Every Deep Space Nine Character Who Returned in Later Trek Shows

The ‘90s Star Trek series Deep Space Nine was a major turning point for the franchise. Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, the series abandoned the “planet-of-the-week” recipe of TOS and TNG in favor of a serialized story and fixed setting. Over seven seasons, DS9 took Trek in a more serious, political direction, culminating in full-scale war. Thankfully, the Federation starbase was under the leadership of Avery Brooks’ Benjamin Sisko.

For most of its original run, DS9 existed in the shadow of The Next Generation, but over time, it has become a fan favorite. Today, it’s widely regarded as one of Star Trek’s best entries, and its influence can be seen throughout modern Trek, so much so that many of DS9’s main cast have actually made appearances in recent shows like Lower Decks, Picard, Prodigy, and Starfleet Academy. Thus, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of all the DS9 character returns from non-speaking cameos to entire new arcs.

10) Morn (Voyager, Lower Decks)

Morn, played by Mark Allen Shepherd, became a sort of recurring gag on DS9. Introduced as a patron at Quark’s bar, the Lurian alien was repeatedly described by other characters as talkative, despite never speaking. His first post-DS9 appearance comes in Star Trek: Voyager’s two-part premiere, “Caretaker” in 1995. During the early station scenes, Morn can be spotted sitting at Quark’s bar exactly as he did on DS9. Nearly three decades later, Lower Decks’ “Hear All, Trust Nothing” brings him back again in usual seat. Set in 2381, the episode confirms that Morn has essentially never left Quark’s. 

9) Leeta (Lower Decks)

Chase Masterson’s Leeta started as a bubbly Dabo girl, but gradually became a key figure of Ferengi and Bajoran politics. In Lower Decks Season 4’s “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” Leeta returns as First Clerk to Grand Nagus Rom. In the ep, we see Ferenginar’s attempt to join the Federation, but Leeta immediately establishes herself as the real architect of the negotiations. While Rom plays the fool, Leeta handles complex trade agreements, finds loopholes, and manipulates Starfleet’s expectations… repeatedly outmaneuvering Captain Freeman’s team.

8) Rom (Lower Decks)

Introduced as Quark’s inept, abused brother, Max Grodenchik’s Rom gradually emerges as a brilliant engineer and a moral foil to Ferengi greed; his arc culminates with an elevation to Grand Nagus in the finale. When he returns later in Lower Decks’ “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” it’s revealed what Rom has done with said power. As Grand Nagus, he’s abolished most discriminatory laws. The episode initially shows him as childish and distracted by a baseball while Leeta negotiates. But it’s revealed to be a test on Rom’s part, as he wanted to see if Starfleet respected Ferengi culture enough to bargain aggressively. Thus, when Freeman rises to the challenge, Rom recognizes her as a worthy counterpart. 

7) Benjamin Sisko (Starfleet Academy)

When Brook’s Benjamin Sisko disappeared into the Celestial Temple in DS9’s “What You Leave Behind,” he gave us one of Trek’s most shocking and controversial endings. His promise to return left fans reeling until very recently. Starfleet Academy’s 5th episode, “Series Acclimation Mil” finally brings Sisko back through archival audio. The episode uses a recording from Avery Brooks’ 2007 spoken-word album Here, with Brooks’ consent. The quote reflects on divine law, love, and understanding. Although Brooks recorded no new material, and the story is set nearly 800 years after DS9, the beautiful moment cements Sisko as a mythic figure in Federation history.

6) Kira Nerys (Lower Decks)

Beginning as a resistance fighter, Kira Nery (Nana Visitor) becomes a commanding officer of DS9. In Lower Decks’ Season 3 episode “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” we get Kira as Colonel and commanding officer of Deep Space Nine. She still keeps Sisko’s baseball on her desk, directly referencing “Take Me Out to the Holosuite.” When Quark’s illegal Karemma technology is exposed, Kira serves justice, demanding 70% of his profits. Throughout the episode, she reflects on Odo’s return to the Great Link and Sisko’s disappearance, and both her pride and her loneliness as the station’s guardian become apparent. 

5) Quark (Voyager, Lower Decks)

Quark, played by Armin Shimerman, gets his first post-DS9 appearance almost immediately after his debut. In Voyager’s two-part premiere, “Caretaker,” set in 2371, Quark is briefly seen running his bar on Deep Space Nine while Commander Chakotay and Tom Paris pass through the station. It’s a great little cameo, which also features Morn and serves as a bridge between DS9 and Voyager. When  Lower Decks revisits Quark in “Hear All, Trust Nothing,” he has transformed his struggling bar into an empire, with dozens of Quark’s locations operating across the galaxy. In “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place,” we see a “Starfleet Experience” themed Quark’s, parodying Federation culture for profit. 

4) Odo (Picard, Prodigy)

At the end of DS9, René Auberjonois’ Odo departs, and by returning to the Great Link, hopes to heal the Founders’ hatred of solids and prevent future wars. For years, fans wondered whether he had succeeded. Picard Season 3 finally provides an answer in “Seventeen Seconds,” when Worf reveals that a trusted Changeling contact warned him about extremist factions that rejected the Dominion’s defeat. He describes this individual as “an honorable man,” who maintained principles even within the Great Link. The implication is that Odo has remained himself and is working to prevent another war. 

Odo also appears in Star Trek: Prodigy’s “Kobayashi” as part of Starfleet’s legendary training simulation. Recreated through archival footage of Auberjonois, the holographic Odo is a security officer during the test scenario; both a narrative lore callback and a memorial tribute following Auberjonois’ death in 2019. 

3) Jake Sisko (Starfleet Academy)

Amid the Starfleet career heroes, Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) was revolutionary for choosing civilian life and his passion for journalism and storytelling. In episodes like “Nor the Battle to the Strong” and “The Visitor,” he becomes a sort of conscience, documenting the war. In Starfleet Academy’s “Series Acclimation Mil,” he returns via holographic recordings in the Benjamin Sisko Museum. The recordings make it clear that he’s an established historical figure and author whose work helped keep the truth about the Dominion War alive. 

Within these scenes, Jake reflects on his complicated feelings toward Benjamin’s role as Emissary, even admitting that he once resented sharing his father with the Prophets, but ultimately came to understand that Sisko’s destiny never erased his love as a parent. Jake also confirms that he himself became a father, fulfilling Benjamin’s hopes expressed decades earlier in “The Visitor.” 

2) Illa Dax (Starfleet Academy)

The Dax symbiont has taken on multiple hosts throughout Trek, including Curzon, Jadzia, and Ezri, each contributing to a larger arc that explores the struggle to live alongside centuries of experience. Professor Illa, played by Tawny Newsome and introduced in Starfleet Academy’s “Series Acclimation Mil,” takes this concept even further. Living in the 32nd century, she is revealed as the current host of the Dax symbiont, now over 1,100 years old. She serves as SAM’s instructor and safeguards Jake Sisko’s unpublished manuscript. 

Throughout the episode, we get a few clues, including knowledge of Sisko’s gumbo recipe, her use of “Benjamin” instead of “Captain Sisko,” and the possession of the only surviving copy of Anslem. When Illa finally reveals her identity, the entire episode is reframed. 

1) Worf (Picard)

Michael Dorn’s Worf, the iconic Klingon officer, was introduced on TNG. Yet, it was his DS9 years that made him into a warrior. Through his relationship with Jadzia and his political exile, he was forced to question his own violence. In Picard Season 3, Worf appears yet again as a Starfleet Intelligence subcontractor, working covertly with Raffi Musiker. He has attained the rank of Captain and previously commanded the Enterprise-E, which was rendered inoperable under mysterious circumstances. Distinctly more soft spoken in Picard, showrunner Terry Matalas described him as “a warrior who prefers peace, but carries a giant sword.”

A deleted scene from “The Bounty” revealed exactly how this transformation came about. After Worf spends years hunting Changelings, growing paranoid and ruthless, he accidentally kills an innocent woman. This causes him to spiral and become a pacifist. Then, reuniting with Picard, Riker, Data, and Geordi aboard the restored Enterprise-D, Worf confronts the Borg and, by helping defeat the Changeling-Borg alliance, closes the circle that began on DS9. Ultimately, with 283 appearances across the franchise, Worf is easily one of Trek’s most intriguing character studies.

Which DS9 character’s return shocked you the most? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum! 

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