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DS9 Encyclopedia & Lexicon - Frequently Asked Questions
Why did you do this?
The DS9 Encyclopedia exists because (1) I love the show, and (2) I love trivia. When I get involved in a show (or book or movie), collecting trivia is one of the ways that I immerse myself in it, and enhance my enjoyment. This is simply the first time that one of my "collections" has made it onto the web. Besides being something for myself and other DS9 fans to enjoy, its purpose is to serve as a reference source for fanfic writers.
Are you some kind of obsessed freak or what?
Possibly. I like to think of myself more as "focused". But I do have a life. I'm an artist. I have a husband (who is fortunately very understanding) and a cat. I get out. I read books. I have friends. I watch other TV shows, though DS9 is the only one I've ever felt like doing a website about. (Have you ever noticed that people who collect sports trivia, go to every game, paint their faces, etc., never get asked that question?)
Do you like any other Trek series, or only DS9?
I was a fan of TOS ever since I was about 9 or 10. I was too young to appreciate it during its original run, but I got into it while it was being shown in syndicated reruns. I even tried writing fanfic, something that I thought no one else did, back then. I remember the animated series fondly. By the time the movies started coming out, I was into other things, however, and have never enjoyed them quite as much. But now I really enjoy seeing those old episodes again on the SciFi Channel.
About TNG: I watched it and liked it well enough while it was on. But ever since getting into DS9, I've had a hard time going back to it. The characters just seem incredibly bland to me now. Sorry.
About VOY: uhhhh...well, I don't want to hurt the feelings of any sensitive VOY fans, but...I can't stand it. I loathe it. I despise it. I actually gave it a chance for about three seasons, hoping it would get better. Then I hung on for another two seasons, to make fun of it. Then it lost even that dubious redeeming value for me. I didn't bother watching its sixth season, and I don't plan to watch its seventh. Although I will probably watch the finale just to applaud when it's over. (And if Braga is in charge of the next series, I don't hold out a lot of hope.)
Does anyone connected to the series know about this site?
Only a few people I'm aware of. A message from Rene Auberjonois can be found in my guestbook, as well as a message from Mikael Salazar (who played Ezri's brother Janel in "Prodigal Daughter"). Leslie Hoffman, a stuntwoman who worked on the series, kindly sent me a list of uncredited stunt team members, and she consulted about it with stunt coordinator Dennis Madalone, so he's heard about it too. I have also heard from Karen Reinhart, an uncredited makeup artist who worked on the series' final season, and whose boyfriend is Randy James (aka Randy Pflug), an extra seen as a Starfleet security officer in several episodes (according to her, he's also seen the site).
How accurate is the information on this site?
As accurate as humanly possible. Every statement made about every item named comes directly from what is revealed about the item in a DS9 episode or episodes. The only exceptions are logical extrapolations (such as deducing Sisko's age from how long ago he said he graduated from the Academy), or speculations (which are labeled as such, and which anyone is free to disagree with).
Can I rely on the spellings?
Absolutely. My spellings for each entry have been confirmed using the scripts of the episodes (which I got from the DS9 Companion CD). This includes all Klingon words. (I say that because someone once complained that I didn't use the Marc Okrand spelling for one Klingon word in particular. But in my view, you can't get any more canon than the actual scripts of the episodes themselves.)
Why don't you have any frames, animations, or other bells and whistles?
Two reasons. (1) Content and speed of downloading is much more important to me than graphical tricks and doodads. The images are about as fancy as I'll get. (2) I'm not all that knowledgable at HTML anyway.
Can you tell me how to get in touch with any of the actors, writers, or producers?
Unfortunately, I have no "insider" ties to anyone on the series. (I should be so lucky.) My best suggestion is to look them up at their official websites (if they have any; do a net search on Google or something similar), fan club websites, or Paramount's Star Trek website.
I have a question about something related to DS9, that I'm having trouble looking up. Can I ask you directly?
Certainly. You can e-mail me at n9doo@iquest.net. I will caution you, however, that I'm not interested in answering questions about the Pocket tie-in DS9 novels, or about hypothetical ship classes or registry numbers, or whether the Defiant could destroy a Borg cube/the Death Star/Voyager/a 1973 Ford Pinto/anything else. Such questions will be ignored. If, on the other hand, you want to clarify something about a person, place or thing mentioned on the series, I'll be happy to try and help.
Do you have a site like this for any of the other Trek series, or know of any?
No. This is my only website, and I have no knowledge of any similar sites focusing on TOS, TNG, or VOY. Sorry.