What Happened To The Cast Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine After The Show Ended

Few "Star Trek" captains shoulder the kind of responsibility borne by Benjamin Sisko, who Avery Brooks played for all seven seasons of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Along with the usual duties of keeping his crew safe, Sisko is charged with nudging Bajor toward the Federation, unintentionally becoming a religious figure, and waging a war against the Dominion, all while raising his son alone.

When Brooks joined the faculty of Rutgers' Mason Gross School of the Arts, it was widely believed his departure from professional acting was a willing one. In a 2020 interview on Orville Nation, however, Brooks' co-star Cirroc Lofton suggested Brooks was blacklisted in Hollywood even before "Deep Space Nine." He said showrunner Ira Steven Behr was warned against hiring Brooks for "Deep Space Nine" by "other producers" — advice Behr thankfully ignored. Lofton didn't say why Brooks was reportedly blacklisted, but did say he thought his TV father was "being discriminated against" and suggested at least part of the motivation was racial. 

Regardless, Brooks hasn't left acting behind entirely. Among other things, he starred as a detective in the 2001 crime thriller "15 Minutes." He's also done voice work for audiobooks as well as narrating documentaries for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

One of the many things that distinguishes "Deep Space Nine" from other "Star Trek" series is the relationship between Ben Sisko and his son Jake, the latter played by Cirroc Lofton. While his father bears the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders, Jake forges a friendship with the Ferengi Nog, navigates the dating world, and discovers his passion — writing. 

Lofton continued to act, though his acting credits grew more sparse the more time that passed from the end of "Deep Space Nine." His first role after "Trek" was as Curtis Thorpe on the Showtime drama "The Hoop Life," but in more recent years he's taken smaller roles, including as a security guard on two episodes of "Days of Our Lives." 

Lofton's switched focus to other endeavors. For example, in 2010 he opened Cafe Cirroc in Culver City, California, though it's since closed. More recently, in 2019, Lofton helped launch the Star Trek podcast "The 7th Rule" with his late friend and co-star Aron Eisenberg.

Originally appearing in the recurring role of Miles O'Brien on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Colm Meaney graduated to series regular on "Deep Space Nine" as the station's tireless, overworked chief of operations. Among other things, O'Brien is known for enduring more creative narrative torture than just about any character on the show — including being subjected to the virtual memories of a decades-long prison sentence, having teeth ripped out by Cardassians, and even dying from radiation exposure and being replaced by a future version of himself.

While O'Brien may not have always been the luckiest of souls, Meaney found great fortune before and after "Deep Space Nine." Before playing DS9's chief of operations, he landed smaller roles in popular movies like "Dances with Wolves" and "Under Siege." He's kept busy since the end of the "Deep Space Nine" with a variety of projects that includes playing an Irish gangster in 2004's "Layer Cake" and Thomas "Doc" Durant in the AMC Western "Hell on Wheels." 

In March 2021, Meaney told Looper that while no one's talked to him about reprising the role Miles O'Brien for "Star Trek: Picard," that he'd be willing to do it with the proviso there would need to be "a good and valid reason for him to pop up." 

In many ways, the Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman) is at the very center of what sets "Deep Space Nine" apart from other "Trek" series. Quark doesn't share the Federation's high-minded ideals, and his criminal schemes tend to make bad situations worse on DS9. Still, Quark is no villain. Either out of pure self-preservation or emotional attachments to which he won't admit, Quark often finds himself on the good guys' side, including briefly taking up arms against the Dominion in Seasons 6 and 7.

Along with various live-action work, Shimerman's built a thriving voice acting career since closing his bar on DS9 for good. Fans of animation have heard him on "The Tick" and "Regular Show," among others. If you're a gamer there's a good chance you've heard his voice in "World of Warcraft" or as the villain Andrew Ryan in "BioShock." Shimerman's also a professional author. Most notably he's written a book series called "The Merchant Prince" in which Shimerman and various co-authors use science fiction to reimagine the real-life Elizabethan figure John Dee.

Beginning with the Season 4 premiere "The Way of the Warrior," Worf (Michael Dorn) from "The Next Generation" joins his fellow Starfleet officers on DS9. Used to a much more ordered and predictable environment, Worf at first has trouble adjusting to the station, but soon becomes an integral part of the crew.

Dorn continued to play Worf in "TNG" films, including in the final installment of the series, 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis." Starting with the second film, Dorn became a regular fixture in the "Santa Clause" movies and landed the recurring role of a psychiatrist in the crime dramedy series "Castle." 

In January 2021, Dorn told Horror Geek Life that he was campaigning for either a solo Worf TV series or film and in April 2021, he cryptically tweeted that he was "summoned back to action. Starfleet calls." It was later confirmed, however, that Dorn wouldn't be playing Worf for any upcoming Paramount+ TV show or a film, leaving fans dismayed when it turned out he was referring to a video game.  

As demonstrated in the 2018 documentary "What We Left Behind," plenty of "Deep Space Nine" fans name the enigmatic Garak as their favorite character from the series. The Cardassian is a spy exiled from his homeworld for reasons he consistently lies about. While he often works alongside the crew of DS9, it's never a guarantee, and to the end of the series his past remains shrouded in mystery.

One of the first things Robinson did after the end of "Deep Space Nine" was to give fans Garak's life story. In 2000, his novel "A Stitch in Time" was released. Created from notes Robinson made while playing Garak, "A Stitch in Time" gives us Robinson's version of the Cardassian's history.  Much of his acting work after "DS9" came in one-offs and recurring roles on TV series, though he has had the opportunity to return to the role of Garak in interesting ways. In particular, Garak is much of the focus of the non-canonical remote series "Alone Together: A DS9 Companion" that Robinson made alongside other "DS9" alums.

"Deep Space Nine" has the honor of being the home of Star Trek's greatest villain – Gul Dukat, played by Marc Alaimo. Beginning as your average power-hungry Cardassian and eventually becoming a DS9 frenemy, a warlord, a madman, and eventually a vessel for the evil gods known as the Pah-wraiths, Dukat displays more growth and change over the course of "Deep Space Nine" than any antagonist in the franchise.

Some interesting and potentially revealing moments in the 2018 documentary "What We Left Behind" suggest that life may have imitated art when it came to Alaimo's relations with the rest of the crew. In the documentary, Nana Visitor recalls being mortified at the suggestion that the writers might create a romance between her character and Dukat while, like his character, Alaimo admits to being attracted to Visitor.  

While it's been some time since Alaimo has earned any acting credits, he did make a very interesting appearance in 2020. While the principal photography was completed in 1983, it took 37 years for the horror flick "Grizzly II: Revenge" to finally be released, in which Alaimo not only co-stars with Louise Fletcher — who would go on to play both Alaimo's enemy and lover in "Deep Space Nine" — but with a star-studded cast that includes Charlie Sheen, Laura Dern, and George Clooney.

Terry Farrell's departure from "Deep Space Nine" marked the tragic end of Jadzia's story, but not the end of her symbiote Dax. In the final moments of the Season 7 premiere, Nicole de Boer reveals herself to the Siskos as Ezri — the newest host of the Dax symbiote. Less confident than Jadzia and more socially awkward, Ezri Dax gives the series an interesting new chemistry in its twilight season.

De Boer is Canadian, and much of her post-"Trek" work has been in joint American-Canadian productions such as her first big TV role after leaving "Deep Space Nine" — as Sarah Bracknell Bannerman, the female lead of USA's "The Dead Zone." Starting in 2010, she landed a recurring role on another Stephen King adaptation. She plays the antique store owner Marion Caldwell in the supernatural series "Haven," based on King's 2005 novel "The Colorado Kid." More recently on the Canadian crime drama "Private Eyes," De Boer plays the ex-wife of Jason Priestly's investigator lead.

If you want to make a "Deep Space Nine" fan growl, say the name "Kai Winn" within earshot. Best known for her Oscar-winning performance as Nurse Ratched in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Louise Fletcher evokes similar reactions from "Trek" fans as Winn Adami. Winn is a power-hungry religious fanatic who reeks of passive aggression in almost every scene. 

Speaking to StarTrek.com in 2012, Fletcher said she wasn't much of a Trek fan before joining the cast of "Deep Space Nine," but she treasured the experience of playing Kai Winn. She said the show was blessed with "the most professional cast and crew imaginable," and that working with them "was like playing a symphony for the 99th time."

Fletcher continued to appear in TV and films regularly after "Deep Space Nine." Among other productions, she landed recurring roles on "ER" and "Heroes," as well as playing the main character's mother on Showtime's "Shameless." 

Ben Sisko doesn't have a lot of romantic storylines in "Deep Space Nine," though that changes in Season 3's "Family Business" when his son Jake plays matchmaker and sets him up with the freighter captain Kassidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald). They seem like the perfect match right away, and their relationship miraculously survives the reveal toward the end of Season 4 that Yates is working with the rebellious Maquis. In the final season, Ben and Kassidy are married in spite of warnings from the Prophets, though their wedded bliss ends in the series finale when Sisko is called home to live among the godlike aliens. 

Jerald has enjoyed a rich and diverse acting career since the end of "Deep Space Nine." She's President Palmer's ex-wife Sherry in "24," precinct captain Victoria Gates in "Castle," and the Director of National Intelligence in "The 4400." She also got the chance to graduate from Captain Sisko's love interest to the ship's doctor as Claire Finn on Seth MacFarlane's love letter to "Star Trek," "The Orville."

When Miles O'Brien accepts his new position on DS9, he's joined by his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao), who never seems to find a place for herself. She eventually accepts a research job that keeps her away from the station for months at a time, but things change when she finds herself pregnant with a second child. 

For all seven seasons of "Deep Space Nine," Chao only appears in 19 episodes as Keiko O'Brien, though according to the actor, she could have had a lot more time onscreen if she'd wanted. In 1996, she told the Chicago Tribune she was originally offered a regular role on the series but preferred the option of a recurring role, which freed up her schedule to pursue outside opportunities.

Chao's work in film and TV has kept her very busy since "Deep Space Nine," including appearing in the 2001 drama "I Am Sam," as Dr. Kim on "The O.C.," and as Hua Li, the titular hero's mother in the live-action remake of Disney's "Mulan." 

In Season 4's "Homefront," we're introduced to a new Sisko — Ben's father Joseph, played by Brock Peters. A chef and New Orleans restaurant owner, Joseph is stubborn, charismatic, and fiercely protective of his grandson Jake. While he only appears in six episodes, Peters' time as Joseph Sisko is unforgettable. "Deep Space Nine" wasn't Peters' first time in the "Trek" franchise, either. In 1986's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," Peters plays Admiral Cartwright — a high-ranking Starfleet officer who eventually turns traitor. 

Peters enjoyed a long acting career before "Deep Space Nine." He plays the wrongly convicted Tom Robinson in 1962's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Chief Hatcher in the classic 1973 dystopian thriller "Soylent Green." 

Unfortunately, Peters passed away from pancreatic cancer in August 2005 at the age of 78. Much of his acting between "Deep Space Nine" and his death was voice work, including voicing the police officer Jomo in the 2002 animated film "The Wild Thornberrys" and playing the Klingon General Mi'Qogh in a video game from the same year, "Star Trek: Starfleet Command III."