TrekCore.com just posted an extensive interview with DS9 actress Nana Visitor and here is an excerpt.


TrekCore: We are very close to the 20th Anniversary of Deep Space Nine. Fans of the show have been incredibly vocal – to this day – about wanting to see more of it. Do you know if a DS9 movie was ever realistically considered by the studio?

Nana Visitor: No, and I really don’t know why that decision was made. But I know that it would be – I think it would be a great film, I really do – a great movie. I think Avery is so interesting on film, and René, Armin, Colm, Siddig… everybody. It would be a strong cast, and I think it could be a strong storyline.

TrekCore: Deep Space Nine was – some may say unfortunately – on the air at the same time as two other series, The Next Generation and Voyager. Do you think that harmed the series?

Nana Visitor: I don’t know. I know that it wasn’t what the Star Trek fandom as a whole wanted to see. It was dark, and I think that was our problem. More than being the middle child, I think it was just a very different take on Star Trek.

TrekCore: Many people have said DS9 was the black sheep of the Trek family. But in a way, it paved the way to shows such as Battlestar Galactica which were huge successes. Do you think it has been unfairly maligned?

Nana Visitor: I do, but when I catch bits of episodes, I go “You know what, it has staying power.” Armin and I used to say on the set – when people would say “You know, I don’t know if I really like this.” – we’d go “You know what, in ten years people will get it.” And I think even ten years from now, people will get the show.

TrekCore: It’s still incredibly politically, religiously and socially relevant. Were you consciously aware of that when you were filming it?

Nana Visitor: Yes! There wasn’t a time when I wasn’t – certainly I can speak for my self – when I wasn’t aware how important it was and the archetypes I was playing out that existed in the world. And that we were being watched so carefully made it so important that even if you’ve waited ten hours to do your scene in your little trailer, and you come out at 2 in the morning to finally work, it doesn’t matter that it’s 2 in the morning, it doesn’t matter that you’re tired or hungry or your makeup is driving you crazy – because what is about to be filmed will be watched and will be important and will have something to say. So you gotta bring it!

TrekCore: Ira Behr and Ronald D. Moore had to go against the studio a lot of times, against Rick Berman’s almost Roddenberry-esque vision of Star Trek to create a darker show. Did you feel that created tension between the show-runners and the studio?

Nana Visitor: We were protected from a lot of that. There was tension on set too, we were that kind of show. It was dark, and there were problems, and there were scenes when there was dischord. So that creates a certain energy, so it didn’t seem out-of-place if the higher-ups were having the same relationships.

TrekCore: How did you all feel when Michael Dorn [Worf] came on board from The Next Generation.

Nana Visitor: Well I found out about it on a stage at a convention! One of the people asked “How do you feel about Michael Dorn joining the show?”, so that was – laughs – I mean, I know the fans always knew stuff before we did, it was true. But that was a little bizarre. I wasn’t crazy about it because I was afraid that my character would be demoted in terms of being the woman second in command, I didn’t know how that was going to work out. But it worked out well and Michael is so adorable and I am crazy about him, and he was a great addition to our cast.