Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Ending Explained (& Why No Reunion 30 Years Later)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ended in 1999 with "What You Leave Behind", the series finale that concluded the third live-action Star Trek show. Shortly after then-Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was assigned to help Bajor join the United Federation of Planets following the Cardassian Occupation, the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole—and its Prophets—set up the simple premise that set DS9 apart from its predecessors. Now open to the Gamma Quadrant, Deep Space Nine became the location of Starfleet's strategic first defense against the Gamma Quadrant's reigning power, the Dominion, and the epicenter of Star Trek's Dominion War.

Leading up to DS9's final season, shifting loyalties and clashing philosophies among Alpha Quadrant powers set the stage for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's conclusion. As the Bajoran Emissary, Captain Sisko's warning to remain neutral kept Bajor from being destroyed in a Dominion invasion. The Klingon Empire and Federation became allies after both were infiltrated by Changeling impostors. Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) sought to redeem himself in the eyes of the Cardassian government by allying Cardassia with the Dominion. Sisko's darkest hour swayed the Romulans against the Dominion, earning another powerful ally for the Federation.

How Captain Sisko & Starfleet Won Star Trek: DS9’s Dominion War

Unexpected Collaboration Between Former Enemies Saved The Alpha Quadrant

Captain Benjamin Sisko and Starfleet secured victory for the Alpha Quadrant in a hard-fought, collaborative effort that concluded in the last episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's nine-part finale. Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Star Empire formed the Federation Alliance, with combined numbers that could finally overcome the Dominion's forces. Sisko's USS Defiant crew led the charge that pushed the surrounded Dominion back to Cardassia Prime. There, Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson) helped Damar's (Casey Biggs) Cardassian Rebellion sabotage the Dominion's Alpha Quadrant stronghold.

Colonel Kira, Garak, and the Rebels eliminated Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) and captured the female Changeling (Salome Jens). With the Dominion's proverbial head cut off, the Jem'Hadar and Breen soldiers serving the Dominion retaliated and killed most of the Cardassian Rebels. The final victory came from Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) offering the Changeling leader the cure to Section 31's morphogenic virus; in exchange for Odo bringing the cure to the Great Link, the female Founder finally surrendered.

Captain Sisko Became A Prophet Of Bajor

"The Sisko Is Of Bajor."

While the Deep Space Nine crew celebrated the Federation Alliance's victory over the Dominion, Captain Sisko was called to fulfill his role as Emissary of the Prophets and become a Prophet of Bajor. In the final spiritual battle of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sisko was the Prophets' representative, and Gul Dukat was chosen by the Bajoran pah-wraiths, after the pah-wraiths rejected Kai Winn Adami's (Louise Fletcher) sacrificial murder of Dukat. Sisko and the Prophets defeated Winn and Dukat, setting Benjamin's next chapter as a Prophet in motion.

Instead of simply whisking Benjamin Sisko away forever, the non-linear Prophets understood that Ben needed to say goodbye to his loved ones. Sisko promised to someday return to his wife, Kasidy Yates-Sisko (Penny Johnson); their unborn son; and Ben's adult son, Jake (Cirroc Lofton). This promise is the closest thing to a cliffhanger in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's otherwise satisfying finale.

What Happened To DS9’s Crew After The Series Ended

Life Went On For Most Of Deep Space Nine's Crew

The end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine signaled a new normal, even for those who stayed on Deep Space Nine after the Alliance's victory. Deep Space Nine continued to be operated by a joint Starfleet and Bajoran militia crew, with Colonel Kira Nerys in command after Sisko's ascension. Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Lieutenant Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) continued serving on the station at the beginning of their new relationship. Quark (Armin Shimerman) opened franchises of Quark's Bar and Grill across the Quadrant, while remaining manager of the original Quark's on DS9.

However, the end of an era meant a change of scenery for more of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's characters than those who stayed behind. Constable Odo brought the cure for Section 31's morphogenic virus to the Founders when he joined the Great Link. Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) moved back to Earth with his family to teach at Starfleet Academy. Grand Nagus Rom (Max Grodénchik) changed Ferengi society as Zek (Wallace Shawn)'s successor, while Lieutenant Nog continued his Starfleet career. Elim Garak returned to Cardassia, now devoid of his enemies, to help rebuild his homeworld.

As a Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Lieutenant Commander Worf's timeline may be the most robust of any DS9 series regular. Worf (Michael Dorn) slayed Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) and earned the right to lead the Klingon Empire, then passed the title to the better-suited General Martok (J.G. Hertzler). Instead, Worf became the Federation's ambassador to the Klingon Empire, Captain of the USS Enterprise-E, and an eventual "subcontractor" for Starfleet Intelligence in Star Trek: Picard.

DS9 Didn’t Get A Movie But It Got A Documentary

What We Left Behind Gave Fans A Look At Making Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine didn't continue with movies after it ended, like Star Trek: The Next Generation did, but DS9's executive producer and showrunner Ira Steven Behr released the documentary What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 2019. The DS9 documentary used archival production footage and new interviews from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's cast and crew to detail the behind-the-scenes difficulties of making Deep Space Nine, like Paramount's pushback on serialization, skepticism about TNG's Worf, and planned character arcs that never took off.

What We Left Behind explained that an HD release of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would be prohibitively expensive because all its CG scenes were originally rendered for standard definition, so they'd need to be recreated from scratch.

What We Left Behind showed how a typical Deep Space Nine story was constructed by following Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers René Echeverria, Ron Moore, Hans Beimler, and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, breaking the hypothetical first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8. In the proposed real-time follow-up to DS9's ending, the surprise return of Captain Benjamin Sisko 20 years later prompts a reunion between DS9's main characters. The story of where everyone is and how they get back to DS9 isn't canon, but it's interesting to see what the writers might have had in mind.

DS9 Characters Returned On Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks Has The Most Canonical DS9 Updates (So Far)

In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing", the USS Cerritos makes Star Trek's first return to the station since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's finale. The visit reveals that Colonel Kira is still in command of DS9 as of 2381, and Quark is (of course) still up to his old Ferengi tricks. New Ferengi tricks, on the other hand, come from Grand Nagus Rom and First Clerk Leeta, in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 6, "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", when the USS Cerritos reviews Ferenginar's potential Federation membership.

Star Trek: Lower Decks' own Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) served on Deep Space Nine sometime during the Dominion War.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 9, "Fissure Quest" finally shows Bashir and Garak as a married couple, although the holographic doctor modeled on Julian Bashir and the version of Elim Garak who joined Starfleet are multiversal variants of the characters from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The oft-discussed but never seen Curzon Dax also makes an appearance, voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

 

Why A DS9 Reunion Like TNG Got On Star Trek: Picard Can’t Happen

Some DS9 Actors Have Sadly Passed Away

Star Trek: Picard season 3 reunited Star Trek: The Next Generation's primary cast, but a similar reunion to recapture the magic of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine hasn't been possible since the 2019 deaths of Rene Auberjonois and Aron Eisenberg. While many living members of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's cast would be available for a reunion, Avery Brooks retired from acting and separated himself from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. But even if a DS9 cast reunion is impossible, modern Star Trek shouldn't keep overlooking Deep Space Nine.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's bold risks ultimately improved the Star Trek franchise. DS9 didn't shy away from critical examinations of religion, politics, and the limits of morality. The broad mix of Federation and alien cultures on the station removed TNG's limiting "no interpersonal conflict" rule, so DS9 could freely dive deep into Star Trek's broader themes of diversity and tolerance. Alien cultures weren't monoliths or stereotypes, but real people to be understood despite their differences. Now more than ever, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is necessary Star Trek, and its ending celebrates the legacy of what it left behind.