Whether on a starship or a space station that guards a stable wormhole at the edge of the galaxy, the chief medical officer of any Starfleet crew is responsible for a variety of duties, first and foremost, the health and well-being of every crew member present.
While Starfleet’s history certainly has its share of incredible doctors, Julian Bashir, played by Alexander Siddig, chief medical officer of Deep Space Nine, stands out as a multifaceted character whose career and titles do not define him.
Who is Dr. Julian Bashir?
Richard and Amsha Bashir welcomed their only child, Julian, into the world in 2341. He was born on Earth and spent the first 7 years of his life there. His parents called him Jules for much of his childhood, although he stopped calling himself that during his early teenage years.
As young Julian began to grow and first attended school, his parents and teachers noticed that not only was he smaller than the other children, but he was rapidly falling behind them in the classroom. He had a difficult time with reading and writing, which prompted his parents to take action.
Bashir’s genetic enhancements
When young Julian didn’t develop mentally as he should’ve, his parents left Earth with him for Adigeon Prime, where he underwent a series of genetic recoding which rewrote his DNA. This genetic engineering allowed the boy to not only catch up with his peers but eventually eclipse them both physically and mentally.
Because genetic augmentation was illegal on Earth after the Eugenic Wars, Bashir’s parents told no one of their visit to Adigeon Prime. Once the treatments were complete, the family returned to Earth, settled in a new city, and young Bashir became a standout pupil.
Bashir’s work on Deep Space Nine
At age 27, Bashir took on his new assignment on Deep Space Nine, a space station once occupied by the Cardassians. He took the job to experience what he thought of as “frontier medicine,” and surely got his share of on-site cases and learned about alien physiology on the fly.
Eventually, Bashir would accompany Captain Benjamin Sisko on missions off the station, particularly when DS9 acquired the Defiant, a small yet powerful ship in the class of the same name, which Sisko helped design. His presence would often stabilize these away missions, and he would save the lives of his fellow crewmembers and other beings during times of war and emergency medical situations.
Friendships on DS9
Because of his genetic enhancements, Bashir often felt like an outsider or alien at times around other human beings. However, on board DS9, he would form friendships with a variety of beings, human and otherwise. He bonded with the station’s chief engineer, Miles O’Brien, over games and adventures in Quark’s holosuites, dabbling in historical cosplay and spy dramas.
One of the most unique relationships in Julian Bashir’s life is with Elim Garak, a Cardassian who made a living on the station as a tailor. He and Bashir would take meals together and talk about the former Cardassian occupation and what Garak may or may not know during his former career as a spy. Garak always kept him guessing, which makes their relationship both exciting and fun.
Dr. Bashir’s presence on DS9 provides those who live and work on the station reassurance during times of injury and illness, making him indispensable. Despite his enhancements, he also provides a very human element to the team that protects the station and the wormhole beyond it.