoa bioloqical interdependency and thus two individuals becameone -- they speak with one voice (you can't ask to speakwith the symbiont or the host, only the combined litetorm).

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The symbiont's litespan is far longer than the host's and asa result one symbiont will be combined with several hostsduring its life.

As we see in the first episode, when a host dies(in Oax's case, her last host was an elderly man), doctorssurgically remove the symbiont. The worm then burrowsitself into the new host. Oax's host was joined with hersymbiont when she was an adult.

The symbiont part ot her is three hundred yearsold ... a brilliant scientist with an innate wisdom .. whocan draw upon a library of knowledge built trom sixlifetimes of experience.

The result ot this joining is an serene characterwho brings a calm, centered voice to any discussion ..patient, confident and wise .. you might think of Dax as anancient zen master in the body of a twenty-eight year oldwoman. There is a subtle conflict within her ... ageneration gap if you will. The older symbiont suppressesthe youthful instincts of the host. And so, sometimes shewill seem 'controlled' when a part of her really would liketo let go. For example, the 300 year old worm has no usefor sex or passion, except as it serves procreation, butoccasionally the youthful instincts of the host overcomesthat resistance.)

Kira, who forms a very close relationship withOax, often tells her to loosen up. Dax admires Kira for her

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youthful energy, her purpose and her drive and becomessomething ot a mentor to her.

Dax and Ben Sisko have worked together betore.The only trouble is that, back then, Dax was still in thehost body of an elderly man .. and was something of a .entorto Sisko. Her sexually appealing new form will create acertain tension between her and Sisko, which they will bothresist. After all, he's still having a hard time gettingused to the tact that she's a three hundred year old wora.But he does not hide the respect and affection he has torher.

Alien male, middle aged, curmudgeon ... and a shapeshifter. In his natural stat., he ia a gelatinous liquid.

He was the Bajoran law entorcement otficer tor thespace station under the Carda_sians. Startleet decidea tohave him continue in that role, since he's extremely savvyabout the Promenade and all who frequent it.

His back story: fitty years ago, with no memory ofhis past, he was found alone in a mysterious space craftthat a~ared near the Denorios asteroid belt. He was foundby the Bajora and lived among them. At first, he was sortof an 'elephant man' ... a source of curiosity and humor ashe turned himself into a chair or a pencil. Finally, herealized he would have to take the form of a humanoid toassimilate and function in their environment. He does it

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but he resents it. As a result, Odo performs a uniquelyimportant role in the ensemble - he is the character whoexplores and comments on human values ... and because he isforced to pass as one of us, his point of view usually co.eswith a cynical and critical edge.

He can't quite get it right, this humanoid shape,although he continues to try. So he looks a little'unfinished' in a way. He's been working on it a long ti.e.Someone might ask him, 'Why don't you take on the form ot ayounger man?' His answer: 'I would if I could.'

He has the adopted child syndrome of searching forhis own personal identity and an inherent insecurity (whatbetter metaphor could there be for an identity crisis than ashape shifter). When the wormhole is discovered very cloaeto where he was originally found, Odo realizes that theanswers to a lot of questions in his life could be on theother side. Someday, he hopes, someone will come throughthe wormhole, perhaps even looking for him, and tell him whohe is.

Although he doesn't know anything about hisspecies, he is certain that Justice is an integral part oftheir being .. because the necessity for it runs throughevery fiber of his body, a racial memory. That's why hebecame a lawman. And when it comes to doing his job, hedoesn't always follow the letter of the law. The way hefigures it: laws change, justice is justice. This puts hi.into conflict with our Commander who tells him he can't take

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the law into his own hands if he wants to stay on 059. Kirafinds his negative attitude toward authority delightful andthey have a Bajoran fellowship.

He has a couple of Bajoran deputies. He doesn'tallow weapons on the Promenade. Once every day he mustreturn to his gelatinous form.

QUARKThe Ferengi bartender. The Ferengi race has been a part otST:TNG since the very beginning. They are ugly, sexist,greedy little aliens who are interested only in profit andgetting their hands on anything of yours they happen tofancy.

Quark runs many of the entertainment concessionson OS9 including the bar/restaurant/gambling house and theholosuites upstairs (where your every fantasy can be playedout). He spends most of his time behind the bar. If thereis some scam being run in the sector, it often involveshim .. but beyond the malevolence, he is a charming host (ina Ferengi sort of way) and torges an interestingrelationship with Sisko. They actually enjoy sparringtogether and now and then the Ferengi lends a hand to solvea problem for the Commander ... as long as there's somethingin it for him. His effete sexist attitudes make Kira anobvious adversary. He is consumed with passion for Oax.

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PR. JULIAN AM080SHuman, male, mid twenties. Rank ot Lieutenant Commander.May have an accent depending on casting.

He is fresh out ot s tar tleet M edic al, gr adu atedsecond in his class, a brilliant specialist in multi-speciesmedicine. He arrives on PS9 with qung-ho expectations aboutadventures in Starfleet. He's naive and charaing and cockyall at the same time. He's chosen this reaote outpostinstead of the cushy job he was oftered at Startleet Medicalbecause this is where the action is, where heroes are made,in the "wilderness." Doctor Amoros i4istill wet behind theears and has a lot to learn.

He is the antithesis ot Kira who is streetwis.,sadder but wiser, cynical. She gets impatient with someonewho thinks he knows it all but in fact doesn't. (In tia.,she will come to realize that when it come. to medicine, h.really does know it all). Soaeti.es she's a little tough onhim and Sisko has to pull her back.

O'Brien becomes Aaoros' confidant . a. a man whohas seen combat, a decorated veteran of atartleet duty,O'Brien represents an ideal to the young doctor. He'll askO'Brien's advice before doing something to make sure he'snot out of line. He likes to qo to the phaser tiring rangeto practice with O'Brien.

Dax is very protective ot Julian, she'. seen a lotlike him, sees herself as a mother figure although she

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appears about the same age. Julian, like so many other menon board, has a crush on Oax.

Julian greatly respects Sisko but is terrified athim, is anxious to live up to the Commander's expectations.sisko is amused by Julian, very patient with him . thedoctor reminds him a little at himself when he was startingout, ready to conquer the universe.

R EC UR RI NG C HA RA CT ER SJAKE SISKOThe Commander's son. An army brat who doesn't remember lifeon Earth. He's been aboard tour different starships andstationed on two planets. The transient lifestyle hastaught him how to scope out a new terrain, assimilatequickly. At the same time, he has an inner tear at formingintimate friendships because he loses them so easily.He dreams of going to live on Earth. He collectsholodeck programs of various places on Earth that he uses totry to fulfill this fantasy. Deep inside, he knows that hismom would still be alive it they had not lived in space.And he has a suppressed bitterness about it.

His father promised there would be other kids onthis station. It turns out that there are only a handful ofvarying ages and species. Only one is his age Nag, aFerengi teen-age boy who is a 'bad influence'.

Jake is very close with his dad ... in tact,they're buddies to such a degree that the Commander is

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plagued with teelings that he's not doing the job ofparenting very well ... maybe more discipline is required ..maybe the boy is too flip, too familiar with him.

The boy has no technical expertise at all. Hestruggles with his homework but is dedicated to doing hi.best.

KEIKOO'Brien's wife. When O'Brien was offered this assignment,it was not welcome news for Keiko ... and there's aninteresting contemporary conflict echoed here ... of how oneside of a couple must sacritice tor the good of the other'scareer. She wondered what a botanist would do on the .pacestation. She was happy on t he E nt er pr is e. But she agr.edthe promotion was an incredible opportunity tor her husband.

She is not entirely happy on OS9. In an earlyepisode, she will perceive .eriou. shortcomings in theeducational facilities and volunteer to be the stationtutor ... teaching the Commander's son and the few otheryoung people. Her scientitic background will also b. a helpto Oax.

LWAXANA TROILWAXANA is Deanna Troi's mother, established on STTNG as the"Auntie Mame ot the galaxy". When circumstances bring herto the space station, she forms a romantic attachment toOdo ... and tinds reasons to come back to see him. He trie.

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to discourage her: Ma'am, I turn into a liquid form atnight. LWAXANA: I can swim.

~One of the other Ferengi who works for Quark has a teen-ageson who will become friends with the Commander's son. Nogis Peck's bad boy. The kind of kid our parents didn't wantus to associate with.

GUL PUKhTForties, male. A deceptively amiable Cardassian commanderwho represents the continuing threat to our people -- themilitant Empire whose borders are only a short distance awayfrom Bajor and PS9. He used to be Prefect ot the Bajoranprovince when it was under Cardassian domination, thus he isthe tormer landlord of the space station.

KAI QPAKAThe spiritual leader of Bajor who provides sharpcounterpoint to the secular nature of Starfleet. Shechallenges conventional human logic.

The Kai explores her guests' 'paqh' (roughlytranslated: energy meridian) through deep tissue massage ottheir ears that seems to reveal their true nature.

Opaka tells Sisko in the opening episode that theCommander is on a personal journey. And that he has beensent to Bajor to find the celestial temple of the prophets -

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the source of the mysterious orbs. When Sisko investigates,he discovers the wormhole and the aliens who built it.

The Kai seems to have an awareness on a higherplane of consciousness, knows things she cannot possiblyknow. Although our people do not accept her 'powers' atface value, we cannot always explain them either. Shespeaks in vague, mystical and indirect lanquage, forcing thelistener to seek her meaning.

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE brings into the StarTrek universe an original set of characters as diverse andmemorable as the crews of the first two series. It alsoprovides far more interpersonal conflict than we've seenbefore in the 24th century. If, as Gene Roddenberry alwayssaid, STAR TREK is Wagon Train in space, think of DEEP SPACENINE as Fort Laramie on the edge of the frontier.

Rick Berman , Michael Piller

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