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Except for the occasional episode that features Julian Bashir, the doctor usually stands in the background voicing a word here and there or walks around the station engaging in small talk. Most of the time he isn't given much air time at all. Despite all that, the episodes wherein he is featured prominently usually has good writing as backing and the results are often very memorable. It's a relief to see that the medical personnel of Star Trek have once again regained a distinctive personality, albeit lighter fare than Bones McCoy. Does anyone remember seeing Beverly Crusher do anything of consequence outside of Sickbay? In Deep Space Nine we have a young man who is just starting out in life, of relatively low rank and usually confined to the medical aspect of any mission. He has little luck in the way of relationships and instead seeks the company of his friends, from the practical Miles to the effusively charming Garak. He is someone all of us can identify and an abstraction of the average working class male.
As Deep Space Nine is not centered around any main character, but around the story that arises from a crew of Starfleet officers who set up shop administering a space station in the orbit of Bajor, exposure for an individual character is necessarily shorter than more a centralized two-character TV series. The main stars often must share air time with over a dozen major recurring guest stars that enrich the atmosphere and diversity of the show. With such a massive pool of characters with which to work, the conundrum of what to do with main characters that really don't figure in the plot still plagues the Deep Space Nine screenwriter. I've seen plenty of scenes where "extraneous" characters are just there and given two words to say throughout. In one episode, I believe it was Sanctuary, Bashir was sitting around the table with other senior officers of DS9 interrogating the alien woman. That was his only appearance the whole show, and he said four words, "What do you mean?" So you wonder what he's doing there if there's no purpose in his being present.
The doctor has matured considerably since his first arrival. Though still retaining that mischievous glint in his eyes, he has taken on a more professional air when on-duty, not so prone to laying on his self-perceived charm. I've enjoyed watching Sid develop his character, and especially his special relationship with Garak the Promenade Clothier. Garak is such a vibrant character, so eloquent, and so very appealing. The two have the best sort of friendship and give the series a very interesting element. Julian is fascinated by the frank yet elusive tailor, while Garak is simply very happy to share his discussions of Cardassian literature with another interested soul over lunch. Julian has not had much luck with steady relationships with women, but his friends in the form of Garak and O'Brien have comforted him much, as well as given us the audience something to anticipate.
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