Jake Sisko is your typical "army brat" who doesn't remember life on Earth, has been aboard four different starships, and stationed on two planets. This transient life style has taught him how to scope out a new terrain and assimilate quickly. At the same time he has an inner fear of forming new friendships because he loses them so easily. He dreams of going to live on Earth. He collects holodeck programs of various places on Earth that he uses to try to fulfill his fantasy. Deep inside he knows that his mom would still be alive if they did not live in space, and he has a suppressed bitterness about it. His father promised there would be other kids on the station; as it turns out there are only a handful of various alien species. Only one is his age, Nog, a Ferengi teenage boy who is a bad influence. Jake is close with his dad; they are buddies. The boy has no technical expertise at all. He struggles with his homework but is dedicated to doing his best.
Odo is the security chief on DS9 (the character has come to be known colloquially as "Jello Man"). He was security chief for the Bajorans before the Federation came to DS9 and was the Cardassian security chief on DS9 before that. He is a shapeshifter, much like Martia in ST6. He was found alone 50 years ago on a mysterious derelict spacecraft that appeared in the Denorias asteroid belt and is from an unknown race. He was found by the Bajorans and lived amongst them. At first he was sort of an Elephant Man, a source of curiosity and humor as he turned himself into a chair or pencil. Finally he realized he would have to take the form of a humanoid to assimilate and function in their environment. He does it, but resents it. As a result, Odo performs a uniquely important role in the ensemble: he is a character who explores and comments on human values. Because he is forced to pass as one of us, his point of view usually comes with a cynical and critical edge. But he can't quite get it right, this humanoid shape, though he continues to try. So he looks a little unfinished in a way. He's been working on it a long time. Someone might ask him: Why don't you take the form of a younger man? His answer: I would if I could. He has the adopted child syndrome, searching for his own personal identity. Although he doesn't know anything about his species, he is certain that justice is an integral part of their being, because the necessity for it runs through every fiber of his body -- a racial memory. That's why he became a law man. He has a couple of Bajoran deputies; he doesn't allow weapons on the Promenade, and once every day he must return to his gelatinous form. He has no sense of smell. He hopes someday that a ship will come through the wormhole whose crew can tell him who and what he is. In order to keep the writers from using his shape-shifting ability to constantly save the day, we find that his ability to assume ANY form is very taxing and he must rest at the end of each day in his natural form, rather like a bowl of Jello. He was there when the Feds took over the station from the Cardassians, and has his own way of doing things, though he wants to become more human (all Star Trek shows have to have ONE character who wants to be human). He'll take the law into his own hands to make things the way he wants. He has been on the station for at least four years prior to the Federation takeover in "Emissary". It is intersting that Odo doesn't know about others like himself when Martia (Star Trek 6) is from a known race called the "Chameloids" and we had the Alassomorph shapeshifters from "The Dauphin". [Placeholder note to eventually add more info taken from the DS9 episode "The Search, part II" --ed]
Quark is the Ferengi bartender/civilian administrator. He runs several entertainment concessions along the promenade, including the main bar, restaurant, gambling house, and the holo-suites upstairs where your every fantasy can be played out. He spends most of his time behind the bar. If there is some scam being run in the sector it often involves him. But beyond the malevolence he is a charming host, in a Ferengi sort of way, and forges an interesting relationship with Sisko. They actually enjoy sparring together now and then. The Ferengi lends a hand to dissolve a problem for the commander -- as long as there's something in it for him. His completely sexist attitude makes Kira an obvious adversary, and he is consumed with passion for Dax. He is willing to help the station's crew - as long as there's something in it for him. The Ferengi are ugly, sexist, greedy little aliens who are interested only in profit and getting their hands on anything of yours they happen to fancy. He has been on the station for at least four years prior to the Federation takeover in "Emissary".
Nog is Quark's teenage nephew. Nog befriends (and is a constant bad influence on) Jake Sisko. Together they get into lots of trouble. There are supposed to be lots of running jokes on these characters, due to the Ferengi nature.
Kira Nerys is the first officer, a former Bajoran terrorist and a major in the Bajoran army. She is having trouble adjusting to the idea of peace. She's a strong, dominant personality, and she is frustrated by the way in which the Bajoran leaders are frittering away valuable time by endlessly debating what their next move should be. This part was originally written to be Ro Laren, but Michelle Forbes declined the role. The character has been renamed, but is otherwise the same. She has been trying without success to reach the Kai herself to air her grievances. It is very possible she was sent by the government to be the Bajoran administrator at the space station simply to get her outspoken voice out of ear shot. Kira loathes the Cardassians. She committed atrocities against them in the name of freedom, some of which bother her.
Miles Edward O'Brien enjoys kayaking and poker, got married to Keiko in TNG's season four, and had a daughter Molly in TNG's season five. He was a tactical officer on one of his previous assignments. He transferred to Deep Space Nine along with his family. He's sorry to leave the Enterprise, but pleased at the promotion (to Master Chief of Operations). He will be in charge of the comings and goings of vessels, plus the nuts and bolts maintenance of the station. He's constantly frustrated by the jerry-rigged way this place is put together. He saw the Cardassians commit unspeakable atrocities and lost a close friend at the massacre at Setlik III. The war changed and hardened him. The first man he ever killed was a Cardassian who jumped him on patrol. As he tells the story to another Cardassian in the NexGen episode, The Wounded, "I never killed anything before. When I was a kid I would worry about having to swat a mosquito. It's not you I hate, Cardassian: I hate what I became because of you". Colm Meaney has decided that he would like to switch shows. Keiko will not deal well with the change of scenery and following her husband to this hellhole in order to support his career. Look of more domestic strife. He would receive a commission and would be "Chief Operating Officer" in this case.
Lt Jadzia Dax is the half-humanoid science officer (an attractive 28-year-old trill woman (Lieutenant Jadzia Dax), containing a 300-year old worm). For those that don't remember, the Trill is a species which forms a symbiotic link with a humanoid life form (Dr. Crusher fell in love with one in "The Host"). Sisko knew and valued the last person this trill inhabited as one of his most respected teachers (Curzon Dax), and has some deep psychological conflicts with the fact that it now inhabits a beautiful young woman. Many centuries ago [on the Trills' home world], the symbionts lived underground while the humanoids were on the surface. Due to an environmental disaster, they were forced to join to survive. As time went on this mutual support evolved to become a biological dependency, and thus two individuals became one. They speak with one voice. The symbiont's life span is far longer than the host's and, as a result, one symbiont will be combined with several hosts during its life. When a host dies, doctors surgically remove the symbiont. The worm then burrows itself into the new host. Dax's host was joined with her when she was an adult. The symbiont part of her is 300 years old, a brilliant scientist with an innate wisdom who can draw upon a library of knowledge built of six lifetimes of experience. Kira forms a very close relationship with Dax and often tells her to loosen up (this sounds like a mixup of whoever's speech this was from; now that the series has started, it seem to be *Dax* who tells *Kira* to loosen up). Dax admires Kira for her youthful energy, her purpose and her drive and becomes something of a mentor to her.
Dr Julian Bashir, Lieutenant Junior Grade is the chief medical officer (in his late 20s). He is wet behind the ears, but thinks he knows it all. He just graduated from Starfleet medical (second from the top of his class) and came out here because this is where heroes are made and this is where the adventure is (even though he was offered a cushy job at Starfleet Medical). He is the antithesis of Kira who is street wise savvy but wiser and cynical. O'Brien becomes Bashir's confidant. As a man who has seen combat and a decorated veteran of Starfleet duty, O'Brien represents an ideal to the young doctor. Julian greatly respects Sisko, but is terrified of him. He is anxious to live up the commander's expectations. Sisko is amused by Julian and is very patient with him. This is the wilderness. He's got a lot to learn. He was patterned after Michael J Fox.
Kai Opaka is the Bajoran spiritual leader. The Bajoran are supposed to be very mystic and spiritual. The Kai provides sharp counterpoint to the secular nature of Starfleet. She challenges conventional human logic. The Kai seems to have an awareness on a higher plane of consciousness and knows things she cannot possibly know. Although our people do not accept her powers at face value, we cannot always explain them, either. She speaks in vague, mystical indirect language, forcing her listeners to seek her meaning. There are hints that she has some strange mental powers, which may or may not be explored in the series (sounds like Guinan). And like Guinan, she will be in about a quarter of the episodes each season. We will find out a lot more about Bajorans from DS9. It will be Opaka who finally legitimizes Federation prsence in Bajoran space, and ultimate entry into the Fedreation itself, as she develops a strong bond with Commander Sisko. (Remember that Ro kinda denies her heritage so you won't learn much about them from her.) Opaka is (for the moment) stranded on a planet on the other side of the wormhole ("Battle Lines"). Kai Winn has taken over her position on Bajor.