As the first of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s spinoff shows, several TNG characters crossed over into episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, with varying degrees of success. While DS9 was always at its best when standing on its own two feet, it’s widely agreed that the show confidently hit its stride with the inclusion of TNG‘s Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) in season 4. However, Worf was far from the only TNG character to appear in DS9 over the years, after Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was tasked with briefing Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) on his new role in the DS9 pilot.
Foreshadowing the 2010’s age of the cinematic universe, there were multiple 1990s Star Trek crossovers, with various characters appearing across all three shows. Not every Star Trek: The Next Generation character performed as well as Worf did on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The gruff Klingon with the heart of gold fitted in beautifully with DS9‘s more serious, character-driven approach to Star Trek. In fact, Worf’s character development on DS9 was often far superior to anything that had previously been seen in TNG. Unfortunately for some other TNG characters, however, they weren’t as lucky when they came aboard Deep Space Nine.
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Michael Dorn’s Worf was a regular in both TNG and DS9, but while one show relied on his Klingon heritage, the other showed him as an individual.
11 Star Trek: DS9 Season 1, Episode 3, “Past Prologue” (Lursa & B’Etor)
Aired January 11, 1993
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 3, “Past Prologue” is a great episode that establishes the backstory of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and introduces the fan-favorite character Elim Garak (Andrew J. Robinson). However, the appearance of the Duras sisters from Star Trek: The Next Generation distracts from the work that DS9 is doing to establish its own identity. As a TNG crossover, “Past Prologue” fails because Lursa (Barbara March) and B’Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) could be any arms dealers set on selling out Bajoran terrorist Tahna Los (Jeffrey Nordling). The House of Duras made a more successful appearance on DS9 once their arch-nemesis Worf joined the cast.
10 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episode 7, “Q-Less” (Q & Vash)
Aired February 8, 1993
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s only Q (John de Lancie) episode is a major disappointment because it’s too focused on continuing the story of the cosmic trickster’s relationship with Picard’s ex-lover, Vash (Jennifer Hetrick). In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Qpid”, the trickster promised that he’d look after Vash while they adventured around the cosmos together. DS9 revealed Q broke his promise to Picard, however because Jean-Luc wasn’t there to find out, this revelation lacked impact. There was certainly the possibility for a great Q crossover episode, given DS9‘s treatment of faith, religion, and cosmic gods, but sadly, “Q-Less” falls short.
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DS9’s Sisko Or TNG’s Q: Who’s More Powerful In Star Trek?
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9 Star Trek: DS9 Season 3, Episode 10, “Fascination” (Lwaxana Troi)
Aired November 28, 1994
Of the three Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes to feature the character of Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), “Fascination” is the weakest. It plays up Lwaxana’s more annoying traits long after viewers have got to know her more sensitive and empathetic side. Worse still, Lwaxana’s Zanthi fever causes the crew of DS9 to succumb to their repressed passions for each other. This means that there are various comedy odd couples that don’t seem as funny to an audience as they clearly were to the writers and the actors. However, it is lifted by some assured direction from Avery Brooks, and a genuinely heartfelt exploration of the relationship between the O’Briens.
8 Star Trek: DS9 Season 4, Episode 15, “Sons of Mogh” (Kurn)
Aired February 12, 1996
Worf’s brother Kurn (Tony Todd) returned in the controversial Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Sons of Mogh.” After Worf turned his back on the Klingon Empire, the House of Mogh is ostracized by Chancellor Gowron (Robert Reilly), forcing Kurn to request that Worf kill him to restore his honor. The episode is controversial for the disappointing ending that Kurn gets, having his mind erased and handed a whole new identity to escape the shame of being associated with the House of Mogh. However, it’s less finite than death, which is for the best, given that Worf was soon back in the Empire’s good graces after unmasking the Changeling infiltration of the Klingon Empire.
7 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 21, “The Muse” (Lwaxana Troi)
Aired April 29, 1996
The central plot of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Muse” is centered around Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and a parasitic energy being called Onaya (Meg Foster). However, the real heart is the subplot centered around Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) marrying Lwaxana Troi to protect her unborn child. There’s a sense that Odo is paying back Lwaxana for all her help in bringing him out of his shell since their first meeting. It’s a great example of how a character from a different show, in this case Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Lwaxana Troi, can make a truly impactful guest appearance that changes the trajectory of the regular characters.
6 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 9, “The Sword of Kahless” (Toral, son of Duras)
Aired November 20, 1995
After Star Trek Generations failed Worf by robbing him of closure in his ongoing feud with the House of Duras. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine attempted to resolve this in season 4. In “The Sword of Kahless”, Worf joins Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) and Kor (John Collicos) to retrieve a mythical artifact that is said will reunite the divided Klingon Empire. The last remaining member of the House of Duras, Toral, was also looking for the sword of Kahless, but was beaten to it. Worf ended Toral’s dreams of leading the Empire when he jettisoned the cursed sword into space, and ended the power struggle between the House of Mogh and the House of Duras.
5 Star Trek: DS9, Season 6, Episode 3, “Sons and Daughters” (Alexander Rozhenko)
Aired October 16, 1997
In “Sons and Daughters”, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finally allowed Worf to come to terms with the young man that his son had become. Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Alexander Rozhenko (Marc Worden) finally follows the path that his father wanted for him, but isn’t up to the task. Alexander is clumsy and awkward, and an embarrassmentT to his stern and disapproving father. However, Worf and Alexander both learn that the young man has to go his own way and make his own mistakes, rather than live up to his father’s ideal of a Klingon Warrior. It’s a touching episode that reconciles a lot of Worf and Alexander’s issues during TNG.
4 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episode 17, “The Forsaken” (Lwaxana Troi)
Aired May 23, 1993
“The Forsaken” was the original Lwaxana Troi episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and it’s the best one. At such an early stage in the story of Rene Auberjonois’ Odo, it’s fascinating to see him open up to Troi’s mother while the two are stuck in a turbolift together. Lwaxana opens up to Odo about her fears of being seen as “ordinary“, while the Changeling reveals to Troi how lonely his early life as a lab experiment was. Bringing in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Lwaxana was a smart move that allowed DS9 to show a new side to Odo so they could explore his more vulnerable and emotional side.
3 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2, “Emissary” (Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Locutus of Borg)
Aired January 3, 1993
Captain Picard’s appearance in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot, “Emissary”, serves to establish how different DS9 would be from its parent show. The clash between Sisko and Picard, and the fundamental lack of understanding that Jean-Luc has of the responsibilities of being a father make clear how different the two leads are. “Emissary” is also the most emotionally nuanced of Star Trek pilots, making it a strong episode on its own terms that is heightened, rather than undermined by its crossover with Star Trek: The Next Generation. Patrick Stewart even gets to play multiple facets of Picard, from Locutus of Borg in a flashback to the Battle of Wolf 359, and one of the Wormhole aliens during Sisko’s vision.
2 Star Trek: DS9 Season 3, Episode 9, “Defiant” (Thomas Riker)
Aired November 21, 1994
Jonathan Frakes played the role of Riker’s clone from Star Trek: The Next Generation in “Defiant”, where it was revealed that Thomas was a Maquis traitor. When he arrived aboard Deep Space Nine, Thomas masqueraded as Commander William T. Riker, kidnapped Kira and hijacked the USS Defiant to expose covert Cardassian military activities. Although the reveal of the stick-on sideburns is silly, the choice to cast Jonathan Frakes as Thomas, rather than William Riker, gave Star Trek: Deep Space Nine a chance to tell a great story for Kira Nerys. Drawing on her own experiences in the Bajoran Resistance movement, Kira is able to counsel Thomas on the correct course of action to save his crew and expose the Cardassians’ deception.
1 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episodes 1&2, “The Way of the Warrior” (Worf and Chancellor Gowron)
Aired October 2, 1995
Although Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s feature-length season 4 opener is Worf’s first episode, it can technically be classed as a crossover until Captain Sisko officially welcomes the Star Trek: The Next Generation character aboard. “The Way of the Warrior” is a thrilling Klingon action movie that opens Star Trek‘s best-ever fourth season and sets the tone of what’s to come. Worf fits in perfectly, and Sisko is set up as the perfect mentor for TNG‘s favorite Klingon. It’s the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/TNG crossover because it seamlessly blends what makes both shows great into something genuinely exciting for the franchise’s future.
All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.
