Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3, Episode 6 - "Hear All, Trust Nothing"The USS Cerritos docking at Deep Space Nine in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3, episode 6, is a long-awaited event that finally gave longtime Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans an update on the space station formerly commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) was assigned to open trade negotiations with the Karemma from the Gamma Quadrant, which meant Freeman and the Cerritos' Lower Deckers got to spend time on Deep Space Nine.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ran for 7 seasons in the 1990s, and it pioneered the serialized storytelling enjoyed by Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard today. Darker and more complex than Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 boasted the deepest, most varied, and fascinating company of supporting characters to compliment Captain Sisko and the main cast. The last few seasons of DS9 also comprised the groundbreaking Dominion War storyline, a landmark conflict where the United Federation of Planets, the Klingons, and their allies barely fended off the conquest of the Alpha Quadrant by the Dominion from the Gamma Quadrant. At the end of DS9, Sisko, who was also part-Prophet and one of Bajor's gods, became a non-linear being and took his place in the wormhole, AKA the Celestial Temple.
Beyond the occasional Easter egg or fleeting reference, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's characters haven't gotten the same vaunted returns to the franchise as the TNG or Star Trek: Voyager casts have. This is why Star Trek: Lower Decks' DS9 episode is such an event. Lower Decks season 1 showed a flashback of Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) drinking on the station, but the Cerritos arriving at DS9 finally delivered a sight for sore eyes and allowed fans to catch up with just a few familiar faces. Here's what we found out from Lower Decks' visit to DS9.
The State Of DS9 After The Dominion War
The Dominion War concluded in 2375 and Star Trek: Lower Decks season 3 happens sometime around 2381. In the 6 years since the war ended, Deep Space Nine has enjoyed a period of peace. After the Dominion's defeat, ships are still allowed to travel to and from the Gamma Quadrant via the Wormhole. The station itself is back to its pre-Dominion War times, with a Bajoran and Starfleet presence, and a bustling Promenade full of shops and restaurants servicing every type of alien species in the galaxy.
Kira Is Still Running DS9 (And She Knows Lt. Shax)
Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is still the commander of Deep Space Nine and has held the post ever since Captain Sisko became one with the Prophets. Her time as a rebel fighting the Cardassian Occupation long behind her, Kira has settled into her role as station commander. Notably, Sisko's beloved baseball keeps its spot of honor on Kira's desk. Unsurprisingly, Kira also knows Lt. Shax (Fred Tatasciore), the Cerritos' Security Chief, because they fought together (and apparently each other) during the Occupation. Colonel Kira seems comfortable in her administrative role in spite of the regular bouts of chaos that flare up on the station.
Quark Is More Successful Than Ever
Quark (Armin Shimerman) is still running his bar on the Promenade. Quark's brother, Rom (Max Grodénchik) became the Ferengi Grand Nagus at the end of DS9, but Quark has become a successful and profitable entrepreneur. Thanks to his Quark 2000 replicator, the popularity of Quark's Synthehol drinks have allowed him to franchise his bar into dozens of worlds. Naturally, Quark's secret that he "borrowed" the technology from Karemma was exposed and the Ferengi was momentarily arrested before he had to turn over most of his profits to the Gamma Quadrant aliens.
Thankfully, Quark's Bar is exactly as it was during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Games of Dabo are still played and hosted by Dabo Girls. The dartboard Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) frequented is still intact. Most importantly, Morn remains a fixture at Quark's bar. Some things never change.
Mariner Was Stationed On DS9 During The Dominion War
Kira greeted Mariner like an old friend at Quark's Bar and asked if she's telling "war stories" with the Ferengi. This tacitly confirms that Mariner was stationed on Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War, which Beckett hinted at in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2 when she described breaking and repairing Worf's (Michael Dorn) mek'leth without the Klingon ever finding out. Of course, Mariner tricked Quark into wiping her bar tab clean thanks to good old-fashioned blackmail.
The Biggest DS9 Questions Lower Decks Didn't Answer
While it was a joy to see (and hear) Colonel Kira, Quark, and Morn again, Star Trek: Lower Decks' visit to DS9 didn't fulfill all the fans' (lofty) expectations. The Cerritos crew hanging out at DS9 left behind most of the same questions as before. Sadly, there was no mention at all of either Captain Sisko or Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), or Ben's wife Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson), and their child. Where were Dr. Bashir and Lt. Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) and are they still on the station? Is Vic Fontaine (James Darren) still a popular program in Quark's holosuites? Where is Lt. Nog (Aron Eisenberg)? What is the status of Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and the Founders after the Dominion War? Star Trek: Lower Decks delivered a heartwarming and hilarious half-hour romp on DS9, but perhaps it could never have lived up to everything Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans hoped for.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.