FOREWORD Deep Space 9 was radically unlike anything we had seen before: a Cardassian ore-processing plant that had been converted into an administrative center and trading post, before Starfleet came in and refitted it with their technology. It not only looked different, it worked differently. The technology was mostly Cardassian, with elements of Starfleet, Bajoran, and even Ferengi cultures thrown in. This book covers all the elements of the station we saw during the show''s seven years on air, plus the auxiliary vehicles Starfleet posted there: the Danube-class runabouts and Starfleet''s first true warship, the U.S.S. Defiant. As with the other volumes in this series, you will find isometric drawings of all the key locations, with detailed artworks of areas such as ops and the Promenade that show you exactly how everything was connected, and illustrations showing uniforms, phasers, tricorders, and some of the Alpha Quadrant''s weapons in the war agains the Dominion.

You''ll see CG renders of the station and the ships, including the Defiant''s rarely seen shuttles. As you read this book, our hope is that you will get a real sense of Deep Space 9 as a place that hundreds of people called home, with all the things that entails. You won''t just find out about the details of the station''s weapons and shields, youll discover what kind of living quarters are available and where to find the holosuites. CONSTRUCTION AND REFIT Originally known as Terok Nor, the space station Deep Space 9 was built by the Cardassians using Bajoran slave labor. It was upgraded with Starfleet systems and additional defenses after the liberation of Bajor. The Cardassian station that would later become Deep Space 9 was built to a standard Cardassian design. Construction was completed in 2346, but the station was not in full service until 2351. Thereafter it served as both an ore-processing facility and the orbital headquarters for the occupation of Bajor.

Its Cardassian name was Terok Nor, and its identical sister stations included Empok Nor in the Trivas system. THE CENTRAL CORE Most of the raw materials used to build the station were found in the Bajoran system, but some had to be mined from asteroids closer to Cardassia Prime. Cardassian-run facilities on Bajor were used to construct the hull plating, power conduits, and parts of the fusion generator. Construction took place above Bajor, starting with the midcore. Here the Cardassians established a temporary command center, along with basic habitable spaces for the Bajoran workforce. Next came the lower core, where more permanent residences and work areas were set up, and preparations began for installing the fusion reactors. The upper core came third, and the temporary command center relocated here once its systems were operational. Completing the core involved building and activating the fusion generator.

Ever mindful of attacks from the Bajoran Resistance, the Cardassians also installed reactive shield armor and shield emitters at this point. When the fusion generator was functional, work began on the Promenade and the command center made its final move to the ops module, which had been prefabricated on Cardassia. Last of all, turbolift interlinks were connected and atmospheric integrity was established throughout the core. RINGS AND PYLONS The inner ring (known as the habitat ring) was built next, along with the crossover bridges that connected it to the central core. The weapons sails were manufactured as separate modules in nearby orbit and connected to the habitat ring as they became available. The bridges were then built out to their fullest extent and the docking pylons took shape around them. The pylons were completed by the installation of ore-processing equipment, leaving only the construction of the outer ring (known as the docking ring) before the station was fully formed.