From: phd99@keele.ac.uk (Ralph Ferneyhough)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc,rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Deep Space Nine Preview (UK) *Minor Spoiler*
Date: 8 Jan 93 16:49:43 GMT
Organization: Keele University, England

This article was printed in the Daily Express (an English newspaper) on
Thursday January 7th. I hope it will be of interest to everyone! I have
copied it literally, so don't blame me for any mistakes!

The issue also had a short article on the old ST series, but was
absolute trash which I am not going to waste my time typing in. Believe
me, you didn't want to read it.

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StarDate 1993 - New Trek spin-off boldly goes on air

	It's Star Trek, Jim, but not as we know it.
	Deep Space Nine, a spin-off from the hir series Star Trek: The Next
Generation, goes on air later this month in the U.S.
	Set in a space station, it promises to be darker and sexier than any
show which has gone before in the Trekky cult.
	And the 24-part series is set to make a star of unknown British
actor Siddig El Fadil.
	The 24-year-old Londoner has been cast as medic Dr Julian
Bashir.
	Paramount television producer Richard Berman spotted Siddig in
an English TV production.
	"I called our casting people in London immediately to find out
who he was." said Berman. "I wanted him straight away. He could be a big
star."
	For Siddig, whose parents were Sudanese, it means his first
taste of the big time.
	Six months ago he was playing Sinbad the Sailor in a provincial
British theatre.
	He was picked for Deep Space Nine after being spotted playing
Prince Feisal in ITV's production A Dangerous Man, about Lawrence of
Arabia.
	The new show, costing more than 1 million pounds an episode, is
set in the 24th century.
	Next Generation star, Patrick Stewart - Jean Luc Picard, Captain
of the Starship Enterprise - will be making a guest appearance in the
first episode.
	American actor Avery Brooks plays the space station's Commander
Ben Sisko.
	His out-of this world crew includes a shape-changing security
officer called Odo, played by Rene Auberjonois.
	Terry Farrell plays science officer Jadzia Dax while sexy Nana
Visitor stars as first officer Kira Nerys.
	Irish actor Colm Meaney, who was transporter chief Miles O'Brien
in Star Trek: The Next Generation and was also in the hit film The
Commitments, completes the crew.
	Star Trek fans in Britain may have to wait to see the programme,
however. So far neither the BBC nor Sky has bought the new show.

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[No infringement of copyright for personal gain is intended]

	Personally, this article leaves me with a lot of questions!
Maybe someone can help answer them:

1) Does the series really cost 1 million pounds an episode (something
like 1.5 million dollars)? I remember from somewhere that ST:TNG costs
about 1 million dollars an episode - I would have thought DS9 would have
cost less to make.

2) The article was accompaigned by a photo of the cast - this had eight
people in. The article text only mentions six people - who are the
other two. I guess one of them is the Ferengi member - but the other
one?

3) Is the shape changer, Odo, the same race as the one in STVI? Is this
where they got the idea from? I guess they 'borrowed' any special
effects from STVI anyhow.

4) Why have they chosen such a wide range of 'strange' names - a lot of
the names, both first and surnames for the characters are not exactly
common - or is it my imagination?

5) Why the hell haven't BBC bought it yet? What do we pay our licence
fee for.... I guess Sky will buy it and prevent BBC showing it for ten
millennia.

Oh well - just my own two work units worth.
Ralph.
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