Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Ranking Every Major Character Worst To Best

Deep Space Nine boasted an enormous supporting cast, more than any of the other franchises in terms of the characters' popularity and appearances. As such, ranking them was going to be a tall order.

That said, some of the characters on this show simply lend themselves to high rankings due to the consistantly excellent writing that was on display across the seasons.

Whether it was Kira's search for her place in the new order to Nog's growth and trauma, or Sisko's struggle to reconcile his place in the Bajoran religion - these characters had arcs very different from the other entries in the franchise.

Unsurprisingly, and thankfully in terms of entertainment, there were excellent villains to pick from as well. Deep Space Nine had arguably, after perhaps the Borg, the greatest villains in the franchise (a certain genetically engineered tyrant notwithstanding). It was also the first entry to truly present an interstellar war, something which opened the playing field even wider for more characters to turn up.

Not every character on the show worked. Not every one of them settled into the swing of things quite as well as some of the others. Some were largely forgotten as the story lines went in other directions. This is true of any series, though perhaps on Deep Space Nine it is forgivable due to the sheer size of the cast.

With that in mind, starting at the bottom, we have...

Poor Bareil Antos. He really did care about the Prophets and about Bajor. So much so, that he stood aside and let a monster take over. Well played, Bareil. Well played.

Taking the fall for Kai Opaka, he was forced to step down from the running to be the next Kai, clearing the path for Winn Adami to take the top job. Considering what she nearly brought about for Bajor, this was most certainly not the best decision.

His political failings aside, Bareil also never quite seemed to be the right fit as Major Kira's love interest. There was little to no chemistry between them and his peaceful manner seemed at odds with Kira's short fuse. However, his eventual death left a wound in her that would last for some time to come.

Potentially not that much time though, as later that season she would begin a relationship with Shakaar.

Vedek Bareil seems to have been conceived as something of a 'cool priest' character. While Philip Anglim did the best that he could with that, there was very little room to navigate those restraints. When he returned in the sixth season as Bareil's mirror universe counterpart, he was able to have a little bit more fun with him - yet even that episode ranks as one of the weakest of that season.

Poor Bareil. Go with the Prophets. And stay there.