Summary
- Avery Brooks directed nine impactful episodes of DS9, showcasing raw humanity and incredible performances rarely seen in Star Trek.
- "Tribunal" was Brooks' confident directorial debut, while "Far Beyond the Stars" stands out as his masterpiece addressing racism.
- Brooks excelled in balancing tonal shifts in episodes like "Body Parts," "The Dogs of War," and "Ties of Blood and Water."
Captain Sisko actor Avery Brooks directed nine episodes of Star Trek: DS9 cast who directed episodes, and made his directorial debut with season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal".
After Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Avery Brooks went on to direct a revival of Ntozake Shange's Boogie Woogie Landscapes, which was staged at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and in London's West End. However, in of screen work, Brooks' nine episodes of DS9 are his only directorial credits, which is TV and film's loss, frankly. Avery Brooks' best directorial efforts in DS9 are defined by incredible performances that display a raw humanity rarely seen in Star Trek. Fittingly, Brooks directed Captain Sisko's best episode of DS9, but he also brings out the best in many of his DS9 contemporaries.
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Star Trek: DS9, Season 3, Episode 10, "Fascination"
First Aired: November 28, 1994
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 10, "Fascination" is the worst of Avery Brooks' directorial efforts. A visit from Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett) during the Bajoran Gratitude Festival causes the DS9 crew to give into secret ions in a formulaic Star Trek sex comedy. While Brooks' direction gives everything a dynamic flourish, particularly the tracking shot through the Promenade, it's clear that comedy isn't necessarily in his wheelhouse as a director. Discussing "Fascination" in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Brooks said:
"I guess it was over the top. But what is over the top, after all? If you're having a pint of Guinness and you see the foam pouring over the top, you think, 'That's great!' But in a television episode, there's this concern about action being too large. It all comes down to rhythm, and whether a scene has it or not."
The lack of rhythm is key to why Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 10, "Fascination" doesn't work as a comedy. The levels of performance wildly vary across the cast, meaning that the comedy often feels forced. That's not to say that it's completely without charm, as Brooks gives more latitude to DOP Jonathan West, which means that there's more light and color than usual. This light and color compliments the episode's comedic tone, but it's hard to escape the fact that some of the performances are wildly over the top.
Star Trek: DS9 Stars That Directed Episodes |
How Many Episodes |
|---|---|
Avery Brooks |
9 |
Rene Auberjonois |
9 |
Michael Dorn |
3 |
Alexander Siddig (as Siddig El Fadil) |
2 |
Andrew Robinson |
1 |
Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 25, "Body Parts"
First Aired: June 10, 1996
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 25, "Body Parts" is a more successful comedy directed by Avery Brooks. One of the best DS9 episodes for Quark (Armin Shimerman), it's a pitch-black comedy about Ferengi death rituals. When Quark believes he's dying, he sells his remains to his greatest rival, Liquidator Brunt (Jeffrey Combs). Unfortunately for Quark, Brunt insists on honoring the deal even when it turns out that Quark has a clean bill of health. Brooks handles the tonal shifts between the black comedy of the Quark plot and the emotional complexity of the fetus transplant storyline taking place elsewhere.
Keiko and Miles' son being transported into Kira's womb was written into "Body Parts" to explain Nana Visitor's real-life pregnancy.
Armin Shimerman singles out "Body Parts" as a crucial Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode for Quark, as it challenges his Ferengi beliefs. This moral dilemma at the heart of the darkest Ferengi comedy episode is what makes "Body Parts" a more successful episode than "Fascination". There's a real thematic heft to Quark's dilemma that adds texture to the blackly comic premise, a tonal tightrope that Avery Brooks confidently walks as the episode's director.
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Star Trek: DS9, Season 3, Episode 6, "The Abandoned"
First Aired: October 31, 1994
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, season 3, episode 6, "The Abandoned" is a fascinating episode for Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois). The episode's plot concerns a Jem'Hadar infant that can only be controlled by Odo. It's a compelling piece of drama about nature versus nurture that also adds further layers to the Jem'Hadar and the Changelings as newly introduced Star Trek aliens. The story of Odo's struggle to rehabilitate the young Jem'Hadar appealed to Avery Brooks, who saw the episode as a metaphor for gang culture:
"...for me, it was very much a story about young brown men, and, to some extent, a story about a society that is responsible for the creation of a generation of young men who are feared, who are addicted, who are potential killers."
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion
Season 3 is very early days in the story that would eventually lead to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Dominion War, and "The Abandoned" reveals just how powerful the Founders are. By revealing how impossible it is to break the genetic programming of the Jem'Hadar, "The Abandoned" demonstrates that the species will die for the Dominion Founders, making them an implacable enemy. Avery Brooks' understanding of the episode's themes means that his direction brings out the very best in both his actors and D. Thomas Maio & Steve Warnek's script.
Star Trek: DS9, Season 7, Episode 24, "The Dogs of War"
First Aired: May 26, 1999
Avery Brooks' largest responsibility as a director on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was to set up the finale in DS9's penultimate episode "The Dogs of War". Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 24, "The Dogs of War" includes some epic fight sequences quite unlike anything in Avery Brooks' other directorial efforts. However, there are also some tender character moments, and it completes the hero's journey of Legate Damar (Casey Biggs). Discussing the episode in the DS9 documentary, What We Left Behind, Casey Biggs shared some advice he got from his director when he was struggling with Damar's monologue:
"We're on the set, and I go through [it], and I fumbled it a couple of times. Avery just looked at me. He comes up and he says, 'Glide. Dig?' And he walks away. And I said, 'Okay, I get it, because it's glide. You just, move your way through it.'"
Avery Brooks has a lot of elements to juggle in "The Dogs of War" from bringing back DS9's USS Defiant to making Rom (Max Grodenchik) into the Grand Nagus. As in "Body Parts", Avery Brooks walks the tonal tightrope between Kira's battle for survival on Cardassia Prime and the lighter Ferengi storyline. The director also perfectly balances the DS9 ensemble, meaning that an episode with so many huge character moments never feels overstuffed.
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Star Trek: DS9, Season 3, Episode 20, "Improbable Cause"
First Aired: April 24, 1995
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 20, "Improbable Cause" is a fine example of the show's ability to tell film noir-style mysteries. Constable Odo is tasked with investigating an attack on DS9's Cardassian tailor Garak (Andrew Robinson), which confirms the audience's suspicions about the former spy. "Improbable Cause" is the first of a two-part episode, but was initially intended to be a standalone episode, hence Brooks only directing part one.
It's not uncommon for Star Trek directors to only direct one episode of a two-parter. For example, Jonathan Frakes directed DS9 season 3, episode 2, "The Search, Part II" and season 3, episode 12, "Past Tense, Part II"
"Improbable Cause" is a gripping thriller that showcases the darker tone that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine excels at. Avery Brooks really drills down into the central mystery, shooting a lot of his characters in shadow and fog. The scene in which Odo meets his Cardassian informant is atmospherically directed by Brooks. The shadowy Cardassian is positioned in darkness above Odo, just out of sight, which adds to the enigmatic nature of their conversation.
Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 6, "Reed"
First Aired: October 30, 1995
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 6, "Reed" was controversial on broadcast for its same-sex kiss between Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn (Suzanna Thompson). As the director of "Reed", Avery Brooks was keen not to sensationalize the kiss, perhaps foreseeing the homophobic backlash. In fact, Brooks refused to allow Entertainment Tonight to film the kiss between Dax and Lenara, saying in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion that "People want to hype stuff like that, but I wasn't going to have it." Later in the book, Avery Brooks outlines his standpoint on the themes of the episode:
"It was a story about love, and the consequences of making choices out of love. The kiss was irrelevant."
While Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, episode 6, "Reed" is definitely about love, it's also about the societal taboos that can stand in the way. The furore over the kiss between Dax and Lenara completely missed the point of the episode, and proved Avery Brooks was right not to "hype" it on Entertainment Tonight. Divorced from the overblown reaction to the kiss, "Reed" is a tender and thoughtful love story, beautifully directed by Avery Brooks, that gives Terry Farrell some of her best material as Dax.
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Star Trek: DS9, Season 5, Episode 19, "Ties of Blood and Water"
First Aired: April 14, 1997
"Ties of Blood and Water" is one of Major Kira's best episodes of Star Trek: DS9, as it continues her journey to reconcile the horrors of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. The episode is a sequel to DS9 season 3, episode 5, "Second Skin", featuring the return of the Cardassian dissident Tekeny Ghemor (Lawrence Pressman). Despite being a Cardassian, Kira sees Ghemor as a complicated father figure, and "Ties of Blood and Water" forces both characters to confront their pasts. The episode features a visually striking montage sequence, which Avery Brooks beautifully describes in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion.
"There is a suspension of time. Time is kind of irrelevant. Each shot was, for me, like a portrait. I was very interested in creating portraits, in of composition and lighting. Still portraits. Not photographs, but paintings."
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 19, "Ties of Blood and Water" is an incredibly powerful episode about family and legacy. The episode is a firm favorite of Major Kira actress Nana Visitor, and it's easy to see why, as it's a fascinating character study of her and her prejudices. Lawrence Pressman was full of praise for Avery Brooks' directorial style, highlighting how he gave him "a lot of courage" and pushed his performance in interesting directions. This comes across in the scenes between Pressman and Visitor, as both actors are clearly giving it their all for their director.
Star Trek: DS9, Season 2, Episode 25, "Tribunal"
First Aired: June 5, 1994
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal" is both the first episode that Avery Brooks directed, and DS9's first official O'Brien Must Suffer episode. As a first effort, it's striking how Avery Brooks approaches the material with confidence. Brooks' direction of the O'Brien scenes chillingly demonstrates the brutality of the Cardassian regime through harsh cuts in the editing and some close-ups on O'Brien's pained face. Avery Brooks' confidence in his vision put him at odds with his assistant director, B.C. Cameron, who reflected on their disagreement in What We Left Behind:
"I said, 'It's kind of difficult sometimes, because I come to ask you questions and then you act like you don't want to tell me things, or that I'm bothering you.' And he said, 'I guess you don't understand my sense of humor.' And I said, 'To be honest with you, sir, I'm not sure you have one.' And he kind of reared back his shoulders, turned around, a little half-grin came on his face, and he said, 'What is it you want to know?'"
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion notes that Avery Brooks enjoyed directing both Colm Meaney and guest star Fritz Weaver, who both gave incredible performances in "Tribunal". It's one of the standout episodes in DS9 season 2, and much of that is down to Avery Brooks' direction of the torture scenes and the chilly Cardassian courtroom. "Tribunal" is an incredibly confident debut which established Avery Brooks as a very visual director with a keen understanding of writing and performance.
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Star Trek: DS9, Season 6, Episode 13, "Far Beyond the Stars"
First Aired: February 11, 1998
Not only is "Far Beyond the Stars" Avery Brooks' masterpiece, it's also one of the very best episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Set primarily in the 1950s, "Far Beyond the Stars" is Star Trek's most overt and most powerful treatment of racism in the franchise's near 60-year history. Avery Brooks was chosen to direct the episode because it was felt that the story had to be told from the perspective of someone with experiences that the show's white directors didn't. Avery Brooks discussed why "Far Beyond the Stars" appealed to him in What We Left Behind", saying:
"You know, because of the writing of it, because it talked about 1953, because it talked about who we are or who we were, this idea of this brown man, writing this science fiction, I thought that was incredibly clever,"
Over 30 years after Nichele Nichols debuted in Star Trek: The Original Series, "Far Beyond the Stars" looks back on how things have changed in the intervening decades. However, it doesn't pull its punches in depicting the harsh realities of things that haven't changed. The depiction of police brutality, and the shooting of Jimmy (Cirroc Lofton) is visceral, and unlike anything seen in Star Trek before or since. On top of directing the episode, Avery Brooks also had to lead the episode as both Captain Sisko and Benny Russell, turning in his most nuanced and emotionally raw performance.
An abandoned idea for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finale would have revealed the entire show to be the brainchild of Benny Russell.
"Far Beyond the Stars" is Avery Brooks' defining achievement in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as both actor and director. As an actor, Avery Brooks' dual performances as both Sisko and Benny help to sell the idea that these are two completely different people, connected across the centuries by the Bajoran Prophets. As a director, Brooks delivers a powerful statement about the insidious nature of racism, and how far society still has to go to eradicate it. Watching "Far Beyond the Stars" decades later reveals that it's lost none of its power, which is a damning indictment on the society of today.
All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Release Date
- 1993 - 1999-00-00
- Network
- CBS
- Showrunner
- Michael Piller, Ira Steven Behr
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
- Writers
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Seasons
- 7
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
- Where To Watch
- Paramount Plus
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