Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 6 (1997)

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) )

In the last two seasons of Deep Space Nine, the tailor and spy Garak (Andrew Robinson) began to wear a usually more muted wardrobe compared to some of his more colourful outfits seen in the previous seasons, though this brown 'lizard skin' tunic seems a bit similar to the one he sported in the second season, especially with the sleeves. This particular tunic is also worn with a shiny orange shirt undearneath as well.

Another new Garak outfit introduced this season was this deal which consists of, like most of the Cardassian's outfits, a rounded tunic with an angular block of patterned material on the front and back - the panelling is a shiny blue, which makes it look almost like a mirror in a way.

The last (and most striking) of Garak's new outfits for this season had to be this golden tunic he wore only in one particular episode only - and at that, it doesn't even get much screentime anyway.

'You Are Cordially Invited'

An absoluely delightful outfit is worn in this episode by the Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn) and his to be betrothed wife Jadzia Dax (Terry Farell), who wear Klingon wedding outfits in this particular episode. Worf is in a bright red leather tunic with studded panelling over the shoulders, worn with variants of the curved collar and wristguards that Robert Fletcher had originally designed for them all the way back in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Dax's wedding costume is a deligt, and perhaps one of the most famous costumes from the entire series (to the point Terry Farrell even donned it again in 2014 at a convention!), being a red leather dress with the sleeves made of the softer furred fabric, and holes cut around the shoulders and chest - again, like the usual Klingon garb, this is worn with the typical wristguards and collar.

The wedding is overseen by the Klingon woman Sirella (Shannon Cochran), who sports a grey and black robe adorned with the typical Klingon regalia, as well as having a green tabard worn over it, along with an ornate necklace.

During the wedding itself, Sirella sports a more formal robe of ridged material that is similar in design to the robes worn by the Klingon priests in The Next Generation episode 'Rightful Heir'.

It is in this series that Leeta gets a much more eye-catching dress, this being a orange deal covered in studs, with an asymmetrical sloping cut to the top and bottom as well - this dress is sometimes worn with tights.

I suppose now would be the time to mention the last of the notable Da'bo girl outfits, in particular this see-through mesh deal where the especially sensitive regions are covered up with strategically placed red floral patterns.

There is also this other Dabo girl outfit that is usually seen at a distance, but seems to be of the same very risque design sense - perhaps why it was usually shown at a distance!

'The Magnificent Ferengi'

In this episode, Quark gets both his family, friends and even his nemesis Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) to unite into a fighting force to liberate his mother Ishka (Cecily Adams) from a Dominion strike force, with them taking the snivelling Keevan (Christopher Shea) prisoner - Keevan's costume is rather similar in design to the one worn by other Vorta officials seen in the series, but his made of a lighter brown tunic, with grey shoulder panelling and blue trousers.

The other Vorta seen in this episode, Yelgrun (played by none other than Iggy Pop!) sports a rather different sort of uniform to his comrades, as this one for once is actually of a symmetrical design, with light brown panelling over the shoulders - shame that the dark lighting doesn't let us see the costume properly, and it is only via this one photo I managed to find online of one of the exhibitions the shows had, that shows just how colourful the material used for Yelgrun's costume was.

It seems that there had been another costume made for Iggy Pop in his role, this one also being a fairly more colourful version of the typical Vorta dress sense, with the fabrics used having splashes of blue and red all over, rather than the other Vorta's penchant for browns and greens.

'Who Mourns for Morn?'

This episode involved a band of thieves attempting to steal the riches of Quark's late regular customer, with one of the thieves, Larell (Bridget Ann White), wearing a rainbow coloured top and skirt that are cut to reveal the midriff in a way that I'm sure the original 60s series costume designer William Ware Theiss would have been proud of.

Also on the hunt for Morn's fortune is the phoney customs agent Hain (Gregory Itzin) who wears a two-tone panelled tunic with red triangular markings around the chest and collar, as we well as metallic pieces over the chest - a symbolic decoration of the government organization he's pretending to be in, perhaps?

'Honor Among Thieves'

This episode had O'Brien getting involved with the criminal underworld of the Orion Syndicate, who all dwell in underlit bars meaning the costumes were very hard to make out here! Most of the cast are in simple suits, with O'Briens own disguist being a vinyl tunic and vest over an orange shirt.

Other members of the Syndicate tend to wear jackets of a similar material, but with rather odd cuts to their collars, having strips connecting them.

More formally dressed is the Syndicate higher-up Raimus (Joseph Culp), who wears a pinstripped nehru suit with black strips around the chest.

The Orion Syndicate of course also have prostitutes in their service, with this one wearing a particular striking silvery dress that has been designed in a way to make it look like the dress itself is made of fluid, especially given the material used.

The reason O'Brien is investigating the Syndicate is to prove that they are colluding with the Dominion, a suspicion that comes true when the Vorta Gelnon (Leland Crooke) arrives, wearing a suit in the usual design and colour scheme so common to the Vorta, with a green collar and brown mottled fabric making up the rest of the jacket.

'Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night'

This episode was partly set during the time when the titular 'Deep Space 9' space station was still under Cardassian control, and showed how they made the oppressed Bajorans' women into forced prostitutes - this operation is overseen by the Bajoran collaboration Basso (David Bowe), who wears a uniform of the same basic design as Odo and the other Bajoran security officers, but made of a speckled black material instead.

The various prostitutes are dressed in a variety of sparkly mesh dresses, with perhaps the most interesting one (the blue one with fabric strips running from each side) being seen the least out of all of them.

Also present on the station is Kira's mother, who wears a purple fabric dress with holes cut around the shoulders, the most notable aspect of its design really.

'Inquisition'

In this episode, Bashir ends up finding the attention of Section 31, the secret police of the Federation - all of Section 31's members are in dark brown leather wraparoun tunics, making them seem sinister for sure.

'Profit and Lace'

Perhaps one of the more infamous episodes to involve the Ferengi, this episode had Quark's mother Ishka in a garish vinyl bodysuit, adorned with jewellery and worn with a translucent cape that is also fitted with multicoloured gems all over - I'm not sure I like the image of the thoroughly less then photogenic Ferengi in such tight outfits, but it is still a wonderfully cheesy outfit and I love it.

Brunt also reappears in this episode, this time having became Grand Nagus, and as such is in a wonderfully detailed purple and golden tailcoat with the purple panelling being coated in golden studs, worn over a similarly golden-lined purple vest of an angular cut - it seems, from the auction site photos, that the vest is no longer with the tailcoat, sadly. Also of note is again, how the dark lighting (was it also tinted?) of the series doesn't let the full colourfulness of the costumes be shown - from these screenshots, I wouldn't know that Brunt's tailcoat was actually meant to be purple!

Brunt has his own servant, Uri'lash (Sylvain Cecile) who is in a garish patterned bodysuit very similar in design to Zek's servant Maihar'Du's, with a blue and orange pattern on the front, that admittedly isn't seen much because he always has his arms crossed over it!

What makes this episode particularly infamous is that it involves Quark going for that old cartoon gag; crossdressing. As such, he wears a similarly garish bodysuit to Ishka's, that is alsor adorned with jewellery all over, and a similar gem-studded translucent cape as well, though this cape has just fabric lining on its sides rather than jewels such as Ishka's.

The episode involved Quark's attempt to deceive the Ferengi official Nilva (Henry Gibson), who sports a lovely gold-studded green coat over an orange waistcoat, with leaf patterns on the lapels, and of course worn with the usual gold lined trousers that the Ferengi officials typically always wear - this costume is I believe currently owned by Francis Scotfield, the owner of the New Ferenginar blog, and has even taken photos wearing it for GQ Magazine, where he starred next to Chris Pine who played Kirk in the rebooted Star Trek films.

'Time's Orphan'

In this episode, O'Brien's daughter ends up falling through a time portal and arriving years older, and when older wears a jumpsuit of a mottled brown and black material.

For most of this episode, Keiko sports a black jumpsuit with a grey spotted top over it - whilst it had appeared in an earlier season, it makes more appearances in this season.