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Top Ten Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Characters

Deep Space Nine is a very political SF show that is also inherently character-driven, thus its main characters are all superbly developed and each got a plethora of amazing arcs and storylines. Their interpersonal dynamics were excellent and so were the characters individually. Without further ado, here is my list of the best DS9 characters.

10. Winn Adami

This Bajoran prophet became genuinely evil near the end of the show with her romance/alliance with Dukat being a lot of fun to follow. The Bajorans and their religion were superbly explored throughout and she is the best example of that. She never became too over-the-top, but is rather one of the many powerful women in this female-centric show.

9. Quark

Quark really grew on me, I have to admit. At first, I found him annoying and I even hated him for how silly and one-note he was in his greed. Still, as the show progressed, his storylines became increasingly more ridiculous and thus more entertaining (the cross-dressing one was hilarious). He also became a better person at the end of the day, at least for a little bit.

8. Worf

Worf was better and more important in The Next Generation, there is no doubt about it. But he was a good addition to DS9 as well given that his romance with Jadzia was quite memorable and so was his eventual tumultuous relationship with the new Dax. He is very good here, but I continue to find the Klingons overrated.

7. Dax

I am talking about the original Dax in the show here, not Ezri as, though solid, she did not have much time to fully develop. Jadzia was a very strong female character, her Trill form was really well explored within many storylines and she was genuinely badass throughout. Her death was abrupt, but definitely impactful.

6. O’Brien

O’Brien is this lovable goofball of a supporting character, a sidekick in a way. He got many thriller/suspense episodes that were mostly very fun to watch, but it is his friendship/bromance with Julian that remains one of the most moving parts of this show. They were so much fun together.

5. Bashir

Speaking of Dr. Bashir, I also really liked him. Both grew on me as they were a bit boring at first, but eventually their dynamic became much more interesting, and individually also they became better developed. Bashir was particularly interesting in the area of genetic modifications as that backstory of his was so well explored and quite complex.

4. Sisko

Although he became too much of a God at the end of the series, I was still quite interested in his religious awakenings and his dilemmas in that regard. He is a very different kind of captain for Star Trek, quite unlike Picard and for good measure. He is competent, but also quite goofy and silly at times and a genuinely well developed, human character, which was important.

3. Dukat

I liked Garak quite a bit and all of the other major Cardassians on the show, but it is Dukat who remains the most important of them all. He is pure evil, the only truly vile, despicable person on the entire series. Following his rise was hugely entertaining and his backstory and every single action throughout all seasons was so horrible and conniving that it made for great television.

2. Odo

It is impossible not to love this Changeling. Following his turn into a more human, emotional person was very rewarding and of course his romance with Kira remains the finest romantic relationship ever depicted on Star Trek. It was beautiful. Individually speaking, his struggles with his identity and his relations with other Changelings was superbly explored. He is such a complex, wonderfully realized character.

1. Kira

And the number one just had to be Kira. This show has many great female characters, but she is clearly the best of the bunch and the greatest overall. Her romance with Odo was heartwarming, she was badass and competent throughout all of the seasons, and her overall arc was stupendous. Following her grappling with her tragic past and her responsibility to her own people was very rich, emotional, dramatic and politically complex. And the actress herself is the best on the show by far.

Honorable Mentions:

Female Changeling  – Another powerful female character, this villain was genuinely intriguing and she pulled all the strings within the Dominion, making her quite badass.

Weyoun – Although he became overly slavish toward Female Changeling, it was still chilling hearing his calm, cold voice and how determined in his quest he was.

Rom and Nog – Both of these are very different from Quark and all the Ferengi out there, so following that fun dynamic was quite a source of goofy entertainment.