Deep Space Nine (space Station) - Station History

Station History

Originally a Cardassian mining and refinery station named "Terok Nor" in orbit around Bajor, it was built by slave Bajoran labor under Cardassian rule in 2351. The station was commanded by Gul Dukat, the last Cardassian prefect of Bajor. It was abandoned toward the end of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor in 2369; the Cardassians removed anything of value on their way out.

In 2369, the Bajorans assumed control of the station. The Bajoran provisional government requested the assistance of the United Federation of Planets, who renamed it Deep Space Nine (DS9) and placed Commander Benjamin Sisko in command. Despite the Federation presence, the station remains subject to Bajoran law. Shortly after Sisko assumed command, his crew discovered the Bajoran wormhole. The station was moved to the mouth of the wormhole to secure Bajor's claim to it, after which the station assumed great commercial, scientific and strategic importance.

After the encounter with the Dominion in 2370, in which the Galaxy-class USS Odyssey was destroyed by just three Dominion vessels and owing to other threats, it became obvious that the station's existing occupation-era weapons would be insufficient in defending the station. Using surplus and recycled parts along with some new parts, the station's weapons and defensive systems were heavily upgraded. The upgrade included the installation of multiple rotary torpedo launchers on the docking pylons and weapons sail towers, stowable phaser banks that retract into former runabout maintenance bays when not in use and improved shields that extend 300 meters around the station. The total torpedo inventory was increased to 5000.

These upgrades were first used against the Klingons in their offensive against Cardassia in early 2372. At the beginning of the Dominion War in late 2373, the station was temporarily lost to the Dominion. In early 2374, Federation and Klingon forces retook it after the Battle of Bajor.

Aside from a failed Bajoran military coup, the Dominion's occupation, and a brief leave of absence from late 2374 to early 2375, Sisko, promoted to captain in 2371, remained in command of Deep Space Nine. In late 2375, at the end of the Dominion War, Colonel Kira Nerys assumed command.

In the continuing story novels, DS9 was forced to jettison its power core due to the actions of rebel Jem'Hadar. As one of his first actions as chief of operations of the station, Nog had Empok Nor towed to the station's location, and used its power core as a replacement. The remainder of Empok Nor was broken down for scrap and spare parts.

Later, DS9 would host Bajor's formal acceptance into the Federation. With the station now under Federation law, Quark almost closed down his bar, but remained open after Rom arranged to have it designated as the Ferengi embassy to Bajor, placing it under the jurisdiction of Ferenginar.

In the year 2383, DS9 - while under the command of Captain Ro Laren - was destroyed by a fleet of vessels belonging to the Typhon Pact. In honor of the station, and the Bajoran people, Starfleet Command and the Federation Council agreed to build a new station in the Bajoran system and name it Deep Space Nine.