DS9 Stories/News: The Federation Leaders In the Dominion War (3)

Cont.

Site: http://dominion.tvheaven.com/fedpers.html

Captain Sisko’s adolescent son nurtures journalistic pretensions which have on occasion been used against the Dominion. A junior member of the Federation news service, Jake was the only Federation journalist to report on the Dominion occupation of DS9/Terok Nor from behind Dominion lines. Jake’s close relationship with his father and lack of moral fiber are believed to make him a prime candidate for subversion by the Dominion. Jake currently resides on DS9.

Chancellor Gowron

Former Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, Gowron managed to win the highly contended title of worst Federation Alliance strategist during his brief time at the helm of the Klingon’s forces. Gowron ascended to the Chancellorship when he was determined to be the lesser of two evils in contest against the late Council Member Durass’s illegitimate, Romulan conspirator, teenage son. Gowron met his ignoble end in single combat with the redoubtable Worf and was succeeded by Martok.

Chancellor Martok

Current Chancellor of the Klingon Empire and one of its less humiliating strategists. Martok’s long experience as a military commander has granted him some small measure of intelligence and he is considered one of the Federation Alliance’s most dangerous leaders. Martok succeeded Gowron as Chancellor when this honor was thrust upon him by the shirking Worf. Martok’s plebian heritage leads many in the Dominion to hope that the Klingon Empire will falter under his guidance. Latest reports place Martok on Quo’nos hunting targ.

Grand Nagus Rom

Criminal mastermind and underworld ring leader aboard DS9, Rom posed for years as the bumbling brother of a small time hustler while maintaining an unassuming post in the Bajoran Militia as a technician (second class). Rom’s true capabilities were revealed during the Dominion occupation of Terok Nor/DS9 when his sabotage of first the station’s graviton emitter and later the entire weapons array allowed the Federation to retake the station. With his true capabilities thus revealed, Rom cast off his cover and rose through the ranks of the Ferengi to be named Grand Nagus. His notoriously pro-Federation sympathies could mean an end to Ferengi neutrality in the Alpha Quadrant War.

Lieutenant Nog

Starfleet officer and son of the criminal mastermind, Grand Nagus Rom, this young officer has shot through the ranks of Starfleet in only a handful of years, no doubt due to the extensive connections held by his father. Nog currently serves aboard DS9 and the USS Defiant under Captain Sisko. Nog is unfailingly loyal to Sisko due to Sisko’s part in facilitating Nog’s appointment to Starfleet academy and his long standing friendship with Sisko’s son, Jake. His relationships with both Rom and Sisko indicate that Nog may one day grow to be a formidable adversary for the Dominion.

Quark

The small time hustler brother of Grand Nagus Rom, Quark, though possessing the typical Ferengi drive for profit, has been tamed by extensive contact with Federation personnel. His involvement with Major Kira’s terrorist cell during the Dominion occupation of DS9/Terok Nor indicates his lack of love for the Dominion, though his limited talents make him of little threat. Quark is considered most significant only in the extent to which he can be used to reach his brother.

Colonel Kira Nerys

Second in command of DS9 and believed to be a key agitator in inciting the Cardassian riots against the Dominion on Cardassia Prime, Kira has a long history in participating in terrorist actions, beginning with her part in the Bajoran Resistance which rid Bajor of the Cardassians during the Cardassian occupation of that world. Kira is considered dangerous and unpredictable, entirely lacking in moral fiber, and may be the real force behind the occasionally clever tactics employed by the crew of DS9. Unconfirmed reports place Kira near the Great Link following the Dominion’s strategic withdrawal from Cardassia Prime.

Kai Winn

Spiritual leader of the Bajoran people, Kai Winn ascended to this position following the loss of the beloved Kai Opaka in the Gamma Quadrant. Throughout her tenure as kai, Winn maintained a cordial relationship with the Dominion, the warmth of which was tempered only by her unfailing desire to protect her homeland. During the twilight of her reign as kai, Winn fell in with the unscrupulous Legate Dukat who led her to embrace the pah wraiths in an attempt to facilitate the restoration of Bajor. This unfortunate move resulted in Kai Winn’s death at the hands of Dukat in Bajor’s notorious fire caves.

DS9 Stories/News: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Crossroads of Time (Genesis/Mega Drive) (2)

Right, awesome, can I go there now? Fantastic!

ONE TRIP ALL THE WAY DOWN BACK TO THE DOOR LATER.

Finally I’m allowed inside the docking pylon to find out who’s going around beating up my technicians. Doesn’t look like this guy will be needing this gun any more, so I’ll hold onto it for now.

The SNES version looks pretty similar, though it seems to have been entirely redrawn. The lead designer actually apologised for this version saying it’s “a very poor port”, but to be honest it seems more or less the same so far to me.

This lift’s broken, but Sisko can climb up ledges like he’s the Prince of Persia, so getting to the top wasn’t a struggle. I wouldn’t want see what happens if he falls though.

Hang on, what’s this? This guy’s acting very suspiciously. I think I’m going to have to go over and have a word.

Son of a biiiiiiiiiitch…

EVENTUALLY.

Okay, I had to climb back up a few times, but eventually I was able to subdue the perp and confiscate his timed explosive. With seconds left on the clock I flush it down the convenient ‘emergency ejection tube’ on the wall next to me.

The bad news is, all those other green dots showing up on my radar are bombs too, and the timer’s running.

Hah, I was ready for you this time.

These guys are a pain in the ass, but easy to take down if I’ve got my phaser equipped and I’m paying attention. The trouble is that half the time I’m not paying attention, I’m looking at my radar trying to find the next bomb.

Awesome. I can finally relax for a minute and listen to this semi-decent password screen music. Sadly SNES players don’t get any password music.

And I’m back in the game. This time those sneaky enemies have hidden the grenades, so I have to switch to my tricorder to sweep the area and make them appear as orange diamonds. Actually screw that, I think I’ll be fine just going off the green dots on the radar.

The trouble is that whenever I pick up a bomb I get mere seconds to flush it, and the ejection tubes don’t have any radar dots

Using the computer terminals brings up a map of the level, and holy shit it is big. A giant maze of lift shafts and dead ends, and this isn’t even all of it. The map scrolls.

Those purple things are the ejection tubes I’ll have to run to each time I find a bomb. There’s no way I’m going to remember where they are though.

DS9 Stories/News: Birthday Alert – Felecia M. Bell 12:06

It’s Felecia M. Bell’s Birthday

Felecia M. Bell (born June 12, 1960) is an actress best known for her roles in Days of our Lives and General Hospital, as well as her portrayal of Jennifer Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also starred as Jessica Rodgers, owner of the House of Soul, in the Sci-Fi television series Nightman.

Bell has also guest starred in Hunter (with Barry Jenner), Night Man, ER, JAG (with J. Patrick McCormack and Eric Pierpoint), Smallville (with John Glover), Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Jennifer Sisko was the first wife of Starfleet Captain Benjamin Sisko. The two met on Gilgo Beach in 2354 and were married soon after. Later that year, Jennifer and Benjamin attended the Mazurka Festival on New Berlin with Cal and Gretchen Hudson. (DS9: “Emissary“, “The Maquis, Part I“)

Courtesy of Memory Alpha.org

Jennifer and Benjamin planned to have a child and their son Jake was born in 2355. (DS9: “Explorers“, “Move Along Home“, “Fascination“)

Jennifer and Jake accompanied Ben on his assignment to the USS Saratoga, where she was killed when that ship was destroyed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367. Jennifer’s death devastated Ben and it would be years before he began to move on emotionally. In fact, his bitterness and anger over her death, specifically toward Captain Jean-Luc Picard, whom the Borg assimilated and forced to lead their invasion of Earth as Locutus, almost led him to resign his Starfleet commission, before he accepted that he was trying to escape his memories of Jennifer’s death rather than Starfleet itself. (DS9: “Emissary“, “The Way of the Warrior“)

Jennifer

DS9 Stories/News: Some ‘Deep’ Talk with Alexander Siddig (1)

Source: http://www.ugo.com/movies/alexander-siddig-interview

We chat with one of Sci-Fi’s greatest doctors about DS9 and his new indie hit Cairo Time.

By Jordan Hoffman May 6, 2010

On Being Bashir:

Jordan Hoffman: Before we talk about your new indie Cairo Time, let’s talk about the greatest television series in the history of time, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It’ll always be the greatest and, for better or worse, no matter where you go we will always love Dr. Bashir and his adventures. The show has been off the air for -

Alexander Siddig: A decade.

Jordan Hoffman: Over a decade.

Alexander Siddig: Yeah, a decade and then some.

Jordan Hoffman: I’m just curious to know, now that you’ve got a lot of time behind it, what it’s like if you’re flipping channels or somebody calls you Dr. Bashir on the street?

Alexander Siddig: You know, I got over the whole cool stage of trying to pretend I hadn’t anything to do with it and acting like ‘sci-fi sucks,’ which I immediately went to when I finished the show. Because I was blasé, I needed to distance myself from it to get a career going. But I grew up there; literally from my mid-twenties to my early thirties and it’s home. And I still do, anytime there’s a show that reminds me of it, in structure – I’m doing a fantasy show right now with dinosaurs only because it’s a similar kind of thing, because it’s relaxed so I’m doing two seasons worth of being sort of one of their guys on one of their shows.

Jordan Hoffman: This is Primeval, yes?

Alexander Siddig: Yes, and kids – my son who’s thirteen; everybody actually loves it – it’s a family show but my son who’s thirteen just made a ton of friends at school because I’m doing that show. And I will always have a soft spot, as long as I live, for doing crazy, geeky sci-fi shows. And I hope to goodness that people keep offering me them because I love them.

Changing the DNA:

Jordan Hoffman:  I’m curious, was there ever one episode where you got the script and were just like, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”

Alexander Siddig: Yeah, there was an episode where they gave me a genetic modification. (Dr. Bashir, I Presume Season 5, Episode 16)

Jordan Hoffman: Oh, well that wasn’t an episode that was a major change in your character!

Alexander Siddig: But it arrived, I didn’t know about it on Tuesday, and on Thursday the script arrived – we started shooting on Friday. I was so shocked. You know you get the impression that maybe the producers sit down and talk about strategies and character arcs with actors but this thing came out of the blue and pissed me off so royally. It was a reaction to the fact that the character was genuinely unpopular in the early days. Because he was not fancy; I mean this is a time where 90210 was at the top of the charts in American TV and this guy was so not the hunk, he was the anti-hunk. He was the -

Jordan Hoffman: He was a man of science! That’s what he was!

Alexander Siddig: He was a man of science; he was like half good looking, rubbish at pulling girls. I mean it was all the wrong kind of archetypes. And so they kept trying to do things to make it happen. Eventually they did the Bond thing (reference to Our Man Bashir) – they did the Bond thing before that actually. And that kicked it off. I have to say that I’m still pretty angry. Well, not angry . . .

Jordan Hoffman: You have a craft, and you fill out a back-story of the character and you work at it for three years, four years and one day they walk in and say “guess what, you have this secret you’ve been keeping from everybody”.

Alexander Siddig: Exactly. And everything you’ve done could have been completely different had I known.

Jordan Hoffman: So did you go to the producers and voice your displeasure or just roll with it?

Alexander Siddig: I did it the only way that an actor can.  I completely destroyed the lines that they gave me regarding the situation. Every time something came up that was to do with being kind of Data-esque – I mean, I couldn’t get away from the fact – I thought I was being a Data, which is what they wanted to do, they wanted to switch the characters from all the shows, which they ended up doing with Voyager -

Jordan Hoffman: Which may have been a problem for that show. . .

Alexander Siddig: Well, it was a bit cynical at the end of the day. But I just fluffed the lines; well I didn’t fluff them completely I literally pinned the lines on the back of someone’s shoulder once, reading them. I wasn’t bothered even to learn them. I just pinned them around the office as if they were lines needed for daily modification. And they got the message and dropped it kind of.

Jordan Hoffman: Okay, so maybe they scaled that story arc back a little bit?

Alexander Siddig: They did.

DS9 Stories/News: Boss Chicks: Kasidy Yates

Source: http://www.amaya-radjani.com/2011/10/boss-chicks-kasidy-yates.html

Kasidy Yates is the captain of the freighter Xhosa.  She is played by Penny Johnson (a woman whose lips I’d murder to have), and she is a strong, practical woman who plays Captain Benjamin Sisko’s love interest.  Jake Sisko, Benjamin’s colorful son, plays matchmaker and hooked them up. At first it seems like there is nothing between the two, until Kasidy expresses a love for baseball, which is Captain Sisko’s favorite game.  They hit it off and start a serious relationship.

Kasidy is a smuggler for the Maquis, an enemy of the Federation and Starfleet.  Clearly, she had her reasons for being a collaborator, and when she had to go to jail, she did so willingly and alone so that her crew could be protected.  It is never revealed why she chose to collaborate with the Maquis.  In fact, other than a few minor details, nothing is known about this beautiful, strong woman who becomes Captain Sisko’s wife.  It’s a complete injustice, as Kasidy is a very interesting character.  I’ve always wanted to know how she became a freighter captain, the relationship she had with her crew, some of their adventures, and details about her year in prison.

You already know my feelings about DS9’s wardrobe.  They attired Kasidy in some of the ugliest, most hideous, velveteen uniforms I’ve ever seen.  I felt like Penny should have argued with the costume department and fought tooth and nail for a decent uni.  Also, her hairstyles left a lot to be desired.  Somebody should have been punched in the face for that mess.  The only time she looks decent is when she sports a beautiful teal dress and her purple robe.

One of the writers, in a case of epic failure, thought that it would be good for the Captain to knock up his wife at the end of the series, give her a bullshit ass first trimester, and then forget that she was pregnant.  I scoffed at this, because Kasidy never struck me as the housewifely type.  She didn’t cook, wasn’t a homemaker, and showed little interest in having children.  She loved her job and she fought for it when her husband decided to get up to some tomfoolery and convince her superiors to give her paid leave to keep her out of the shipping lanes during the Dominion War.  She dispensed with that shit quick, fast, and in a hurry.

Ankhesen said that Kasidy actually quit her job when she got pregnant, and had to take care of Jake after her husband went to be with the Prophets.  I call shenanigans on that bullshit as well.  The Kasidy that first appeared in Season 3 would not have done anything like that.  And Jake was an adult, so I know she wouldn’t have taken care of his grown ass.  But still, I liked the character, especially since she was the only black woman seen with any regularity on the show.  She had brains, style (in spite of her hideous wardrobe), grace, athletic ability, and guts.  Therefore, this makes her worthy of Boss Chick status.

Kasidy Yates with Tholian Silk