As active as the Star Trek franchise has been, we’ve been fortunate to see (or will see) the return of some familiar characters like Commander William Riker and Counselor Troi in Star Trek: Picard as well as Seven of Nine, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay in Star Trek: Prodigy, and Lt. Tom Paris in Star Trek: Lower Decks. And it’s been great to see some of our favorites from The Next Generation and Voyager, but fans are wondering, where are the characters from Deep Space Nine (DS9)?
Screenrant posited this question when discussing the return of Tom Paris in Lower Decks. Considering both The Next Generation and Voyager were set in the same timeline as DS9, it stands to reason that characters from the space station should be able to pop up on Picard or Lower Decks, even Prodigy (which could still happen).
There is plenty of room for DS9 characters
With so many openings now in the universe, there is a spot for any character who wants to return, and some of the DS9 characters would fit in quite well. Lower Decks has already given us a nod to Quark’s Bar on other planets, and that opens the door to bring Armin Shimerman back. And Shimerman has already said he would be willing to put the ears back on for a guest-starring role on Picard. And with so much drama and action on Picard requiring fighting skills, Nana Visitor’s Major Kira would fit right in, even if only for an episode. Then, of course, if a doctor is needed, there is Dr. Julian Bashir. And Alexander Siddig is another actor from DS9 who is open to returning to the character.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fans would love to revisit some characters we haven’t seen in over twenty years. So with the actors open and available, shouldn’t their phones be ringing by now? Perhaps the teams do have something in mind down the road or with a future series, but it would be nice to be given a hint.