History Characters / DeepSpaceNineStarfleet

[[redirect:DeepSpaceNine/StarfleetCrew]]

[[Characters/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Main Characters Page]] | '''Starfleet Crew''' | DeepSpaceNine/FederationAndBajor | [[DeepSpaceNine/QuarksBar Quark's Bar, Family, and Other Ferengi]] | DeepSpaceNine/CardassianUnion | DeepSpaceNine/KlingonEmpire | DeepSpaceNine/TheDominion | DeepSpaceNine/MirrorUniverse

----

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sisko_ds9_6856.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Avery Brooks

->''"So ''you're ''the commander of Deep Space 9. And the Emissary of the Prophets. Decorated combat officer, widower, father, mentor and... oh, yes, the man who started the war with the Dominion. [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller Somehow I thought you'd be taller.]]."''
-->-- '''Senator Vreenak''', "In the Pale Moonlight"

TheCaptain (though actually only ranked Commander until late Season 3), with a touch of the WarriorPoet when considering his reasons for helming the titular station. Prior to the series, Sisko became a widower following the infamous Wolf 359 incident ([[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]) and was left adrift with a young son, Jake. He briefly considered resigning from Starfleet, but was instead saddled with the task of admitting Bajor into the Federation. Following a chance encounter with entities living inside the Bajoran Wormhole, Sisko is [[ReluctantHero reluctantly]] anointed as the Emissary, their corporeal agent and a [[CrystalDragonJesus religious icon]] to the Bajorans. With that title comes the responsibility of holding Bajor together long enough for the planet to be inducted into the Federation: with the Cardassians gone, the planet is spiraling down the path of sectarian warfare, and any number of opportunistic races are waiting to pick the pieces if Sisko fails. The only ''Trek'' Captain with a stable family unit, his relationship with Jake and Joseph Sisko play a small but significant role in his handling of the Dominion crisis.
----
* {{Adorkable}}: Mostly in his interactions with Kassidy and Joseph.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: At the end of the series [[spoiler:Sisko is ascended into the celestial temple]] for an unspecified amount of time. Emphasis on "unspecified": the Prophets are non-linear beings outside time.
-->'''Kasidy:''' When will you be back?\\
'''Sisko:''' It's hard to say - maybe a year, maybe... yesterday. But I ''will'' be back.
** This was a change from the planned ButNowIMustGo ending, due to Brooks wanting to avert the UnfortunateImplications of a black man abandoning his son and pregnant wife. He returns in the ExpandedUniverse books of the StarTrekDeepSpaceNineRelaunch.
* AttackPatternAlpha: For some reason, he's a big fan of "Attack Pattern Omega." It's treated as a hit 'n run attack in ''Star Trek Online''.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Takes on several Jem'Hadar on the ground, and also leads several of the fleet battles. He was a star wrestler at the Academy and, in a pinch, knows his way around the bat'leth (presumably he trained with Curzon); imagine the look of surprise on that Klingon boarding party when he swipes a bat'leth from their fallen comrade and goes to town on them. ("The Way of the Warrior") Among military buffs, Sisko is regarded as the most believable military officer in the franchise.
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassBaritone: Even when he's being introspective.
** BadassBeard: Though clean-shaven in earlier seasons - to distance Brooks from his iconic role on ''Spencer For Hire'' - he eventually grew back the goatee.
** BadassCreed: In "Pale Moonlight", he reflected on how his father used to boom, "'''Worry and doubt are the greatest enemies of a great chef!'''"
-->"[[EndangeredSouffle The soufflé]] will either rise or it won't; there's not a damn thing ''you'' can do about it, so you might as well just sit back and wait and see what happens."
* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Current trope image holder. Sisko looks far more badass once he goes bald.
* TheBigEasy: He hails from New Orleans, and is the son of a creole chef. Joseph Sisko still operates a restaurant there.
* {{Blackmail}}: How he usually keeps Quark in-line or gets him to do something for the good of the station. Usually leads to BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Sisko kept his emotions veiled while on duty. He tends to loosen up and act warmer around family or officers of equal rank.
* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Sisko is pretty fierce in own right, but he's more likely to treat you to a DeathGlare and then storm out because he has more important things to do. That's when his Doberman (Kira) comes into the picture.
* TheCastShowoff: The moment in "Far Beyond the Stars" when Sisko briefly breaks into song seems designed to showcase that Avery Brooks' voice is sexy both speaking ''and'' singing. And then, in "Badda Bing Badda Bang," they do it again.
** Like the actor playing him, Sisko knows a lick or two on the ol' ivories. When he's not peeling potatoes in the back alley behind Sisko's Creole Kitchen, he's entertaining the customers with jazz piano.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Sisko felt these more keenly than most ''Trek'' Captains. Like Picard, he later warmed to his crew, particularly Kira whom he invited to watch a baseball game with him. On the other hand, he did lead his men in several suicide missions.
* ChefOfIron: Had he not joined Starfleet, Ben would probably still be tending the kitchen at Sisko's. His father Joseph ran his restaurant in a way similar to Picard's vineyard: He eschews replicated food, believing it lacks the flavor of a quality meal.
-->'''Joesph Sisko:''' I trained you to be a chef. [[GallowsHumor Lot of good it did me.]]
* ChekhovsSkill: Has memorized long strings of statistics from the greatest 20th century players. This later came in handy when trying to make conversation in 2024 A.D. ("Past Tense")
* CommandingCoolness: For three seasons.
* CompanionCube: His baseball. He toys with it whenever he's thinking and, when the Dominion retakes the station, leaves it in his office as a message that he is going to come back. [[spoiler:When he takes it ''with'' him on his leave to Earth between seasons 6 and 7, Kira sees it as a sign that he doesn't know if he'll return.]]
** Like all ''Trek'' Captains, Sisko was extremely fond of his ship and felt devastated when the Breen destroyed it.
* TheChosenOne: Being the Emissary. So much so that [[spoiler:the Prophets arranged for his birth!]] As the Emissary to the Prophets, "The Sisko" has a destiny to fulfill, many trials to face, and an important role in Bajoran theology and prophecy.
* CompositeCharacter: Sisko strikes an even keel between Kirk's passion (not to mention [[VerbalTic speech patterns]]) and Picard's sophistication.
* CrystalDragonJesus: The Emissary is a messiah figure in the Bajoran religion.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: For the first episode at least. The Prophets help him get over it ([[VisionQuest giving him his life back, as was prophesied]]) when he teaches them the nature of linear existence and they make him explain why he keeps living in his own "past" if the point is to move forward.
* DatingCatwoman: His relationship with [[spoiler: Kasidy Yates when she turns out to be running supplies (medicine and food according to her) to the Maquis.]]
** He also slept with ''both'' Intendant Kira and (an unjoined) Jadzia from the Mirror Universe.
* DeadpanSnarker: Usually as the prelude to a severe reprimand.
* DeskJockey: For a short time during season six, Admiral Ross makes him his adjutant on a starbase. Jadzia acts as the captain of the ''Defiant'' in his stead.
* {{Determinator}}: In the episode "Paradise", Sisko and O'Brien are trapped on a planet by an EvilLuddite. She offers Sisko water if he will only take off his uniform. After a night in the punishment box, she offers it again, and Sisko's response is to put ''himself'' in the box.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: The only being to knock Q flat on his ass ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome and get away with it]]''.
-->'''Q''': You ''hit'' me! Picard never hit me!
-->'''Sisko''': [[IAmNotHim I'm not Picard]].
** Important detail to note: Q never came to [=DS9=] again after that episode.
* DivineParentage: In a complicated way. [[spoiler:His mother was human... but was possessed by a Prophet at the time. Once the possession wore off, she ran and left his father Joe heartbroken.]]
* DrinkOrder: Sisko picked up a love of Klingon coffee from Curzon. He certainly drinks the most elaborate concoctions of any Trek Captain.
-->"One raktajino with [[RealMenWearPink a jacarine peel!]]"
* AFatherToHisMen: Throughout the series, Sisko shows great concern for the people under his charge. He stresses to Worf the importance of knowing when to smile and keep morale up, even when it's the last thing he wants to do. This often entailed inviting his senior staff to home-cooked dinner in the Ward Room.
-->'''Adm. Ross:''' They're a good crew.\\
'''Sisko:''' ''(visibly moved)'' The best.
** This extends to the well-being of the Promenade Merchant's Association and the Bajoran refugees under his roof. From day one, Sisko did his best to keep the station's shops, school, and restaurants in business, even donating furniture to Quark after he's audited by the Ferengi homeworld. When a prideful (but obviously relieved) Quark demands a "storage fee" for the new barstools, Sisko foots the bill.
* FriendToAllChildren: He actually enjoys the company of children and puts top priority on keeping his workers' families together. He kills two birds with one stone by appointing the recently-unemployed Keiko O'Brien as the head of the station's new school. This lowered the possibility of [=DS9's=] children from being sent off-world, and just as importantly, convinced his Chief of Operations' wife not to return to Earth with their daughter. Later in the series, a bemused Sisko acquires his own TagalongKid in Nog.
* GameOfNerds: He's such a fan that uses it as an allegory for linear time and existence -- in ''the first episode!''
* GeniusBruiser: Brooks described his character as "a quick thinker, but also a deep thinker," which is mostly on-target. Following the debacle at Wolf 359, Sisko found an outlet for his rage at Utopia Planetia, where he oversaw the design and construction for the U.S.S. Defiant.
* AGodIAmNot: Well, in his defense, [[spoiler:he's only half-god]].
* GoodIsNotNice: Not if its pushed, anyway. It's possible that Starfleet sensed this and decided that only Sisko had the stomach for the Bajoran assignment.
* GoodParents: Subverting the usual archetype of Starfleet Captains. Sisko is one of few characters in the franchise (see also O'Brien) with a stable family life.
* GuileHero: He has a reputation for fighting, but he's also ''very'' good at worming his way into his enemy's confidence: manipulating the Jem'hadar when they take over the ship and have ''[[NervesOfSteel guns pointed at his head]]'', or palling around with Verad Dax like it's old times (before phasering his body-snatching ass to kingdom come). Sisko also successfully posed as Gabriel Bell in the [=21st=] century. This meant both convincing a roomful of people that he's an on-the-edge thug ''and'' his trigger-happy boss that it was in his interest to spare the hostages.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: He tackles Dukat off of a cliff into the aptly-named Fire Caves, although the Prophets grab him.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: He was this close to his mentor and best friend, Curzon Dax. Then Curzon died and Dax became Jadzia Dax, with whom he was still HeterosexualLifePartners, to the point of still calling her "Old Man". Then came Ezri Dax, who was a neurotic mess after an unexpected Joining that she had never prepared for, and they were HeterosexualLifePartners ''again'', only this time he was Dax's mentor.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: When baby Jake groaned over having to move to Bajor, Ben pitched it as a vacation. Privately, though, Sisko wasn't happy about the assignment or the effect it was having on his son, and considered transferring back to civilian service. Through his interactions with the Bajoran people -- most notably Major Kira -- Sisko slowly grows to love Bajor. By Season Five, wild horses couldn't drag him away from that station. Note also that he begins wearing traditional Bajoran clothes during his off-hours.
* ImportantHaircut: Sisko grows a goatee and loses the buzz cut after he's promoted. It's around the same time the series started to get dark.
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: From a world-weary Starfleet Commander on the verge of insubordination to the Emissary of the Prophets, an iconic figure of the Bajoran worldwide religion. It may not look like much and Sisko himself didn't realize what it meant at first. But Kira reveals in Accession he had absolutely no idea of the immense power he got into his hands, especially considering how incredibly pious the Bajoran people are. Worse still are the personal sacrifices demanded of him by the Prophets themselves.
** To put this into perspective, it is also implied in this episode Bajor would have known a planetary war if both Emissaries decided to fight for the title; you could see it early on when it was an even split between bajorans enraptured or off-put by the call to return to the [[FantasticCasteSystem D'jarra]].
* ItsPersonal: '''Eddington'''.
--> "He played me, alright - and what is my excuse? Is he a changeling? NO! Is he a being with seven lifetimes of experience? NO! Is he a wormhole alien? No! He's just a man, like me, and he BEAT me!"
* TheKirk: He will act on his emotions, sometimes to the degree that ItsPersonal, but he's also able to see all sides of an issue and weigh the choices between what feels right and what will be best in the long term.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Sisko admitted to some fanboy glee at breathing the same air as James T. Kirk, but nonetheless ordered his squad to stay focused on their mission. The episode ended with Sisko [[HypocriticalHumor getting Kirk's autograph]] (Kirk thought he was signing a crew complement list). To be fair, the temporal investigators he was relaying the story to (who absolutely ''hated'' Kirk for all his time travel violations) said they would have done the same in Sisko's situation.
* KungFuJesus: Word of God cites Moses as an inspiration for Sisko's story.
* TheLostLenore: Jennifer Sisko, who gets wasted in every universe, including the series pilot and in the Mirror dimension. She never had much in the way of personality, even when alive.
* MenDontCry: Averted in the very first episode. Reliving the memory of your beloved spouse dying would be enough to make anyone cry.
** WHILE having to explain to a being that doesn't understand linear time, why you cannot leave this moment.
* MessianicArchetype: Communicates with the gods of Bajor and is their representative in the corporeal realm. Safeguards the Bajorans. [[spoiler:Sacrifices himself against the AntiChrist--oh, and the gods also engineered his birth.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this written all over his face when he forces Nog to admit the reason why the latter is applying to Starfleet: Nog is ashamed of his father and wants to do better than him, although he has to buck every single aspect of his heritage in order to do so.
** The ''entire'' episode of ''In The Pale Moonlight''. He records a log entry attempting to come to grips with his actions, justifying all the evil he committed by telling himself that it's for [[TheNeedsOfTheMany the greater good]].
* NoodleIncident: Pelios Station. Apparently, something happened there involving Curzon, Benjamin, and a table dancer, but Ben's embarrassed enough by the story that whenever it's brought up in public he shushes Dax.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Despite ordering his crew to remain focused on the mission in '"Trials and Tribble-ations'', he all but squees when telling Dax how much he wants to meet Kirk, and later sneaks onto the bridge to get the man's autograph before they return to the future.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Between his stint as First Officer of the ''Saratoga'' and being assigned to command Deep Space Nine, he was responsible for designing the ''Defiant''-class starships.
* ParentsAsPeople[=/=]GoodParents: He has a tough time raising Jake, but does a pretty good job of it anyway. He has a similar relationship with his own father, Joe Sisko.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Jadzia Dax. He was also ''very'' close friends with Dax's previous male host Curzon. Less so with Ezri because she was so much younger than him and had so much trouble adjusting to the joining that they almost swapped roles with Sisko becoming ''Dax's'' mentor.
** Subverted when he traveled to the Parallel Universe. Where apparently he had sex with the alternate (Dax-less) Jadzia in order to maintain his cover as the alternate Sisko...
* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: This irritates him; it's one of the reasons he doesn't initially care to try out the Rat Pack era casino simulation. It was [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in that same episode when Kasidy offers a different perspective: it's not the way it was, but it is the way it ''should'' have been.
* RankUp: Following three years of overseeing [=DS9=], Sisko is finally promoted to captain.
** Despite this, Sisko oddly remains a captain despite being given responsibilities and commands that would normally be entrusted to at least a commodore, if not an admiral. By the end of the Dominion war, he speaks to Vice Admiral Ross, a superior who outranks him by four full grades, and the other Allied leaders as an equal.
* ReligiousBruiser: To the point where his faith in the Prophets even surpasses [[SinisterMinister Kai Winn's]].
* RenaissanceMan: Sisko does have quite a wide range of talents and interests. But then, being [[RenaissanceMan Renaissance Men]] is more or less the Federation's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] (at least since ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'').
* ResignedToTheCall: Sisko drags his heels all the way to his new assignment on [=DS9=]. It's a miserable job, and no one wants it. He quickly changes his tune after convening with the Prophets, who restore his hopes for the future. In addition, the discovery of the wormhole in the first episode (and the station's relocation to the Alpha-Quadrant entrance of said wormhole) turns Deep Space Nine into a hot location overnight.
** Being the Emissary in general also turns into this, what with all the religious ceremonies that he has to take part in and everything else that comes with the job. "Accession," however, changes that viewpoint.
* {{Retirony}}: [[spoiler:Sisko plans to build a house on Bajor once the war is settled with. He survives, but on another plane with no way of knowing when exactly he'll be back.]]
* ScaryBlackMan: Apparently Worf is intimidated by him. Worf. Intimidated by a human.
** He plays this to the ''hilt'' in "For the Uniform", when he orders biogenic weapons to be launched at a Maquis settlement to get Eddington to surrender.
-->'''Sisko:''' Commander, launch torpedoes.\\
''[Worf stares at him in shock]''\\
'''Sisko:''' Commander, I said ''launch torpedoes!''
** In the third episode he has to deal with Kira interrupting an admiral's staff meeting to complain about Sisko's methods. Big mistake.
--->'''Sisko''' (smiling politely): Go over my head again, and I'll have ''yours'' on a platter.
* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Ever since they were cadets, Solok has built his career around humiliating Sisko. It all started when the Vulcan challenged Sisko (a human with [=2-3x=] less strength than the average Vulcan) to a wrestling match. Solok used his 'findings' from Sisko's pathetic defeat as basis for a dozen term papers on human inferiority. And we all have Ben Sisko to thank for that.
* SecondLove: Kasidy is Sisko's, after Jennifer, who was killed in the pilot (at Wolf 359).
* SeriousBusiness: He gets a little emotional over coaching baseball. Usually an understated performer, Brooks' capacity for [[ChewingTheScenery ham]] is on full display in "Take Me Out to the Holosuite." -- both toward his own team and Odo, who is refereeing. (He even delivers the stereotypical 'Are you blind?!' tangent by accusing Odo of regenerating instead of calling the game.)
-->'''Sisko:''' You are finished! Gone! Off the team!\\
'''Rom:''' ....I can't play?\\
'''Sisko''': THAT'S THE SMARTEST THING YOU'VE SAID ALL WEEK!
* SharpDressedMan: His Earth outfit. Sisko wears a jazzy black blazer, while everyone else wears the usual ''Trek'' civvies (silk pajamas, a vest if you're lucky).
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Several times throughout the series.
* TheStoic: Sisko might just be the most inscrutable of ''Star Trek's'' leads.
* StopWorshippingMe: Feels this way about being the Emissary initially, but mostly keeps it to himself. He stays rather humble about the position even after he accepts it as part of his identity.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: This is owning to Brooks' nuances as a performer, switching from serene Shatnerese (picked up during his Shakespeare days) to the bulldog ferocity he was known for on ''Spencer For Hire''. He also got plenty of tender moments with Kassidy and his son, as well.
* TeamChef: He claims his dad taught him everything he knows, and his dad is the owner and operator of a restaurant, so in a 24th century where cooking is mostly a hobby, he's a hobbyist (and a good one, we are told).
* TimeyWimeyBall: [[spoiler:His entire existence.]] Since the Prophets exist outside of linear space-time, their first meeting with The Sisko took place relatively speaking ''before'' they'd sent their prophecies to the Ancient Bajorans about the Emissary. [[spoiler:To ensure that that meeting took place, they sent one of their number to engineer his very ''birth''. ]]Furthermore, it's very likely that the Prophets began influencing Bajoran society due to meeting Sisko, making him somewhat culpable for most of Bajoran history... and thus the reason he first arrived at Bajor to begin with!
* TranquilFury: It's scary how quickly that tight-lipped smile can turn into a glower.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Both Sisko and Dax have admitted that they share a mutual attraction towards the other, despite never acting on it, it would be too weird given their previous relationship. As he puts it, "She may not be Curzon, but she's still DAX!"
** He does sleep with her mirror-universe counterpart while posing as their Ben Sisko though; an unjoined Jadzia was that Ben's mistress, and he had to maintain his cover when she threw herself at him after all…
* VillainByProxyFallacy: A rarity in how he views this of ''himself'' during "In The Pale Moonlight".
-->'''Sisko''': I am an accessory to murder(...) I think I can live with it.
* VisionQuest: Like Picard and Janeway, this Captain was highly curious about the spiritual and arcane. He embarked on a couple such quests in his career: a trip through the Orb of Time helped heal his psychic wounds left behind from the U.S.S. Saratoga; and a long desert trek ended with the revelation that he was part-Prophet.
* TheWatchmaker: The only lasting impact of "Dramatis Personae" is the addition of an abstract-looking clock in Sisko's Ready Room. The clock (built by Sisko while possessed by a mad alien king) symbolizes the non-linearity of the Prophet's existence and the way they perceive time. It's included in the background of several episodes.
* WarriorPoet: Can sometimes ruminate on this. See in ''In The Pale Moonlight''.
* WarriorTherapist: Becomes this when confronted to Dukat's psychosis in ''Waltz''. [[SubvertedTrope He probably aggravated it in the process as the Cardassian was still in denial at the time]] but at least, it got him a chance to escape.
* WouldntHitAGirl: He half-jokes about this whenever Dax manages to piss him off. He'll comment, "If you were still a man..." while knowing perfectly well that even if she isn't in her nineties, Dax could still easily wallop him.
* YouWillBeBeethoven: [[spoiler: Takes on the identity of Gabriel Bell, an early 21st century civil rights crusader, after the real Bell is killed confronting an angry mob that was attacking Sisko and Bashir. Sisko subsequently does everything that Gabriel Bell was credited with, [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060323234932/memoryalpha/en/images/8/80/Gabriel_Bell_bio.jpg with his image taking Bell's place in the historical record.]]]]
* YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: Sisko struggles to keep a tight lid on his temper, to the point where he comes across as incredibly mellow. To the contrary, he confesses that he often entertains thoughts "unworthy of a Starfleet Officer." For an example, see "A Time to Stand" when Sisko receives news of the decimated Seventh Fleet with [[PunchAWall a handy glass table]] nearby.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant Doctor Julian Bashir]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bashir_ds9_2325.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Siddig El Fadil a.k.a. Alexander Siddig

->''"I didn't want some cushy job or a research grant, I wanted ''this''! The farthest reaches of the galaxy; one of the most remote outposts available. [[DareToBeBadass This is where the adventure is! This is where heroes are made]]!"''
-->-- "Emissary"

Thrill-seeking newcomer who believes he's God's gift to medicine; life on the station would [[BreakTheHaughty shatter that notion]] pretty quickly. Started off alternatively being droolingly infatuated with Dax, painfully green, and coming across as [[Series/{{Blackadder}} Lieutenant George]] [[AC:IN SPACE]] (prattling eagerly about frontier medicine gets up the locals' noses). Later his behavior gives way to some [[HiddenDepths dark personal secrets]].

The showrunners weren't sure what to do with Bashir in the beginning, having rather off-handedly written a Doctor into the show. Negative viewer response to the character [[CreatorsPet only emboldened the writers]] to make Bashir a fan favorite; in this rare case, it worked. Notable as the first time that a US TV show recognized that [[ATouchOfClassEthnicityAndReligion not all English people are white]].
----
* {{Adorkable}}: How much of the cast feels about him later in the series. They respect him, but frequently cringe whenever he opens his gob.
* AlwaysSecondBest: On purpose.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Though the name is clearly Arabic, nobody ever mentions where Bashir hails from - a fact which Siddig was personally proud of.
* BashBrothers: With O'Brien in some episodes, Garak in others.
** In "Indscretion", it was mentioned that it's frowned upon on Cardassia for outsiders (and especially non-Cardassians) to view a dead relative's body. And yet in "Inferno's Light", Garak allows Bashir into the room where his father is dying. It shows how strongly Garak felt about his and Bashir's friendship.
* BioAugmentation: Not by choice, and kept secret for most of the series.
* BolivianArmyEnding: Some of his favorite holosuite programs are the [[TheHomeFront Battle of Britain]], [[RememberTheAlamo the Alamo]], and the [[GrecoPersianWars Battle of Thermopylae]]. Ezri teasingly speculates about these "annihilation fantasies."
* CasanovaWannabe: His attempts to be suave always fail horribly, unless he's in a holosuite.
** His love life isn't really ''that'' bad, he's just not nearly as cool as he thinks he is.
* CerebusRetcon: The revelation about his genetic enhancements casts a much darker light on earlier behavior.
* CombatMedic: Holy cow, the medic just stabbed his captor in the neck! Justified, given the stakes, but somewhat unexpected.
** Gives a good showing of himself in "The Siege of AR-558" and "Rocks and Shoals", and manages to come out of a brawl with a dozen TOS-era Klingons unscathed, as well.
* CompanionCube: His teddy bear, Kukalaka.
* DoggedNiceGuy: Towards Dax. It doesn't work with Jadzia. Does with Ezri (who he is not dogged with, but she reveals that Jadzia would have reciprocated if Worf hadn't arrived when he did).
** Although by the time Worf arrived, he'd matured considerably.
* DrinkOrder: Red Leaf Tea is his preferred replicator order. This is actually a Cardassian drink; Elim Garak includes it in his breakfast ritual, and Bashir found it went well with scones and Bajoran jam--détente on a plate.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Garak was implied to be hitting on Bashir during their first meeting -- though the Paramount suits put the kibosh on that, right quick.
* FanOfThePast: Bashir is a huge geek about 1960s spy fiction and something of a war history buff. He is less interested in the 2200s, however, and asserts that [[ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder a doctor, not a historian]].
* FantasticRacism: His genetic augmentation nearly got him kicked out of Starfleet when they found out, due to the Federation's strict, almost draconian, laws against it. Every other augment in the series gets stuffed into a clinic/prison, though this is partially because the poor quality of their augmentation has left them extremely smart but lacking in social skills or common sense. Bashir is one of the few that doesn't have extreme personality quirks or dangerous amounts of ambition. Sisko mentions that Bashir is the first case they've dealt with in decades, making this a very rare occurrence indeed. Sisko also pointed out that the law is somewhat dated simply because it is so rarely enforced, so it may just be a case of them not getting around to updating the books. It's also possible that this is a much more common occurrence than anyone wants to admit, [[FridgeBrilliance it's just that it's a lot harder to catch someone who is several times more intelligent than the average human]].
** And, finally, there's the minor issue of the whole Eugenics War...
* FishOutOfWater: Bashir exists solely to contrast the cushiness of TNG with the cold realities of frontier life. Ironically, he's the only crew member who requested the assignment.
* ForScience: A dark example would be his attempts to cure the Blight - a designer virus inflicted on dissidents in Dominion space - single-handedly. The debacle finally ended with Bashir gerryrigging a vaccine, promising that the virus would run its course within a generation. However, it came at the cost of several patients experiencing agonizing deaths in place of the euthanasia they had originally opted for.
** Worse yet, the Romulans later express an interest in researching Blight for their own purposes. As they're now allies of the Federation. Bashir might have had little choice but to placate them...
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A throwaway moment occurs in the S4 episode ''Homefront'', when Odo chats with O'Brien and Bashir right before a trip to Earth. O'Brien cheerfully asks Odo to say hi to O'Brien's parents in Dublin. Odo turns and asks Bashir if he has any family he'd like Odo to visit; Bashir immediately clams up and changes the subject, a hint at his strained relationship with his parents almost a full season before it's explicitly established.
* GenreSavvy: At least in regards to James Bond novels.
* GoodCounterpart: To Khan Noonien Singh and his genetically engineered followers. Bashir eventually assembles a few Augment groupies of his own, but with a different purpose: to dampen their antisocial tendencies and reassimilate them into society.
* GoodWithNumbers: He's able to do very complex calculations in his head. Siddig was wary of becoming the show's "Data", so he doesn't show off this talent much.
* HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster?: How some feel about his augmentations. Julian apparently took it to heart, as he's allowed his personal life and career to fall to shambles, too afraid to attract attention.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Julian claims that Miles likes him more than Miles ''loves'' Keiko. Although Miles would like to deny this, he does admit to sometimes wishing that Keiko was more like Julian.
* HospitalHottie
* InsufferableGenius: He tends to brag about beating a Vulcan in a racquetball match and his many medical miracles. Ironically, this is toned down after his augmentation is revealed.
** In "Crossover", Kira finds herself trapped in a runabout with Bashir, who keeps ruining her attempts to meditate. Bashir offers to let bygones be bygones by playing some music. Kira begs off, claiming she only knows Bajoran music. He makes his selecton, prompting Kira’s incredulous reaction; ''He knows Bajoran classical composers.''
** Siddig has revealed that he deliberately made Bashir jerkish because he knew the show would run for years and he wanted to show CharacterDevelopment. This turned out to fit well with the later idea that it's because of his genetically enhanced origins.
* TheIntern: He relocates to Bajor in order to make a name for himself legitimately, but still complains about missing out on the action aboard ''Galaxy''-class science vessels. Tellingly, he was caught poking around the ''Enterprise'''s laboratory without permission.
* IronicFear: He was terrified of Doctors growing up. This makes more sense in light of being an Augment.
* TheMedic: Even if it doesn't make any sense for a station doctor to be out in the field.
* MultipleChoicePast: His reasons for going into medicine change from person to person. This is one of the reasons people thought the writers planned the reveal of his augmentations from the beginning, instead of [[AuthorsSavingThrow a last-minute change]].
* NeverTellMeTheOdds: Garak suggests he isn’t genetically engineered but a Vulcan when he calculates the ludicrously pessimistic likelihood about them losing the war (a 32.7% of survival -- even Quark would fold at those odds).
* NiceGuy: To Garak's consternation.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Unsatisfied with the audiences' response to "bumbling" Bashir, the writers outed him as a genetically-enhanced über genius who has been operating under the radar.
* OddFriendship: With Garak. The creepy tailor seems to have made it his personal mission to corrupt the wide-eyed Doctor, and takes delight whenever Bashir exhibits Cardassian-like behavior (such as his detached willingness to shoot Garak in the back in "Our Man Bashir").
* PropheticName: The meaning of the name Bashir is "well-educated; wise".
** Originally, the character was meant to be a LatinLover named "Dr. [[PunnyName Amaros]]", which is a bit on the nose.
* RankUp: Went unremarked so it may have been a wardrobe error [[ThrowItIn that stuck]], but he started the series wearing one gold pip and one black pip (a lieutenant junior grade) and ended with two gold pips (full lieutenant).
* RomanticRunnerUp: Twice. The first time was to Rom and the second time was to Worf. If Worf hadn’t come along, it's apparent that Dax would have succumbed to his advances (and indeed Ezri admits as much in season seven).
* SatelliteCharacter: Nope, not O'Brien. To ''Garak''. Without his spy intrigue, Bashir wouldn't be included in some of the more interesting arcs (including Section 31).
* SmallNameBigEgo: Bashir comes across as a bit of an ass at first, which fits with the viewers' first impressions to the character. Kira seems to barely tolerate him, O’Brien hates the limey on principle (as dyed-in-the-wool Irishmen would), Dax nods at his professions of love in a patronising way, and it’s clear that Sisko isn’t overly fond of his doctor, either. In "Past Prologue", he doesn’t seem alarmed by Bashir’s collision with an ex-Cardassian spy, as if doubting that Bashir could cause any risk to Federation security even if he set his mind to it!
* SuperLoser: Genius-level intellect! Superhuman reflexes! ...But he's rubbish at pulling girls.
* StupidSexyFlanders
* ThatManIsDead: He refuses to go by his childhood nickname 'Jules', insisting that Jules died on the operating table, and is now Julian.
** A bit of clarification: Julian is his birth name, while Jules was an affectionate nickname. At fifteen, when he realized what had been done to him, he stopped going by it, to the point where, when he has a moment in private with his parents, he lashes out at them for using it.
* ThemeInitials: Bashir. [[TheNameIsBondJamesBond Julian Bashir]].
* {{Transhuman}}: A jarring 180 to the NoTranshumanismAllowed usually employed in ''Franchise/StarTrek''.
** TokenHeroicOrc: Julian is one of the few Augmented Humans in the franchise ''without'' any psychological or mental problems, a common side-effect amongst individuals who have undergone extensive genetic modification. It's a ''very'' sharp bell-curve. The augments in [=DS9=] are not evil, but they are seriously maladjusted.
* TookALevelInBadass: Once the cold war turns hot, Bashir suddenly acts less like a squeaky-clean recruit and more like a battle hardened-veteran, and the shift is definitely in his favor.
* UpperClassTwit: In earlier episodes, prior to CharacterDevelopment.
* UrbanLegendLoveLife: Even the actor is amazed at Bashir's amazingly bad luck with women. The two early objects of his affection end up with ''Rom'' and ''Worf'' respectively. Ouch.
** Which is potentially why he ends up with Ezri, in all her tiny, cute awesomeness. After all his bad luck, he deserved to get a break.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Alexander Siddig was originally considered for the role of ''Sisko'' because the producers had seen him in a movie where he was playing a much older man (with makeup to age him up). When they found out how young he actually was, he was cast in the Bashir role instead. Incidentally, "Julian Bashir" was initially named "Julian Ambrose," but the name was changed when Siddig was cast to reflect his Arab heritage.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The exposure of his past nearly got Bashir washed out of Starfleet. As it stands, Julian was guilty only of omitting that fact on his records; his father took the blame since Julian was under the age of consent for the procedure.
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: As a small child, Bashir had several severe learning disabilities, so his parents had him undergo an illegal and extremely dangerous genetic treatment. Since then, it is implied that they were [[StageMom Stage Parents]], pushing him towards a high-profile, high-status occupation, instead of letting him make up his own mind, as well as constantly monitoring his behavior so as not to end up in prison. This is the cause of Bashir's resentment and estrangement towards them.
** How severe? Apparently, he couldn't tell a dog from a cat...
* WillfullyWeak: Even before they decided he was genetically enhanced, "Distant Voices" revealed that he deliberately missed a question on the exam to avoid being first in his class. It was even suggested that if he tried harder with Jadzia he'd have succeeded.
* WideEyedIdealist: Frequently {{deconstructed}}; the fresh-faced, brilliant young officer out of the Academy ends up wrong or in trouble many times due to his naivete. He gets better, but it still bites him sometimes, such as the late-season episode "Inter Arma Silent Legis."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant/Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jadzia_ds9_8146.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Terry Farrell

->''"Don't mistake a new face for a new soul, Kang."''
-->-- "Blood Oath"

TheChick, ReallySevenHundredYearsOld (and the ActionGirl sometimes), with the slight twist of being an attractive young female - albeit one inhabited by a symbiont [[TheNthDoctor with several centuries of memories and experience from hosts of both genders]]. Some fans claim she mutated into a FauxActionGirl after she got together with Worf, although she first showed her proficiency with the ''bat'leth'' in Season 2. For Season 7, she is [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute replaced]] by ''Ezri'' Dax who is [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} not at all similar]]. Luckily, her species had a built-in storyline reason that made this possible; [[TheNthDoctor symbionts need new hosts]] on occasion after all, and the joining adds the new personalities to the mix. For the hosts of the Dax symbiont beyond Jadzia and Ezri, scroll to the bottom of the page.
----
* ActionGirl: She's handy with bat'leths, phasers, and [[AcePilot piloting consoles]].
* BattleCouple: With Worf.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: In-universe version. The Dax symbiont has fought alongside the likes of Kang, Kor, and Koloth; he negotiated the Khitomer Accords to usher in peace between the Federation and Klingons; and Dax even (gulp!)... dated Bones [=McCoy=] in college.
* BiTheWay: Ostensibly the result of being a [[GenderBender gender-bending]] alien. Torias Dax, a man, was married to Nilani Kahn. When Jadzia Dax meets Kahn's new self Lenara, a woman, they fall in love all over again. This led to ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' airing what was (incorrectly) touted to be the first lesbian kiss on network television, between Dax and "his" former wife. ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_kiss_episode It was actually the fifth.]])
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Jadzia was originally serene and almost aloof due to her (kind of) great age. They retooled the character in Season 2 to make her lively, adventurous, and realistically flawed.
* TheConsigliere: To Sisko. It helps that Dax has been knocking about for a long while, and knows the attitudes of Starfleet's various adversaries.
* CulturedBadass: She can speak Klingon, drink any Klingon under the table, handle a Bat-leth with ease, beat Ferengi at Tongo (their variation of poker), and imitate a Romulan with flawless disdain, just to name a few. Admittedly, she still hasn't solved an Altonian brain teaser after 160 years. Bashir tried it, and [[YourBrainWontBeMuchOfAMeal caused the game to crash immediately]].
* DrinkOrder: Has a taste for bloodwine, of course. But her preferred way to start the morning is by slamming a Black Hole, a strong Ferengi drink.
* EnemyWithin: Joran Dax, the most unstable of her past personalities.
* GallowsHumor: One unfortunate habit of this Dax host (possibly inherited from Curzon) was cracking wise whenever death was on the horizon. And it wasn't Jadzia's usual rapier wit, either. We're talking about leaden, SoUnfunnyItsFunny one-liners that would embarrass even Data.
-->'''Sisko:''' ''(fuming)'' Dax, maybe you haven't noticed, but '''no one's laughing'''.
* GenderBender: She has the gender of her host of the time. She has been both men and women in past lives.
* GeniusBruiser: Wisdom and knowledge of eight lifetimes, science officer, and fights like a klingon.
* HappilyMarried: To Worf, [[spoiler:until her Jadzia host died]].
* HonestAdvisor: To Ben. She also dumps Quark's friendship after he becomes an arms dealer, although she is genuinely outraged in that instance.
* HotScientist: She's well aware of how attractive she is and holds several advanced degrees.
* ImmortalImmaturity: The Dax symbiont is particularly rowdy. This is proven by Jadzia's former personality before her joining: a bookish ShrinkingViolet.
-->'''Jem'Hadar''': Few Jem'Hadar live that long. If we reach twenty, we're considered honored elders. ''(leans in)'' How old are you?\\
'''Dax'''': I stopped counting at 300.\\
'''Jem'Hadar''': ''(dumbfounded)'' You don't look it.
** This is generally ignored by her associates, although Sisko dared to remind Jadzia of her age during a heated argument about Worf. Dax did ''not'' like it, but she could not refute it either.
* InterspeciesRomance: With Worf.
* IntimateMarks: Yes, the spots really do go all the way down.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:While the Dax symbiont Passes on to Ezri, Jadzia is still quite dead.]]
* TheLadette: Enjoys playing Tongo with Quark and his hard-drinking gambler friends. She also throws a mean right hook (as her mother-in-law discovered the hard way).
** There were [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness early attempts]] at making Dax reserved and wise, but it never stuck. After one season, Ira Behr realized the 'old soul' angle wasn't working out; the character was gradually retooled into a sporty, quasi-androgynous commando, switching gender roles depending on the setting. She can be quite butch when the situation calls for it, but she's wickedly girlish in private.
* LivingForeverIsAwesome: She sees it as her duty to give the Dax symbiont an interesting life and often draws on the things she's learned over the centuries, whether it's engineering or parental advice.
* {{McLeaned}}: Terry Farrell decided not to return for the show's seventh season, so they wrote Jadzia out.
* TheNthDoctor: The eighth host of Dax.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Martok is more agreeable, but his wife is a harridan. Jadzia has been through so many wedding ceremonies in her lifetimes she is happy to dump all the minutiae on Worf whilst she parties the night away with her friends. She thinks that meeting the monster-in-law is going to be a piece of cake, but Sirella has already made up her mind regarding this overgrown sorority girl.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Sort of. Jadzia is actually exactly as old as she looks but through Dax she has the memories and some of the personality of a much older being. A century old Bajoran magistrate said (paraphrasing) "When I started this hearing I didn't know if you were as young as my great-granddaughter, or three times as old as I am. Now I'm starting to think you're both."
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: In series 1, she's only 28. It's confirmed that all of her vast amount of scientific knowledge and multiple degrees were gained prior to receiving the Dax symbiont at the age of 26. While Dax has been hosted by an engineer and a pilot, Jadzia is Dax's first scientist.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: The cold war with Sirella comes to a head during the ceremonial reading of The Chronicle, a history of the Martok family's unbroken (until now, ahem) bloodline. Jadzia [[WagTheDirector sprinkles in her own extracurricular research]], including: a positive spin on an Oliver Cromwell-type figure in Klingon history, the revelation that Sirella's claim to nobility is false, and that her mother-in-law's ancestor was not the Princess but [[SonOfAWhore a concubine who lived out of the royal stables]]. Pwnd.
-->'''Sirella:''' You are '''''STRAYING FROM THE SAGA!!'''''
* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Adopted Warrior Foreigner]]: A Trill who is more Klingon than most Klingon.
* SexIsViolence: Her liasons with Worf can get pretty destructive. Odo gets a report every time they destroy Worf's quarters, so he enjoys ribbing the couple about it a little.
* ShesGotLegs: Those spots go ''all the way'' down, baby. Makeup veteran Michael Westmore actually got paid to spend an hour scribbling them on with magic marker.
* TheSpock: This is her initial characterization, but the writers decided to make her more emotional and fun-loving. Although she still fulfills rational Spock functions, she becomes something of a combination of him and TheKirk.
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: A bit of a [[Creator/LeonardNimoy Nimoy]] fangirl. One glimpse of him in the flesh, and she's ready to toss the Temporal Prime Directive out the airlock, hint hint. Sisko has to drag her away by the arm.
* TookALevelInBadass: Particularly after Curzon's Klingon-loving personality came to the forefront during her ''zhian'tara''.
* UnkemptBeauty: A hungover Dax is something to behold.
* UptightLovesWild: With Worf. Three guesses on who is which.
* WorkHardPlayHard: When she works she is an ingenious and competent officer. When she plays she likes gambling, flirting, and making love [[DestructoNookie Klingon Fashion]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Senior Chief of Operations Miles O'Brien]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/obrien_ds9_1414.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': ColmMeaney

->''"Computer. [[AC:*bleep bloop*]] You and I need to have a little talk."''
-->--"Emissary"

Easily the most overworked person on the station, as well as an AscendedExtra from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', with a bigger role this time who becomes HeterosexualLifePartners with Bashir. Subject of the annual "[[TheWoobie O'Brien Must Suffer]]" writers' in-joke. The only non-commissioned officer in the franchise to be a main character, he can easily be mistaken for the only one in the service. (The others were mostly [[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet_enlisted_personnel very minor roles]], dutifully enumerated on other wikis.) In the {{novelization}} of the pilot episode, O'Brien is slightly altered -- he accepted a promotion to Ensign and was no longer a noncom when the story began.

A note for trivia buffs: both he and Worf were present in the series premiere (and series finale) of ''TNG'', and hold the records for "Appeared In The Most" (or "2nd Most" in O'Brien's case) "Episodes Of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' Ever." (Majel Barrett Roddenberry, whose voice "appears" as the Federation computer's for something like 250 episodes, holds a different record.)
----
* AscendedExtra: From a nameless con in the ''TNG'' premiere to a starring character on another series.
* AlmightyJanitor: The only reason anything on [=DS9=] works is because of him, a fact not lost on O'Brien. Technically, he is Head of Engineering for one of the Federation's most strategically important space stations, a gig that is usually given to a Commander, and orders around commissioned officers like no one's business. Even if he does not have the ''de jure'' ranks, he obviously has them ''de facto''.
* BadassNormal : The only Non-Com main character in trek. Among other things, he's been decorated 15 times by starfleet, been in 239 separate tactical situations and is recognised as an expert on the subject AMONG KLINGONS. 'nough said.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Devoted family man? Check. Dutiful officer? Check. Capable of taking on BrainwashedAndCrazy former Obsidian Order operative Garak on a booby-trapped station with minimal supplies and almost no backup, and winning? ''Check.''
* TheBigGuy: ColmMeaney is not very tall but he's built like a ''[[StoutStrength tank]].'' As to the character, see BewareTheNiceOnes and Badass entries above.
* ButtMonkey: There was an "O'Brien must suffer" episode at least once a season, because the writers thought Colm Meaney was good in those plots. He tended to act as the scapegoat for the command crew's frustrations, as well, particularly if the replicators broke down on a coffee break. Miles once attempted the ScottyTime trick on Sisko, but no dice.
** Tellingly, O’Brien's suffering is a universal constant. Even in the Mirror world, he’s a put-upon engineer who gets no respect!
* CloningBlues: By the end of the series its not exactly our O'Brien but an O'Brien who came back from a few hours in the future after seeing our O'Brien die. Basically the same guy and he does dwell on it, but not for long.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Several. Some prime examples include "Whispers", "Tribunal" and "Visionary".
* DrinkOrder: Coffee, Jamaican blend. Double sweet, double strong.
* TheEveryman: Devoted family man, down-to-earth soldier, and enlisted man.
* FantasticRacism: Occasionally towards Cardassians, and has been known to utter the phrase "Cardy Bastards". O'Brien fought in the Federation-Cardassian War and was present at the Setlik III massacre, an event that affected him deeply. This was also the first time he'd ever killed someone, ''vaporising'' a Cardassian when he fired a phaser not knowing that it'd be set to maximum. As O'Brien summed up in TNG, he doesn't hate Cardassians, he hates what he became because of them.
** He's not thrilled with Changelings either, Odo aside.
* GadgeteerGenius: A lot of his job involves getting old, beaten-up, and/or alien technology to work, along with a fair bit of MacGyvering.
* HappilyMarried: To Keiko, although--
* HenpeckedHusband: Sometimes. Keiko even ''smacked'' him once, when he missed his cue during a meditation ceremony for the in-delivery Kira....
* LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: Given his record of genius and heroism, you'd expect him to make Master Chief by the end of the series, but he seems to stay an [=SCPO=] for the entire run. (Although it ''is'' possible that might be the top of the Starfleet NCO ranks, we haven't seen enough of them on screen to be sure). He does continually gain responsibilities and duties throughout the series, so there is a career progression of sorts going on. Starfleet security taps him for [[TheSting undercover work]] in "No Honor Among Thieves" to help bring down the Orion Syndicate. It might be a little odd that they chose a low ranking officer for this dangerous assignment, but O’Brien is perfect because he doesn’t have to try to look like a schlub who is down on his luck.
* MrFixit: ''[[{{Pun}} Miles to go]] before he sleeps...'' Well into Season 6, he's ''still'' running himself ragged trying to keep up with his work orders. The only reason all the hodgepodge of Federation and Cardassian technology on [=DS9=] runs anything close to smoothly is because O'Brien's been working on it non-stop from day one. Unfortunately (for him), only O'Brien really understands how they work.
* OddFriendship: With Kira while she was carrying Kirayoshi. With hints of awkward UnresolvedSexualTension in several later episodes.
* RealMenHateAffection: With Julian. Even when they're totally sloshed, the most affectionate expression he can manage is "I really do... not hate you anymore." And when he's telling Dr. Zimmerman all the things he does not hate about Julian, he's very insistent that it will remain confidential.
* TimeyWimeyBall: In the third-season episode "Visionary", O'Brien is sent to the future several times. [[spoiler:Ultimately, "our" O'Brien dies and the one that comes back to the present is an O'Brien from two-and-a-half hours into the future]].
* VeteranInstructor: Sort of slips into the old-hand mentor role in the final two seasons, and the GrandFinale sees him return to Earth to become an official instructor at the Academy.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: "Hard Time" involves this. [[spoiler:He kills a good man for a scrap of bread. Even if that man was an illusion, O'Brien is so horrified at himself that he attempts suicide]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant Commander Worf]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/worf_ds9_2340.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': MichaelDorn

->'''Worf''': I have a sense of humor. On the ''Enterprise'', I was considered to be quite amusing.\\
'''Dax''': That must've been one dull ship.
-->-- "Change of Heart"

Another reassignment from the ''Enterprise''-D, turning up with the show's ReTool at the start of season 4. Notably, Worf suffered less of TheWorfEffect on this show than ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]''. The conflicts of this series and heavy involvement with the Klingon Empire were more suited to his strengths and instincts. In addition, Michael Dorn was savvy enough to ensure that, should he be invited onto another series, he would be both unique among Klingons ''and'' would have a chance to be {{Badass}}. Hence his fondness of Prune Juice over Blood Wine. See also his section on the ''[[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' [[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGeneration character sheet]].
----
* BattleCouple: With Jadzia.
* BattleCry: PlayedForLaughs in "Take Me Out To The Holosuite"
-->'''Sisko:''' Alright, I wanna hear some chatter!\\
'''Ezri:''' Heeeeyy batter batter batter!\\
'''Kira:''' Hey batter batter!\\
'''Worf:''' '''''DEATH TO THE OPPOSITION!'''''
* TheBigGuy: Often commands the Defiant on missions Sisko can't take himself, the go-to guy when Klingons are involved, and generally a person you want on ''your'' side when the chips are down.
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Miles' baby can go to sleep in his arms... and initially, ''only'' his arms.
** And he's always dreamed of a traditional Klingon wedding, with all the trimmings. (Although "soft" might not be the best word given the ''Klingon'', but he's still quite a romantic.)
* CargoShip:[[invoked]] Dax insinuated that Worf's first love is the ''Defiant''. In a sense, he considers it ''his'' ship, not Sisko's. Makes sense really, it's a Federation designed Warship, the perfect fit for Worf.
* TheComicallySerious
-->'''Garak''': Mr. Worf, you're no fun at all.\\
'''Worf''': ... Good.
* {{Determinator}}: Famously stood his ground against '''ten''' Jem 'Hadar warriors in a ForcedPrizeFight. When he finally does hit the mat, it's his ''opponent'' who calls it quits.
-->'''Ikat'ika:''' I yield. I cannot defeat this Klingon. I can only kill him, and [[WorthyOpponent that no longer holds my interest]]."
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Essentially becomes this when he joins the cast; the entire Klingon War arc was more or less built around bringing his character onto the show.
* DrinkOrder: Just like in TNG...
-->'''Quark''': Lemme guess... klingon bloodwine.\\
'''Worf''': Prune Juice, chilled.\\
'''Quark:''' (laughing incredulously) PRUNE JUICE?!?\\
'''Worf''': ([[DeathGlare DEATH GLARE]])\\
'''Quark:''' (meekly) Right away.
* FireForgedFriends: With Martok.
* GenreSavvy: A welcome break from TheWorfEffect that he was once known for. Unlike some other starfleet officers, he knows that a ship coming in with weapons charged is an immediate sign to raise shields, even if it's an allied vessel.
* HappilyMarried: To Jadzia.
* HeartbrokenBadass: Worf is, quite simply, devastated [[spoiler: after Jadzia is killed]]. He didn't suffer that much even after K'Ehleyr was murdered by Duras and his performance of the Klingon Death Ritual over her body is one of the few times he actually ''[[ManlyTears weeps]].''
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Played with. He is loyal to the Federation to the point of fighting against the Klingon Empire when they go to war. At the same time, he is obsessed with Klingon tradition more then most Klingons are. (Again, see the ''TNG'' character sheet for an accurate analysis of his mentality.)
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Worf's sense of klingon honor is inviolate. It cost him dearly in standing amongst his countrymen.
* [[MasterSwordsman Master Bat'leth Suvwl']] : Given that he can beat [[ActionGirl Jadzia]] in a friendly duel, Grilka's bodyguard in a real one(while [[NeuralImplanting piloting Quarks body]] instead of his own too), and actually kill [[spoiler:Gowron]] in a DuelToTheDeath, he must be one of the best fighters to ever handle a ''bat'leth''. Despite his prowess with the weapon, Worf seems to prefer using a ''mek'leth'' in combat, a machete-like weapon half the size (and therefore much easier to carry around).
* MyGreatestFailure: In "Let He Who is Without Sin...", we learn that Worf's uptight nature is the result of a childhood soccer match, when young Worf accidentally headbutted an opposing player. Klingon foreheads being what they are, the kid died. This tragedy convinced Worf to reign in his Klingon passion.
* NumberTwo: Is First Officer of the ''Defiant''. In practice, he and Kira share this role, which is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in "Apocalypse Rising".
* AnOddPlaceToSleep: Right from Day One, Worf has trouble adjusting to the morally-grey atmosphere on the station. Following a string of disasters, he decides that the only way to adjust to life aboard the station is to live outside it, and makes the ''Defiant'' his crib.
* OfferedTheCrown: After his killing of [[spoiler: Gowron in "Tacking Into the Wind"]] he basically [[KlingonPromotion earned the right to rule the Klingon Empire]]. He chose wisely instead to hand it Martok. A [[{{RunningGag}} bit of running theme with Worf.]] When ever he got involved with leadership of the Klingon people someone ends up dead and someone ends up a new leader.
** A cut scene would have had Worf confiding in Ezri that his one regret was that his father wasn't there to see it.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy
* TheStoic: "I do not smirk. But if I did, this would be a good opportunity."
** NotSoStoic: See HeartbrokenBadass.
* RatingsStunt: Introducing Worf in the fourth season premiere. A rare case of this being done right
* TookALevelInJerkass: His run on [=DS9=] saw Worf in a long period of mourning; first for the ''Enterprise-D'' where he spent the best years of his life, and then for his murdered wife Jadzia. He becomes even more withdrawn and short-tempered than usual, refusing to mix with his crewmates at social gatherings and one time even claiming they never truly understood Jadiza when she was alive. Worf did respect the abilities of the [=DS9=] crew, though, and always apologized in the end.
* WarriorPoet: Loves Klingon Opera, Klingon legends, and Klingon traditions.
* TheWorfEffect: [[AvertedTrope Starting to wane]] by this point, thank goodness. In fact, this was one of the reasons Dorn joined the show.
* UptightLovesWild: With Jadzia. Three guesses who is which.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Worf arrives on the station at first facing the same doubts Sisko had in the beginning, considering resigning, being stuck in the past, etc. This is symbolized by Worf transferring to a red Command uniform.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lieutenant Ezri Dax]]
[[quoteright:180:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ezri_ds9_8042.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Nicole de Boer

--> ''"She's a Dax. Sometimes they don't think, they just do."''

The new Trill host for the Dax symbiont, owing that only to chance. Ezri Tigan was serving on the ship taking Dax back to Trill when the symbiont became extremely ill and the only way to save its life was immediate implantation in a new host. As the only Trill onboard, Ezri reluctantly volunteered, and her unease at being a "joined" Trill, which was something prospective hosts are supposed to train for years to deal with, became a centerpiece of her character. She also had to deal with Dax influencing her feelings about Worf and Bashir, her own attraction to Bashir, and the fact that an officer of her general inexperience -- specifically, a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard Lieutenant Junior Grade Assistant Counselor]] -- was suddenly part of the Federation's front-line wartime command crew. At least she's [[{{Moe}} cute]]. For the hosts of the Dax symbiont beyond Jadzia and Ezri, see the "Others" folder.
----
* BelligerentSexualTension: With Worf, since he obviously hasn't gotten over [[spoiler:Jadzia's death]], and Jadzia's memories are confusing her emotions.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's very good at her job, "Afterimage" on, just... quirky.
* CharacterisationMarchesOn: One of Dax's previous hosts committed a violent murder. In a later episode Ezri has to track down a SerialKiller on the station, and her previous host has suddenly turned into a cold-blooded killer who's offed three people just so Ezri can do a Hannibal-style ConsultingAConvictedKiller episode.
* CloudCuckooLander: As a result of having eight full lifetimes shoehorned into her head (as well as merging with the consciousness that holds them). She adjusts eventually, ending up more a BunnyEarsLawyer instead.
* TheCutie: Ally Sheedy [[AC:in space]].
* ADayInTheLimelight: Considering that she showed up in the final season, most of it was devoted to developing her character as much as they could (while still focusing on the rest of the storyline), but the episodes "Afterimage", "Prodigal Daughter", and "Field Of Fire" are very specifically about only her.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Ezri was not planning to be a symbiont host and had no training. Her entire prep time was a 15-minute lecture from the ''Destiny'''s non-Trill Chief Medical Officer.
* GotVolunteered: Technically, her captain said she could refuse the joining, but he noted himself that it wasn't much of a choice.
* NaiveNewcomer: Even without suddenly becoming Dax, she's a very young Starfleet officer.
* TheNthDoctor: The ninth host of Dax.
* OlderThanTheyLook: She's got the same deal as Jadzia going on, plus she's a few years younger than Jadzia was at the beginning of the series.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Is on the receiving one of Garak's. Later, she delivers one to Worf about the Klingon Empire being plagued with corruption.
* ReplacementLoveInterest: Slides right into Jadzia's corner of the Dax / Bashir / Worf LoveTriangle, but ultimately winds up going the other way.
* SexWithTheEx: A variant, since of course Ezri is a different person than Jadzia. Luckily for their sanity, this clears up for both of them just ''what'' their relationship is (Worf realizes that it's time to stop thinking of Ezri as Jadzia, and Ezri realizes she's in love with Julian)
* TheShrink: She turns out that she's Type 3; although rather unsure of herself, it turns out that she's really good at being a counselor as Garak would attest when his claustrophobia really flared up.
* SlapSlapKiss: Again with Worf. When he's missing and she goes on a one-woman rescue mission, they get into a huge argument after she saved him and they ended up sleeping together.
-->"Do you really think that I would disobey orders and risk my life so that I could seduce you? I hate to burst your bubble, Worf, but it wasn't ''that'' good."
* TheSouthpaw: Part of her disorientation as a new host was thinking she was right-handed when she's actually left-handed.
* StepfordSnarker: She frequently makes sarcastic comments and uses SelfDeprecatingHumor to cover her real anxiety. The episode focusing on her family implies Ezri did this even before she was joined.
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: She's tasked with Garak's ''very'' difficult case when she is in desperate need of therapy herself.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** A half-level at first after a particularly scathing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from Garak. They squeeze in a little character development for her in the single season she's on the show, and she ends up hunting down a Vulcan serial killer.
** She goes a BIG step further in "Penumbra", when she singlehandedly braves the storms of The Badlands to save Worf. Oh, and she gives a few nice mini-[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck Speeches"]] when Worf seems to forget his gratitude for it, in that episode and one two episodes later.
* WalkingSpoiler: It's basically impossible to say anything about Ezri without explaining that [[spoiler:Jadzia dies]]. If you're talking to someone who knows how Trill work, they're going to figure out the implications of her last name very fast.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Girl]]: Somewhat. When she realized she would never get this, she joined Starfleet and didn't look back. (Until O'Brien goes missing on her home planet and she ''has'' to.)
* WideEyedIdealist: To an extent, [[GoodIsNotDumb though she's realistic enough to verbally deconstruct]] the Klingon Empire to Worf.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Dax Symbiont]]
!!Lela Dax (Nana Visitor in "Facets")

The Dax Symbiont's first host. A famous politician.

* CharacterTic: Jazdia's habit of walking with her hands behind her back? That from Lela.
* CoolOldLady: Nice and grandma like.
* IronLady: The first woman appointed to the Trill Council.

!!Tobin Dax (Colm Meany in "Facets")

The Dax Symbiont's second host. A nervous engineer.

* AdultChild: Case in point? He tried learning magic.
* ApologizesALot: He even apologizes for apologizing.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Meek and spacy, but a good engineer. Especially when phase coil inverters were involved.
* NotGoodWithPeople: Though he somehow managed to get married and have kids.
* TheTeetotaler: Curzon apparently got him wasted for the first time during his zhian'tara.

!!Emony Dax (Chase Masterson in "Facets")

The Dax Symbiont's third host. A skilled gymnast.

* BeenThereShapedHistory: Met one [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Leonard McCoy]] when judging a gymnastics competition on Earth.
-->'''Emony:''' He had the hands of a surgeon.
* TheMcCoy: Ezri notes that Emony's emotional influence is quite strong after being joined.

!!Audrid Dax (Armin Shimmerman in "Facets")

The Dax Symbiont's fourth host. A politician and a loving mother.

* TeamMom: Although Dax's hosts have a total of nine children (as a mother three times and a father once), Jadzia usually attributes her maternal instincts to Audrid.

!!Torias Dax (Alexander Siddig in "Facets")

The Dax Symbiont's fifth host. A carefree pilot who died in a shuttle accident shortly after being joined.

* AcePilot: Which eventually led to his end.
* {{Badass}}: Experienced soldier and test pilot.
%%* BigEater
* InHarmsWay: He was always looking for a good thrill. He went looking just one too many times.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Torias died less than a year after being joined.

!!Joran Dax (Jeff Magnus [=McBride=], Avery Brooks(In "Facets") Leigh J. [=McCloskey=])

The Dax Symbiont's sixth host. A foul-tempered musician who accidentally wound up with the Dax Symbiont after Torias' death. After Joran killed a few people, the Dax Symbiont was removed from him, resulting in his death. The Dax Symbiont's memories of Joran were subsequently suppressed.

* BlondGuysAreEvil: ''Very'' evil.
* CreepyMonotone: Very fond of speaking in one.
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: The black sheep of the Dax family, so to speak. Unfortunately, he's still floating around inside Dax's genetic makeup, somewhere.
* MadArtist[=/=]WickedCultured: He could have been a great concert pianist, but had latent psychopathic tendencies.
* {{Unperson}}: The Symbiosis Commission did their best to purge his memory. It didn't stick.

!!Curzon Dax (Frank Owen Smith)

The Dax Symbiont's seventh host. An ambassador and ladies man, as well as an old friend of Sisko's.

* {{Ambadassador}}: Presumably; the Klingons never would've respected him otherwise.
* CoolOldGuy: A young Ben Sisko certainly thought so.
* DirtyOldMan: Curzon was a bit of a hedonist in his old age.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Dax is infamous in the Trill Initiate Programme for having broken more initiates than any other Joined Trill. Initiates regard being assigned to Dax as a virtual death sentence that will kiss their chances of Joining goodbye forever. This caused Jadzia no end of problems when it came her turn to mentor, as ''she herself'' was bullied (and washed out of the Initiate Programme) by a Dax (Curzon).
* TheObiWan: To Sisko, whom he's been mentoring since Starfleet Academy if not earlier.
* OutWithABang: Curzon Dax apparently dies of old age in the pilot. Years later, we learn that he was Jamaharoned to death by Vanessa Williams.


!!Verad Dax (John Glover)

A trill who was passed over for receiving the Dax Symbiont, an event that ruined his life. He takes over Deep Space Nine during "Invasive Procedures" so he can take Dax from Jadzia.

* CanonDiscontinuity: Never once mentioned after his only appearance.
* FriendlyEnemy: Takes to addressing Sisko as "Benjamin" just like Jadzia and Curzon.
* GrandTheftMe: Jacks the symbiont so he can be joined.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Once he gets the Dax.

!!Yedrin Dax (Gary Frank)

A host of the Dax Symbiont from the alternate timeline seen in "Children of Time".

* FutureMeScaresMe[=/=]IHatePastMe: Jadzia hates him cause he lied. Yedrin hates Jadzia cause the crash was her fault.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He had years to reflect on how his curiosity got the ''Defiant'' stranded.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He regretted the decision that got them stranded, but he still wanted to save him community.
[[/folder]]
----

Thrill-seeking newcomer who believes he's God's gift to medicine; life on the station would [[BreakTheHaughty shatter that notion]] pretty quickly. Started off alternatively being droolingly infatuated with Dax, painfully green, and generally coming across as [[Series/{{Blackadder}} Lieutenant George]] [[AC:IN SPACE]] (prattling eagerly about frontier medicine gets up the locals' noses). Later his behavior gives way to some [[HiddenDepths dark personal secrets]].

* RomanticRunnerUp: Twice. The first time was to Rom and the second time was to Worf.

->'''Sisko''': Relax, Chief, it's just a computer.\\
'''O'Brien''': THIS IS NO COMPUTER! [[WhatAPieceOfJunk THIS IS MY ARCHENEMY!]]
-->-- "The Forsaken", after the computer's stubborn cautiousness gives O'Brien a particularly hard time....

* AlmightyJanitor: The only reason ''anything'' on [=DS9=] works is because of him.

* LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: Given his record of genius and heroism, you'd expect him to make Master Chief by the end of the series, but he seems to stay an [=SCPO=] for the entire run. (Although it ''is'' possible that might be the top of the Starfleet NCO ranks, we haven't seen enough of them on screen to be sure). He does continually gain responsibilities and duties throughout the series, so there is a career progression of sorts going on.
** But, he is basically the Head of Engineering for one of the Federation's most strategically important space stations, a gig that is usually given to a Commander, and orders around commissioned officers like no one's business. Even if he does not have the ''de jure'' ranks, he obviously has them ''de facto''.
* MrFixit: ''[[{{Pun}} Miles to go]] before he sleeps...'' Well into Season 6, he's ''still'' running himself ragged trying to keep up with his work orders. The only reason all the hodgepodge of Federation and Cardassian technology on [=DS9=] runs anything close to smoothly is because O'Brien's been working on it non-stop from day one. Unfortunately for him, only O'Brien really understands how they work.

* ObnoxiousInLaws: Martok is more agreeable, but his wife Sirella impedes her marriage at every possible turn. This comes to a head during the ceremonial reading of The Chronicle, a history of the family's unbroken (until now, ahem) bloodline. Jadzia starts to WagTheDirector with her own extracurricular research, which includes: a positive spin on an Oliver Cromwell-type figure in Klingon history, the revelation that Sirella's claim to nobility is false, and that her mother-in-law's ancestor was not the Princess but [[SonOfAWhore a concubine who lived out of the royal stables]]. Pwnd.
-->'''Sirella:''' You are STRAYING FROM THE SAGA!

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Terry Farrell decided not to return for the show's seventh season, so they wrote Jadzia out.

* BiTheWay: Ostensibly, the result of being a [[GenderBender gender-bending]] alien. Torias Dax, a man, was married to Nilani Kahn. When Jadzia Dax meets Kahn's new self Lenara, a woman, they fall in love all over again. This led to ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' airing what was (incorrectly) touted to be the first lesbian kiss on network television, between Dax and "his" former wife. ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_kiss_episode It was actually the fifth.]])

* MilesGloriosus: Bashir comes across as a bit of an ass at first, which fits with the viewers' first impressions to the character. Kira seems to barely tolerate him, O’Brien hates the limey on principle (as dyed-in-the-wool Irishmen would), Dax nods at his professions of love in a patronising way, and it’s clear that Sisko isn’t overly fond of his doctor, either. In "Past Prologue", he doesn’t seem alarmed by Bashir’s collision with an ex-Cardassian spy, as if doubting that Bashir could cause any risk to Federation security even if he set his mind to it!

* SatelliteCharacter: Nope, not O'Brien. To ''Garak''. Without his spy intrigue, Bashir wouldn't be included in some of the more interesting arcs (including Section 31).

* TheMedic: Even if it doesn't make any sense for a station doctor to be out in the field.

* CompositeCharacter: Sisko strikes an even keel between Kirk's passion (and [[VerbalTic speech patterns]] and Picard's sophistication.

* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: This [[BerserkButton irritates him]]; it's one of the reasons he doesn't initially care to try out the Rat Pack era casino simulation.
** It was [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructed]] in that same episode when Kasidy offers a different perspective: it's not the way it was, but it is the way it ''should'' have been.

* MrFixit: ''[[{{Pun}} Miles to go]] before he sleeps...'' Well into Season 6, he's ''still'' running himself ragged trying to keep up with his work orders. The only reason all the mixed-up Federation and Cardassian technology on board [=DS9=] runs anything close to smoothly is because he's been working on it non-stop from day one. Unfortunately, this means only O'Brien really understands how they work.

* SugarAndIcePersonality: This is owning to Brooks' nuances as a performer, switching from serene Shatnerese (picked up during his Shakespeare days) to the bulldog ferocity he was known for on ''Spencer For Hire''. He also got plenty of tender moments with Kassidy and his son, as well.

* TheWatchmaker: The only lasting impact of "Dramats Personae" is the addition of an abstract-looking clock in Sisko's Ready Room. The clock (built by Sisko while possessed by a mad alien king) symbolizes the non-linearity of the Prophet's existence and the way they perceive time. It's included in the background of several episodes.

* {{Tsundere}}: This is owning to Brooks' nuances as a performer, switching from serene [[IambicPentameter Shatnerese]] (picked up during his thespian days) to the bulldog ferocity he was known for on ''Spencer For Hire''. He also got plenty of tender moments with Kassidy and his son, as well.