Part III, Chapter VII: "Cold War"
“I think we really hit our stride during Season Three. I know I started really enjoying myself then, and not just because of the people I got to work with on ‘my’ episodes. A lot of my colleagues from The Next Generation commented on how our sets seemed more ‘serious’, but I think that it was just the case that we didn’t mess around quite as much as we did on The Next Generation. But there were still plenty of good moments behind the scenes on Deep Space Nine.”
- Christian Slater on the differences on set between
The Next Generation and
Deep Space Nine.
Season Two of
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had seen many changes to the show that saw it start to move away from the “safe” and more into the unknown. Perhaps most importantly, the show went into its third season with a new “big bad” in the form of the Dominion. For the first time in the show’s history, the future of the Federation was properly at stake, as it found itself facing off against an enemy that was far more powerful.
The two part opener, “The Search”, would see the introduction of the
USS Valiant, the first Federation warship, and the beginning of a sort of cold war with the Dominion. Throughout the season, the Alpha and Beta Quadrants would be seen to enter a period of destabilisation, brought on by the machinations of the Founders.
Season Three of
Deep Space Nine would see it retain the 9% viewership rating that it had earned the previous season, though it would be reviewed more positively. Many critics noted that in its third season,
Deep Space Nine had finally figured out what it would be. A war story.
List of Episodes of Season 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
The Search (Part I)
The Search (Part II)
The House of Quark
Web of Lies
Equilibrium
Civil Defence
Valiant
Rejoined
Past Tense (Part I)
Past Tense (Part II)
Mother Tongue
Second Skin
Vash Decisions
Outcasts
Improbable Cause (Part I)
The Die is Cast (Part II)
The Abandoned
Distant Voices
All Bets Are Off (Part I)
Drawn and Quartered (Part II)
Sojourners (Part III)
Explorers
Transfer Window
Family Business
Kilkenny Cats (Part I)
Kilkenny Cats (Part II)
Bold text indicates a story by @The Chimera Virus
Main Cast of Season 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
| Captain Benjamin Sisko | Laurence Fishburne |
| Constable Odo | Rene Auberjonois |
| Lt. Jadzia Dax | Famke Janssen |
| Jake Sisko | Cirroc Lofton |
| Chief Miles O'Brien | Colm Meaney |
| Quark | Armin Shimerman |
| Dr. (Lt.) Julian Bashir | Alexander Siddig |
| Lt. Andrew Kelly | Christian Slater |
| Major Kira Nerys | Nana Visitor |
Recurring Cast of Season 3 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: [1]
| Captain John Sheridan | Peter Capaldi |
| Anna Sheridan | Kirsten Dunst |
| Admiral David Gardener | Pierce Brosnan |
| Keiko O'Brien | Rosalind Chao |
| Kassidy Yates | Penny Johnson Jerald |
| Lt. Cmdr. Michael Eddington | Kenneth Marshall |
| Mildred Kelly | Betty White |
| Rom | Max Grodenchik |
| Nog | Aron Eisenberg |
| Elim Garak | Andrew Robinson |
| Gul Dukat | Marc Alaimo |
| Vedek Winn | Louise Fletcher |
| Kai Bareil | Phillip Anglim |
| Leeta | Chase Masterton |
| Grand Nagus Zek | Wallace Shawn |
| Lt. K'Rene | Virginia Madsen |
| Commander Arpad Tigan | Bryan Cranston |
| Commander Solaris | Linda Hunt |
During the production of the third season, the head writer, Ira Stephen Behr, had approached Paramount to discuss the story arc he and the other writers were planning on doing. While
Deep Space Nine had originally been commissioned for only six seasons,
Odyssey was to be given eight. It was Behr’s opinion that the arc would work much better if given two extra seasons. Given the ratings, Paramount agreed, though they decided to not deal with renewing contracts yet. [2]
[1] A few things about casting here. 1: Siddig changes his name per OTL and in the same year (1996). 2: I'm not sure why the tables have different cell widths and I couldn't fix it. 3: The reason why Mildred Kelly wasn't mentioned earlier is that she's one of @The Chimera Virus's characters, and I wasn't sure whether she would be introduced in this season. The previous update will be changed accordingly.
[2] So, one of our first major changes (though we've actually had a couple already). DS9 will be an eight season show.