Remembering Harris Yulin, one of Star Trek's greatest stars, 1937-2025
redshirtsalwaysdie.com
Harris Yulin, one of Hollywood’s great character actors, who also delivered an unforgettable performance during a guest-star appearance on Star Trek: Deep Space
  • someone [comrade/them, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    6·
    5 days ago

    Very sad news. His performance in the DS9 episode Duet was great. I highly recommend watching Duet if you haven’t. Go in blind. It’s a safe bet that anyone on this site would very much understand and appreciate this episode. Don’t worry about knowing anything about Star Trek if you’ve never watched it. This episode can be enjoyed standalone. All you really need to know about Deep Space Nine to understand Duet is that the Federation (the Space United Nations with an exploration/military branch called Starfleet, the “good guys”) is helping a world called Bajor recover from a brutal colonial occupation by a major galactic power called the Cardassian Union (basically Space Nazis).

    The Bajorans and the Federation collaboratively run a trade-port space station, the titular “Deep Space Nine”. It used to be a Cardassian ore processing station using Bajoran slave labour before the end of the occupation. The Bajoran Provisional Government didn’t have the resources to repair and repurpose the station to be a trade port, and they had concerns about the Cardassians being a continuing threat, so they made an agreement with the Federation. Starfleet would run the station and it could be used as a base of operations without interference from the Bajorans. But Bajorans would work alongside Starfleet in operating the station, Starfleet would provide military protection for Bajor, Bajoran law would apply to non-Starfleet matters on-station and in Bajoran space, and a Bajoran military officer would be second-in-command. The second-in-command of DS9 is a former guerrilla fighter who started at age 12. She’s seen some shit that she can’t and won’t forget, such as liberating the Bajoran equivalent of Auschwitz. The various post-independence factions of the Bajorans have differing views on the Federation. Some see them as noble saviours who will solve Bajor’s problems, some see them as just another colonial power looking to exploit Bajor. But the majority are at various positions in-between and see the Federation as annoying but temporarily necessary while they get back on their feet.