Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 3 (1994)

Costume Design by:

- Robert Blackman ( notable efforts: The Running Man (1987), Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 3 to 7), Voyager (1995 - 2001), Enterprise (2001 - 2005), Pushing Daisies (2007 - 2009), Mockingbird Lane (2012) )

The third season of Deep Space Nine would drastically expand Quark's wardrobe with three new costumes, these ones becoming increasingly more dandyish with longer tailed coats and more garish colours. The first of these new suits was this rather more comparatively restrained number, consisting of a short reddish coat worn over a blue vest and fastened with a large brass buckle. This jacket is worn with dark red trousers and boots.

Quark's second outfit really is perhaps the most infamous outfit he wore, consisting of a pink and blue patterned tailcoat with its shoulders fixed with a brown pattern that resembles leopard-print, and with yellow symbols going down each lapel. This jacket is worn over both a brown striped shirt, and a vest of the same colour as the shoulders, and like the previous costume it is worn with red trousers and boots.

Quark's third outfit is no less garish than his previous one, this one being a futuristic tailcoat made of a purple, green and beige pattern that also slightly resembles leopard skin, worn over a mottled blue shirt and with dark blue trousers and boots - absolutely garish, and personally I love it.

Also to finally mention is Quark's long-suffering brother Rom (Max Grodenchik), who had appeared in the first season originally, but hadn't seen many costume changes until now. Rom's first 'original' costume (that wasn't just the waiter's uniform) is a fairly muted speckled brown tunic, covered in black strips and worn over a lined shirt and light brown pants.

Rom's second notable outfit also is mostly of a similar colourscheme, this being a mosaic-patterned tunic (his headband is of the same mosaic pattern as the tunic) worn over a mottled grey shirt, but worn with bright blue trousers.

Rom's third outfit is perhaps the most striking to me personally, consisting of a striped tunic worn over a patterned shirt, worn with brown trousers - whilst the colours are not too colourful, it is the patterns that really set them apart (and I suppose with some of the other Ferengi characters present, Rom had to stand out for his more nebbish nature).

Also of note is Rom's son Nog (Aron Eisenberg) who gets a very striking new outfit in this season, but it sadly doesn't even get much screentime, which is a crying shame as it's probably the most complex outfit made for the character yet, consisting of a red and yellow lined green tunic worn over a red and gold shirt, as well as dark green trousers. Nog's headband is made of the same colour scheme as the tunic.

Of course there is Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton), who has swapped his onesies for a series of amazingly garish shirts of extremely 90s patterns! Out of all these shirts, I think the most notable has to be the green and silver striped deal, but all of them are amazingly of their decade - of course, worn with what are just plain trousers.

Also getting a new wardrobe is the spy turned tailor Garak (Andrew Robinson), whose first new outfit is this rather bulky looking green and ochre deal, with bulky diagonal panelling over the shoulders and going down the middle of the front. More drab than Garaka's usual attire has been so far, to be fair!

Much more pleasing to me is Garak's second outfit, being a simple red tunic and trousers, but fitted with red and gold panelling over the shoulders and sleeves, and worn with a belt of the same material as well. It is again a crying shame that the show's dark lighting did not make for good DVD transfers and is apparently not due for a remaster, as judging from auction photos this costume, and many others, looked so much nicer in full colour.

'The Search'

The first episode of the season involved the Deep Space 9 crew trying to find the homeworld of the shapeshifting 'Founders', the secretive rulers of the totalitarian Dominion threatening the galaxy. Assisting them is the alien Ortnithar (John Fleck), who sports a brown gown with ruffled material at the bottom. Also seen in this two-parter are some more of the Dominion's 'Vorta' officials, though barely seen so I'm just posting the auction photos showing them off.

'The House of Quark'

In this episode, Quark ends up attracting the attention of a Klingon noblewoman, Grilka (Mary Kay Adams), who wears a green tunic and skirt with the typical furred lining seen on Klingon uniforms, and worn with a sash - for their wedding though, she then wears a beige robe with fur around the upper torso.

Also briefly seen is this Dabo girl, wearing a new dress design with mottled golden material with material trailing from the bra-like piece - I'm not sure what this particular lady sees in ugly old Morn though, yeesh.

'Equilibrium'

In this episode, Jadzia Dax ends up suffering disturbing visions, and is made to undergo an operation. She is first seen wearing a plum coloured dress with curved shoulders and collar, though sadly not seen fully.

The various Trill doctors treating Dax wear the typical lined gowns, with some wearing two-tone plum gowns, with shiny lining separating the fabrics.

There are also several orderlies wearing grey gowns with blue-ish patterned panelling over the chest, though they are barely seen in the episode.

'Second Skin'

In this episode, Kira is forcibly altered to become a Cardassian, and made to live as a Cardassian leader's daughter who assumes she is the real deal - Kira's Cardassian guise has her wearing a bulky tunic with panelling around the shoulders and sides, with a larger panel of coarser material over the front and back.

The Cardassian officier in question, Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman), wears a black tunic and pants that have ruffled segments around the collar and sleeves - this is the officers uniform that in some episodes is worn with the typical Cardassian armor chest plate.

This strange operation has been masterminded by the spy Entek (Gregory Sierra) who wears a dark grey tunic with lighter grey material over the chest and sleeves, with the panelling forming a curved shape in the middle.

There are several other Cardassians seen in this episode due to being set on their home planet, having having the same sort of bulky, panelled design sensibility as other Cardassian characters seen in the series.

'The Abandoned'

This episode involved a Jem'Hader baby somehow being left in the Deep Space 9 station - due to the species artificial nature, it grows very quickly into a child who wears this grey and black jumpsuit with a panel of blue patterned material over the front.

In a matter of hours they have grown into an adult, also sporting a jumpsuit though this one is of a more rounded pattern on the top half, with patches of mottled material.

This episode also had Jake chatting up a Dabo girl, who wears this flowing silvery dress with yellow gems stuck on the front and back.

'Meridian'

Another victim of the show's dark lighting and existence on DVD is this costume worn by the lecherous alien Tiron (Jeffrey Combs), which is in my opinion a wonderfully bizarre costume, made up of several different patterned fabrics of gold, green and red, with trousers made of the of the same combination of colours. Also of note are how blocky golden panels are fixed to the sleeves as well.

This episode also involved the Deep Space 9 crew coming across a mysterious idyllic planet, whose residents dress in mottled colourful shirts and shiny vests, the whomen having fabric strips on their hair.

'Defiant'

In this episode, the Cardassians are on the chase after a group of 'Maquis' guerrilas, with their main pilot wearing a wraparound tunic with epaulettes and a hole cut in the shirt - sadly, this costume is not seen fully in the episode.

Leading the hunt for the Maquis is the Cardassian commander Korina (Tricia O'Neil), who sports a rather plain grey padded tunic, the most striking detail being the blue triped panelling over the shoulders.

'Fascination'

This episode marked a return from Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), though as you may notice her outfits for this particular show became a tad more subdued than those she wore for The Next Generation! Her first outfit in this episode is fairly in line with her previous garb, being a shiny rainbow coloured cloak of sorts worn over a fairly simple burgundy dress, and worn with a headband of the same rainbow colour.

Lwaxana's second outfit is an example, personally, of how her wardrobe became more muted in comparison - but it's still a fun design, being an orange dress with glittery brown segments around the chest and shoulders, fixed with thick orange threads where the fabrics separate. Sadly, like Lwaxana's first outfit, this never gets fully seen on-screen.

Of course, this episode also involved a festical taking place on Deep Space 9 (the spacestation not the series...), so both Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) are out of their uniforms, with Sisko wearing a shiny golden vest and Bashir in a blue and purple lined vest - both just worn with simple trousers. Kira meanwhile wears a gown with asymmetrical lapels, made out of a slightly iridescent material.

'Past Tense'

This episode involved members of the Deep Space 9 crew somehow travelling back in time to 21st century Earth, which is a run-down, poverty-stricken, corrupt society on the brink of collapse...so the one accurate prediction that Star Trek made, I suppose. What it got wrong was the fashion sense of the 21st century, as here the ultra-rich have a bit more style as opposed to our very real one where its gormless weirdos like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos or Trump or Epstein just looking like random arseholes. The socialists wear business suits with no buttons making them trail out like a cape almost, and the ties are now cut to go all around the neck.

One particularly notable suit is worn by Dax as part of her disguise, where she wears a pinstroped suit with a large waistcoat, and complets the look with black tights as well - during the dinner scenes she wears a feather on her head too!

'Destiny'

In this episode, a trio of Cardassian scientists are working on the DS9 station, unknowing that their work is coinciding with a prophecy of destruction. The three scientists are dressed in the usual bulky Cardassian garb, with Ulani (Wendy Robie) wearing a brown dress with striped stretch fabric under the chest.

The second of the scientists, Gilora (Tracy Scoggins) wears a grey tunic with a panel of checkered pattern fabric on the front, with thick lining around it.

The last of the scientists, Dejar (Jessica Handra) wears a green tunic that is cut to taper down to a triangular point at the waist, worn over red leggings.

'Prophet Motive'

This episode marked the reappearance of the Grand Nagus Zek (Wallace Shawn), who uncharistically is feeling more charitable, which is perhaps why he's just in a fairly simple blue and gold patterned gown, fixed with golden material around one shoulder and the cuffs.

Also with Zek is his faithful servant Maihar'du (Tiny Ron), wearing a grey and blue patterned top designed in a chevron shape, with one of the chevrons being in a wavy black and blue pattern.

Rom is briefly seen in this episode wearing his pajamas, which consist of a beige and grey lined tunic, the grey lining going over the shoulders.

Also appearing briefly in this episode is the Dabo girl Emi (Juliana Donald) who is barely seen at all in the episode - which is a shame as her jumpsuit which has peacock feather lining over the top, with dark brown pants as well.

'Distant Voices'

In this episode, Bashir ends up suffering a grueling vision where he is alone on the station and aging rapidly, caused by an evil alien, Altovar (Victor Rivers), who wears a furred coat with ridged straps down the front and similarly ridged shoulder pads.

The visions do include a brief appearance from a Da'bo girl in a rather tasteful red mesh bodysuit, with the more, ahem, sensitive areas covered up by the patterned darker fabric.

'Through the Looking Glass'

This episode marked another return to the mirror universe, with Sisko dressing in his alternate counterpart's attire - a shirt with a cream vinyl front and side-flap collar, worn with stroped trousers.

O'Brien also is in this mirror dimension, wearing a leather vest with coloured fabric stitched to its front and back, worn over a blue shirt.

The other rebels under the command of Sisko dress in a variety of tattered patterned shirts, a bit similar to the Maquis in the 'main' universe - one notable member is the mirror Rom, who wears an orange striped jumper with wide leather straps going over the shoulders.

Also in this universe is Jennifer, the late wife of Sisko (very much alive in this reality), who wears an asymmetrically cut jacket made of a marbled grey material, with white lining around the edges.

'Improbable Cause'

Briefly seen in this episode is Garak's mother, Mila (Juliana McCarthy), who is only seen on a viewscreen, wearing a dotted olive grey top over an orange shirt.

'Explorers'

As per the episode's title, Sisko and his son go on an adventure, with Sisko at first wearing a set of blue and black asymmetrically patterned overalls, worn over a red shirt.

This episode also marked the first appearance of the Da'bo girl Leeta (Chase Masterson), who is introduced wearing a beige and peach coloured bodysuit, with ridges around the midriff, and the peach fabric trailing behind her like a cloak. This is honestly the most restrained any of the Da'bo girl outfits have been at this point, both in colour scheme and how much it's revealing!

'Family Business'

This would be a season introduced many new characters, with one new fixture being Quark's mother Ishka (Andrea Martin), who sports a garish multicoloured gown, fitted with trailing threads and beads around the front and back - again, a costume that just does not come across anywhere as vibrant thanks to the harsh DVD quality.

Another addition was the Ferengi commerce officer Brunt (Jeffrey Combs), who wears a wonderfully ornate costume that almost feels like a challenge to Quark's! Brunt would, for almost all of his future appearances, wear this uniform consisting of a red coat fitted with black bands which themselves are fitted with trailing beads, and worn with dark red (or black?) trousers also fitted with golden studs. Oh, and can't forget that colourful collar either! Whilst I can't find any trace of the jacket anymore, apparently the shirt still exists and was put on auction.

Another striking Ferengi costume in this episode was worn by an unnamed secretary, but would be later worn by the Ferengi assassin Leck (Hamilton Camp), allowing us to see this costume far better! Leck's (or, the secretary) jacket is a lovely red and beige jacket with the beige segments being made of a rougher, more ridged material, and is worn over a colourful striped vest, and even the headband is of the same fabric as the vest as well.

This episode also marked the first appearance of Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), who wears a beige jumpsuit with short sleeves and v-neck collar, worn over a pink shirt.

'Shakaar'

This episode involved the titular Shakaar (Duncan Regehr), a former resistance leader, causing a war with his planet's authorities for refusing to comply with their laws. Shakaar dresses rather plain, wearing a two-toned leather vest with specially cut tail ends over a purple shirt.

Shakaar's fellow farmers are dressed similarly though with odder fabric combinations, especially Lupaza (Diane Salinger) who wears a tunic and skirt adorned with a panel of grey and pink striped fabric.

'Facets'

In this episode, the shapeshifter Odo (Rene Auberjonois) is forced to be the host for a 'Trill' symbiote, and as such his uniform morphes into being something more resembling Trill fashion, with panelling around the chest, shoulders and cuffs, and being of a purple and cream colourscheme in contrast to his more typically drab uniform.