Deep Space Nine (space station)

Deep Space Nine (DS9; also known as Terok Nor) is a fictitious space station, and is the eponymous primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It serves as a base for the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran wormhole, and is a hub of trade and travel for the sector's denizens.^[1] It is run by a joint crew of Starfleet and Bajoran officers, and it is the home port of a number of Starfleet runabouts, as well as the starship USS Defiant.^[2]

Description

Deep Space Nine, over a kilometer in diameter, is composed of a broad outer docking ring; an inner habitat ring containing residential apartments; and a central core containing the promenade, the fusion reactors, and the operations center, known as "Ops". Three sets of docking pylons sweep up and down equidistantly around the docking ring, defining an almost spherical shape. It is of identical design to another Cardassian station, Empok Nor.^[3] Originally situated in orbit of Bajor, the station was moved in the series' pilot episode to a position at the mouth of the newly discovered wormhole, where it would remain throughout the remainder of the series. This made the station three^{[4] [5]} hours away from Bajor by shuttle as described in two episodes, though it was mentioned as being five hours away in another episode,^[6] (presumably as Bajor was in far orbit of its sun relative to DS9's position). However, it would appear that the journey could be completed in a much shorter length of time if necessary by engaging warp drive within the Bajoran star system.^[7]

Facilities

The promenade is the main public thoroughfare in which visitors and residents congregate, and on which can be found Quark's Bar (the crew's most frequently-seen off-hours location), which also includes holosuites, the infirmary, the replimat (a self-service replicator eatery), a Bajoran temple, Elim Garak's clothing shop, chief of security Odo's office, a Klingon restaurant, a mineral assay office, a candy kiosk, and, for a brief time during the first season, Keiko O'Brien's classroom.^[8] There are normally about 300 permanent residents of the station, though the station can accommodate up to 7,000.^[9]

Station history

Originally a Cardassian mining and refinery station named "Terok Nor" in orbit around Bajor, it was built by slave Bajoran labor under Cardassian rule in 2351.^[10] The station was commanded by Gul Dukat, the last Cardassian prefect of Bajor. It was abandoned toward the end of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor in 2369; the Cardassians removed anything of value on their way out.

In 2369, the Bajorans assumed control of the station. The Bajoran provisional government requested the assistance of the United Federation of Planets, who renamed it Deep Space Nine (DS9) and placed Commander Benjamin Sisko in command. Despite the Federation presence, the station remains subject to Bajoran law. Shortly after Sisko assumed command, his crew discovered the Bajoran wormhole. The station was moved to the mouth of the wormhole to secure Bajor's claim to it, after which the station assumed great commercial, scientific and strategic importance.^[1]

After the encounter with the Dominion in 2370, in which the Galaxy-class USS Odyssey was destroyed by just three Dominion vessels and owing to other threats, it became obvious that the station's existing occupation-era weapons would be insufficient in defending the station. Using surplus and recycled parts along with some new parts, the station's weapons and defensive systems were heavily upgraded. The upgrade included the installation of multiple rotary torpedo launchers on the docking pylons and weapons sail towers, stowable phaser banks that retract into former runabout maintenance bays when not in use and improved shields that extend 300 meters around the station. The total torpedo inventory was increased to 5000.^[11][12]

These upgrades were first used against the Klingons in their offensive against Cardassia in early 2372. At the beginning of the Dominion War in late 2373, the station was temporarily lost to the Dominion.^[13] In early 2374, Federation and Klingon forces retook it after the Battle of Bajor.^[14]

Aside from a failed Bajoran military coup, the Dominion's occupation, and a brief leave of absence from late 2374 to early 2375, Sisko, promoted to captain in 2371, remained in command of Deep Space Nine. In late 2375, at the end of the Dominion War, Colonel Kira Nerys assumed command.^[15]

Expanded universe novels

In the continuing story novels, DS9 was forced to jettison its power core due to the actions of rebel Jem'Hadar. As one of his first actions as chief of operations of the station, Nog had Empok Nor towed to the station's location, and used its power core as a replacement. The remainder of Empok Nor was broken down for scrap and spare parts.

Later, DS9 would host Bajor's formal acceptance into the Federation. With the station now under Federation law, Quark almost closed down his bar, but remained open after Rom arranged to have it designated as the Ferengi embassy to Bajor, placing it under the jurisdiction of Ferenginar.^[16]

In the year 2383, DS9 – while under the command of Captain Ro Laren – was destroyed by a fleet of vessels belonging to the Typhon Pact. In honor of the station, and the Bajoran people, Starfleet Command and the Federation Council agreed to build a new station in the Bajoran system and name it Deep Space Nine.^[17]

Crew and inhabitants

Command crew

• Commander/Captain Benjamin Sisko, commanding officer
• Major/Colonel Kira Nerys, first officer
• Constable Odo, chief security officer
• Lt. Commander Worf, strategic operations officer/Starfleet First Officer (2372–2375)
• Doctor Julian Bashir, chief medical officer
• Lieutenant/Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax, science officer (2369–2374)
• Lieutenant junior grade Ezri Dax, station counselor (2375)
• Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien, Chief Operations Officer (engineer) (2369–2375)

Other crew

• General Martok, Klingon attache (2373–2375)
• Cadet/Ensign/Lieutenant Nog, engineer (2373–2375)

Notable civilian residents

• Quark, businessman and promenade bar owner
• Jake Sisko, writer and journalist
• Elim Garak, tailor and former Obsidian Order operative
• Keiko O'Brien, schoolteacher and botanist
• Morn, thirsty alien and Quark's best customer

Mirror Universe

"Terok Nor" is also a space station in the Mirror Universe, built under the authority of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance in orbit of Bajor (because the wormhole is unknown there). In 2370, the station is the command post for the Alliance authority throughout the Bajoran sector, under the command of Intendant Kira Nerys. The station also serves as a processing center for uridium ore mined from Bajor; the processing facilities are manned by Terran slaves.^[18]

In 2372, the Terran Rebellion wrests control of the station away from the Alliance. The Alliance, determined to recapture the station, sends a fleet under Regent Worf to fight the rebels. The rebels are able to build their own Defiant, based on schematics for the Defiant in the primary universe, and they use it to defeat the Alliance fleet. Terok Nor remains a base of operations for the Terran Rebellion for at least the next three years.^[19]

Design

The station model was principally designed by Herman Zimmerman and Rick Sternbach. Ricardo Delgado, Joseph Hodges, Nathan Crowley, Jim Martin, Rob Legato, Gary Hutzel, Michael Okuda, and executive producer Rick Berman also contributed to the design. The miniature was fabricated by Tony Meininger.^[20]

At a 2006 auction held by the New York City branch of Christie's of London, the original 6' diameter "hero model" of Deep Space 9 went for US$110,000.^[21]

References

External links

• Deep Space 9 at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Mirror Universe Terok Nor at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)