Nine (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine zine)

Zine
Title:	Nine
Publisher:	Plasma Press with Peg Kennedy and Bill Hupe as agents
Editor(s):	Doug Giffin
Date(s):	January 1994
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Language:	English
External Links:
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cover by Adrian Flores

Nine is a 82-page gen Star Trek: Deep Space Nine anthology.

a 1993 flyer

a 1994 flyer

The submission guidelines were "There are no specific, "set in stone" guidelines, but stories must be able to "really happen" on the show (i.e., Kira and Quark can't get married). Any length is acceptable."

This zine was edited by Doug Giffin who won a 1995 FanQ. Stories and artwork are by Angie Hall, Joan Marie Verba, Doug Giffin, Skye Dumoulin, S.A. Docksey, Will O'Donnell, Teegar, Adrian Flores, Pam Whitelark, includes an interview with Aron Eisenberg ("where he reveals what it's like to actually be a part of DEEP SPACE NINE!") and more.

Controversy Regarding a Story

The version of "Set'em Up, Quark" in this zine is not the author's preferred verion:

According to the editor of Outpost #2:

"Set'em Up, Quark" was published in this zine without permission: "Set 'em Up, Quark," by Skye Dumoulin, details a battle of bartenders as Guinan and Quark vie in a contest. Readers should be advised that this story was previously printed in another fanzine but without the permission of the author (I've got a note from Skye on file). This is the version she prefers, to be sure, and this is the fanzine she wanted it published in.

Contents

• The View from Ops, editorial (1)
• Scapegoat by Angie Hall ("Kira's allegiances are tested when Bajorans threaten the one she holds most dear...her son. (3)
• Suddenly Free by Joan Marie Verba ("The mystery of two refugees from an oppressive society put Odo's deductive skills to the test.") (14)
• Divided We Stand by Doug Giffin ("When a mysterious stranger from Jadzia's past boards the station, Nog becomes a pawn in a deadly game.") (26)
• 24th Century Huck Finn, an interview with Aron Eisenberg (46)
• Set 'Em Up, Quark by Skye Dumoulin (56)
• If Wishes Were Bubbles by S.A. Docksey ("Bashir's infatuation with Dax blurs the lines between fantasy and reality in this light-hearted tale.") (64)
• In the Jungle of the Senses by Will O'Donnell ("Bashir, Kira, and Dax are trapped in a fantasy world while Quark's hosts the first annual Miss Gamma Quadrant Pageant--and both become experiments in terror.") (68)

• 

  from issue #1, Teegar, one of her many works featuring the technique of stippling

• 

  from issue #1, Adrian Flores

• 

  from issue #1, Barbara Spence

• 

  from issue #1, Doug Giffin

• 

  from issue #1, Pam Whitelark

• 

  from issue #1, Teegar

• 

  from issue #1, Adrian Flores

• 

  from issue #1,, Teegar

Reactions and Reviews

I decided it was time to finally break down and buy a Deep Space Nine zine. After a couple of seasons and reading all the pro novels, I understand the characters better and thought I would now enjoy exploring a little deeper. My first choice was a zine published by Bill Hupe and Peg Kennedy. As a regular subscriber to their zine listings, the zine Nine caught my eye.

"Mug" is an action-adventure zine produced by Plasma Press and edited by Doug Giffin. It is 82 pages long with seven stories and an interview with Aron Eisenberg, the actor who plays Nog. It features a beautiful colorful cover with portraits of all the characters surrounding the Space Station drawn by Adrian Flores. Other guest artists include Teegar, Barbara Spence and Pam Whitelark. Stories are contributed by Doug Giffin, Angie Hall, Skye Dumoulin, S.A. Docksey, Will O'Donnell and STARLink subscriber Joan Marie Verba.

Nine opens with the hardest hitting story of the zine, "Scapegoat" by Angie Hall. This story focuses on Kira and opens as she requests a personal leave and refuses to discuss the reason A mysterious message from Bajor saving "Dubaiy is gone" finally forces her to turn to her friends for help. A radical group on Bajor, "The Arbiters of Justice," seeking payment for racial crimes, have kidnapped Dubaiy, a young boy of mixed Cardassian/Bajoran heritage. A dramatic rescue mission concludes with an anguised [sic] Kira holding her young son, conceived from rape and torture. Forced to part with him again, she sends him to Starbase 74 to live in peace and regretfully returns to her duties. This is a very moving story, well-written and holding true to Kira's character. But be forewarned, the final paragraph is a real tearjerker.

"Suddenly Free" by Joan Marie Verba confronts the issue of freedom head on. I enjoyed the way this story led me to expect a certain conclusion, true to the Star Trek universe but vaguely dissatisfying and then suddenly pulls a surprise ending! Deel is a member of an authoritarian society, Frasis, who finds freedom on DS9. But his happiness in the myriad of choices available is suddenly shattered when his companion from Frasis is found mysteriously killed on the Promenade. An analysis of the body reveals the fact that all Frasis citizens have an explosive device implanted within their bodies that detonates shortly after the citizen leaves the home planet. Deel is initially suspected of the murder and this suspicion, coupled with a fear of any attempt to rid his body of the explosive device, leads to his decision to return to Frasis. Throughout the story there is a strong theme of the problems of indoctrination versus the various shades of free choice that adds up to a firm cohesive story.

"Divided We Stand" by Doug Giffin explores the Trill relationship with an interesting flashback story. A visit from her twin brother, Andezen, sends Jadzia on a trip down memory lane as she recalls the day Andezen deliberately failed his joining exam and angrily denounced the whole concept of joining. Since then Jadzia had lost contact with him. Although uncomfortable at first, she eventually agrees to see him. But Andezen, who has become a member of a radical terrorist group drugs Jadzia with a drug that puts the Trill Dax into hibernation, kidnaps her and attempts to flee the Space Station! A subplot finds Quark on the wrong side of a terrific losing streak at the bar, Nog working for a mysterious stranger and Quark ultimately losing the bar. Odo rides to the rescue, however, and ends up saving the bar and rewarding Nog for his heroic role in Jadzia's rescue. Giffin has a wonderful feel for the characters of Jake and Nog and this light touch complements the dramatic events to add up to a good solid read.

"Set em up Quark" by Skye Dumoulian was my personal favorite story in the zine. A lighthearted brew of a tale with the Next Gen family stopping by DS9. A gathering at Quarks leads to a challenge over who can prepare the best Rigellian Rainbow — Guinan or Quark? I won't spoil the surprise but the story in a few lines manages to establish a great camaraderie between Quark and Guinan with a terrific closing line from the movie, Casablanca, adding the final inspired touch.

"If Wishes Were Bubbles" by S.A. Docksey is a slightly confusing montage of dreams and images as Bashir daydreams of a clinging and compliant Jadzia. Nine closes with "In the Jungle of the Senses" by William O'Donnell. While investigating an unknown energy field, Kira, Dax and Bashir suddenly find themselves playing roles in a Victorian mystery novel Bashir had been reading. Julian assumes the role of the investigating detective, Jadzia his wife and Kira finds herself playing a prostitute. Other prominent characters turn out to have the appearance of DS9 people with Sisko as Bashir's partner and Odo as a concert violinst [sic] of all things! As events unfold they struggle to discover who the murderer really is and escape back to the shuttle. Meanwhile, back on DS9, Quark prepares to host the Miss Gamma Quadrant Pageant. This story had a delightful amusing touch as the Klingon sisters show up, Quark inveigles for pageant judges and Keiko enters the contest. The two plotlines unfold to a dramatic and humorous conclusion as the murderer is discovered and Quark gets his comeuppance once again. This was a well-written, very entertaining story.

Nine receives a final score of 75 (out of 100) points. Overall, I found it a very enjoyable zine with a good combination of humor and dramatic tension. I dislike the celebrity interview and would have preferred an extra story instead. (Not because it was uninteresting but simply because I buy zines for the stories.) The cover artwork was excellent and although the inside character portraits were a bit stark and unimaginative they were nicely done. The graphics and fonts were interesting and easy to read and the zines is spiral bound.

The first thing anyone will notice about this fanzine is the gorgeous color cover by Adrian Flores, which depicts both the station and the series regulars. And the rest of the zine lives up to the cover's premise.

"Scapegoat" by Angie Hall, opens the zine. The only story which focuses on Major Kira Nerys, it's something of a "downer." But it's also a nicely written look at the major, although some people might have trouble accepting the premise; I admit the idea takes some getting used to.

"Divided, We Stand," by Douglas M. Giffin, is a Dax story. It is also the only story which disappointed me ~ not because it's badly written (it isn't), but because it isn't long enough. I had heard Doug mention it well before Nine went to press, and I'm a Dax fan, so it's highly likely that no story could have lived up to what I wanted to read. But still, once Doug went to all the trouble of essentially separating Dax and Jadzia, I would have liked to "meet" Jadzia. On the other hand, like all of the stories in this zine, "Divided..." shows a dead-on understanding of what makes the characters tick and how they speak (which, for me, is probably the downfall of 90% of written Trek fiction, fan and pro), and we get to see a little of Jadzia's past. It also gives a Nog a good subplot; he even gets to save the day!

"Set 'Em Up, Quark," by Skye Dumoulin, is a lot of fun. Then again, with Guinan and Quark going head-to-head in a drink mixing contest, how could it miss?

It's followed by another "chuckler," "If Wishes Were Bubbles," by S. A. Docksey — although you'd never guess the kind of ending that's in store from the first two pages.

"In the Jungle of the Senses," by William O'Donnell, has a mostly-serious plot involving Bashir, Dax, and Kira, who find themselves acting out the roles of characters in a murder mystery; it also has a subplot which revolves around Quark's First Annual Miss Gamma Quadrant Pageant. Although the main plot involves three of my favorite characters, has some great scenes, and is based on a premise that I personally enjoy, I have to admit that most of my attention was captured by the events surrounding the beauty pageant.

Nine also features an interview with Aron Eisenberg (who plays Nog on the show) complete with a photo of the actor. The interview runs ten pages in a "question and answer" format, is nicely off set from the fiction by a different typeface, and might be our only chance to learn more about the man who plays the "baby Ferengi."

The art in this zine ranges from good to "oh my god!" Most of it, unfortunately, is portrait art; I would have liked to see more illustrations of the stories. However, the portraits don't seem to be the standard renderings of stills -- or if they are, the stills aren't in my collection -- so even this is a minor complaint, for which the overall quality of the zine more than makes up.