Today in Star Trek history: the Deep Space Nine finale, “What You Leave Behind”

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “What You Leave Behind”

It was today, June 2nd, back in 1999, that the series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “What You Leave Behind,” premiered. The final two-part episode wrapped up not only the entire series, but a nine-episode story arc called “The Final Chapter,” which brought a dramatic conclusion to the Federation’s war with the Dominion. In this episode, the Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance leads a final attack on Cardassia Prime, which is being defended by the Dominion-Breen-Cardassian force. At the same time, a small group led by the newly-promoted Commander Kira Nerys, Legate Damar, and Garak, seeks to destabilize the Cardassian capital from the inside. Ultimately, the Federation Alliance prevails, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Bajor and the end of the Dominion War. The story is not yet over, however, as Captain Benjamin Sisko’s job as the Emissary continues, and he finds himself in the Celestial Temple with the other Prophets, where he is told his work is just beginning.

Production on “What You Leave Behind” began on March 16, with the final scenes being filmed on April 20th. One of these scenes was the holodeck party celebrating the signing of the peace treaty. Many of the background actors in this scene were members of the cast and crew of DS9, including those usually present in prosthetic makeup. A keen eye can spot the likes of Jeffrey Combs, Casey Biggs, Aron Eisenberg, J.G. Hertzler, Ira Steven Behr, and René Echevarria (just to name a few).

Commenting on the final day of shooting Alexander Siddig said: “The final show was a climactic emotional time, and everybody turned up on that set the final day [...] It was an emotional, wonderful day, and it couldn’t have been better.”

So raise a glass to the 22nd anniversary to the end of the Dominion War!