On Sunday we reported how the one-night screenings event for the long-anticipated documentary What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had been revealed early online. Today Fathom Events officially announced the event, along with more details and a trailer.
Watch the trailer
May 13: In theaters for one night only – with bonus round table discussion
Fans will get a special look into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the new documentary – “What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” – arrives in movie theaters across the country for one night only on May 13, 2019. The film presents a fascinating in-depth look at the past, present and future of a series whose dark, edgy take on Gene Roddenberry’s vision was often misunderstood when it premiered but has grown into a beloved mainstay in the Star Trek franchise.
Ira Steven Behr said, “When Dave Zappone asked me if I wanted to make a documentary about Deep Space Nine, my first reaction was, ‘What is there left to say about Deep Space Nine?’ Well, William Faulkner once wrote, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ The cast, crew and fans have a lot to say about Deep Space Nine. What We Left Behind is their story; it’s my story, too. Turns out William Faulkner was a very wise man.”
Featuring extensive new interviews with the cast and crew of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as newly remastered HD footage from the television series, “What We Left Behind” also focuses on the original writers of the series as they craft a brand-new episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, developing what would be the eighth-season premiere if the show were to return to the air today.
Following the feature presentation, a taped roundtable discussion with directors Ira Steven Behr, David Zappone, and the film’s producers will provide audiences with a comprehensive look at the making of the film, the show’s fans and the series’ ongoing appeal to Trekkers of all ages. Fathom attendees will also receive an exclusive double-sided poster with the theatrical poster art for “What We Left Behind” on one side, and an original illustration from the film on the other. (Quantities limited, while supplies last.)
What We Left Behind theater event poster
Tickets available Friday
Fathom Events, Shout! Studios, 455 Films and Tuxedo Productions bring this event to more than 800 movie theaters nationwide on Monday, May 13, at 7:00 p.m. local time. Tickets for “What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” can be purchased beginning Friday, April 12 at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.
In Canada you can find showings via Cineplex.
No screenings outside US and Canada, yet
From a separate Indiegogo backer’s update e-mail sent out today the producers have some notes about screenings for other parts of the world:
Though the Fathom Events screenings are only available currently in North America, we know very well that #DS9 is universal! If you’re an international backer, we encourage you to make some noise in your local fan groups, contact your local theaters, or send a friendly note to our distributors over at Shout Studios telling them where you’d like to see the film play!
With your support, your energy and excitement, we’ve already been able to do great things. We hope, with your help, to have more international news to share soon too!
Backer stream event starts April 25th
As promised, those who backed the project on Indigogo will be the first to see it. As we reported yesterday, the documentary will be available in an early backer stream which debuts worldwide on Thursday, April 25th at 9:09pm EST. Eligible backers will be able to stream it from home or on your mobile devices as many times as you like for the following 99 hours (which works out to a little over 4 days). According to an update from the DS9 Doc team, the DVD and Blu-ray combo sets will be shipping after the theatrical release, and to “stay tuned” for more details on that release.
I. Am. So. There.
God this looks good! I can’t wait to watch. Hopefully someone at CBS is watching too. DS9 deserves a full HD remaster. I love DS9!
Agreed. As does “Voyager.” Hopefully, if the remastered versions of both shows are presented in 16:9, then cool! If 4:3 like “TNG,” fine. Don’t expect “TNG Remastered” to be redone, though, as far as aspect ratios go.
Very pleased to see even a short segment with Avery Brooks.
100%
They’ve got Avery Brooks!!!
Oh yes!
It’s archival footage of him.
What’s going on with Avery Brooks? He’s like, gone.
What happened to him?
Avery’s always been a bit of a starchild. He doesn’t seem any more out there in that clip than he was in Bill Shatner’s “Captains” documentary.
He has effectively retired from acting. Maybe he still does theatrical work every now and then, but he’s done with TV and cinema and it would seem that he really wants to have nothing to do with it anymore.
He is a tenured professor of Drama at his alma mater, Rutgers University. He also still does theatre.
It would be great to see Sisko again. Even more than Picard (in which series I think will tend toward tragedy in the beginning in terms of the character arc; recall that Picard has had no close family for a very long time, and his clone was killed in Nemesis).
We need more DS9. Much more.
Sisko created the red bursts.
He has also said that he has said all he can about his time on Star Trek.
Picard can only speak to us from the depths of tragedy. I love his character, but he is a form of King Lear to me at then end of Nemisis, even tho’ he did not perish. His lieutenant and his clone both perished in his stead. It was a tragic ending. And the movie bombed, in case anyone reading this from Pluto did not know.
What could move this character toward a brighter future? Lots. I have ideas. They are frolicking in my tiny brain as a human.
But his story cannot begin happily in the series.
Is he dead or alive?
Are you kidding or serious?
Wow this looks good. I have so much love for DS9 and am stoked by this documentary. Can’t wait!
Nice trailer.
This trailer looks amazing! Its so great to have even a small part of DS9 again. Star Trek at its BEST!!!!
Hey, producers, it’s 2019: we have a thing called STEREO now!
I love this show. I think I will love the retrospective. I will not love the feeling that we will not be here again.
It’s poetic.
It’s art.
But should DS9 not be made again, it would not be just.
I hope for a new incarnation of DS9 after this. As a fan, I demand it.
I demand justice! (And never mind what Sarek says to that for I am not Klingon. And he isn’t real.)
A DS9 reboot is unlikely. At least we are getting a Picard show. Picard is the best captain in Starfleet. Kirk can’t do that.
Where I come from we’d wash your mouth out with soap for saying that. Go to your room right now young man! You’re grounded!
Cannot wait!
who’s the guy being interviewed who says that bit about ds9 not being star trek? didn’t recognize him.
That’s supervising producer David Livingston
Thanks. He seemed somewhat familiar but I couldn’t remember his name.
The documentary might be good, but that trailer looks like it was slapped together in a very sloppy fashion.
For a Fathom Events trailer, that was good! The only one I ever saw that looked better was the one for showings of the Newsies stage musical, but I’m pretty sure some arm or another of Disney was in charge of that one.
Up until recently, some Fathom trailers were cut by someone involved in the film’s editorial and overseen by Fathom. Other trailers for productions, including Newsies, were cut by professional trailer editors. That has since ended due to costs. This was cut likely by someone working with Ira.
Even though they did a bang up job crowd funding this, it’s still crowd funded. I’d imagine if the majority of the bucks went into the finished product that the trade off was a sloppy trailer.
That’s what some here say when it comes to dating: “Hey, I’ll take sloppy!”
Hey, sometimes you take what you can get.
You got that right, Phil!
Well, except for “sloppy seconds”………(maybe) :)
Maybe we’ll see the wonder and have a DS9 movie sometime? would be a dream come true.
Don’t see that happening, Avery Brooks would be hard act to cast. A potential story would either have to pick up in real time with a much older cast, or they’d have to recast everyone if the story occurred shortly after the end of the series.
It waiteth.
I may finally pull the trigger and watch DS9 from the beginning. I’ve only ever seen the pilot, which I remember watching with my dad.
Make sure to give it some time. Much like TNG, it took a little while to find its footing.
It had a much stronger first season than TNG though.
Same. Me too.
You’ll be glad you did. It’s worth it. Warning: the first two or three seasons can be painful.
It’s a fantastic show. Of all the TNG-era shows it had the closest ties to TOS. It has wit, action, adventure, and deep meaning.
Thomas you are in for a ride! The show goes from OK in the first two seasons to amazing in seasons 3 and 4 to phenomenal from season 5 on! DS9 is probably the only show I rewatched in its entirety from beginning to end over about five times now. And now with this documentary coming up, I’m debating if I can squeeze in another rewatch before May 12th. Probably not but I might try anyway. ;)
DS9 was a show I hated during its first run episodes but fell in love with through home media. It certainly takes time to get used to, but fron the third season on its one of the best shows I have seen. I’m most certainly a Niner now.
If you liked the remake Battlestar Galactica they have a similar feel at times.
It definitely hits its stride toward the end of the 2nd season and in the 3rd Season it really takes off. For me, the really strong ones in the first 2 seasons were:
Season 1
“Emissary”
“Duet”
“In the Hands of the Prophets”
Season 2
“The Homecoming”
“The Circle”
“The Siege”
“Necessary Evil”
“Whispers”
“Blood Oath”
“The Maquis, Part I and II”
“The Wire”
“Crossover”
“The Collaborator”
“Tribunal”
“The Jem’Hadar”
But, I really found that even some of the less than strong episodes were fun and it’s great to get to know these characters. There are even episodes where, while I wasn’t a fan of the A story, I really enjoyed the B story.
As Picard said to Wesley in “Final Mission,” “Oh, I envy you, Thomas, you’re just at the beginning of the adventure.”
Hope you take the time to watch the series and that you enjoy!
Thanks for this list Matt! I have officially decided I’m rewatching DS9 in its entirety now and in fact rewatched Emissary and the first episode after that, Past Prologue, just yesterday. I been watching bits and pieces of the show again the past few months but now want to rewatch the whole thing. But the first two seasons are always the hardest trying to decide what I should or shouldn’t include since they are admittedly the weakest. But I love your season two list and will follow that with probably a few more episodes thrown in. I agree with your season one list those are easily the strongest but I plan to watch a few more as well, probably about 10-12 episodes from first season.
But yes DS9 is a really fun show to watch because it really is the first Trek show that builds on both the main and supporting players no other show has ever done. So by the time you get to the fifth season you’ve seen so much character development and changes in practically everybody. And we get Worf! Another bonus. ;D
Anytime! I love seeing people discover the amazing adventure that DS9 is. There are a lot of episodes that I like in the first season, but I find if I tell them the ones that I enjoy over the ones that I think are the strongest, I tend to get some raised brows afterward.
I’m also a fan of “Battle Lines” since the consequences of that one resonate throughout the entire series. I like “The Storyteller” because it has some funny moments and some great Nog and Jake development. “The Nagus” is fun because we get introduced to Wallace Shawn as the Grand Nagus and he’s delightful in that role. “Q-Less” is fun, seeing how Sisko handling of Q is so very different from Picard’s, but still equally as fun. And, despite them not being a popular pick, I actually enjoy “Move Along Home” (Allamaraine!) and “If Wishes Were Horses.” I find them light and fun.
And, you are spot on with the character building. For me, they start to feel like family members and the more you get to know them, the more they become endeared to me. In fact, I have a real hard time watching the 2nd half of “What You Leave Behind” and haven’t in sometime because it’s WAY too sad for me and I don’t want to say goodbye to the characters!
I just finished watching the third episode in the series, “A Man Alone”. I don’t think I’ve watched that one in decades lol. I realize there are a lot of episodes in the first two seasons I have passed over again and again to the point I have completely forgotten what they were about. A lot of early DS9 episodes were fine, they were just more on the slower side than anything, but nothing I can’t rewatch I’m finding out. I can’t even remember what “The Storyteller” was about but its now on my list.
I had watched “Q-Less” a few months ago (did a mini-Vash watch one day) so that won’t be included this time but yes I really like that one too. Its on the weaker side of Q episodes but still a lot of fun. I plan to watch “Move Along Home” again because everyone seems to hate it lol. Even Avery Brooks said it was one of his worst episodes. I always thought it was fine personally but its been so long since I seen it last. “IF Wishes Were Horses” I also always liked, one of my favorites that season. It feels a lot like “Shore Leave” from TOS and “Where No One has Gone Before” from TNG. I like the thoughts become real plot lines.
The plan is to try and rewatch the entire series by the time the documentary hits theaters, so I have a month basically. I really doubt I will finish but as said I won’t be watching every episode and there are already 20-30 I won’t be watching since I’ve seen them already in the last few months. But man I’m only three episodes in and its still fun knowing everything that’s coming.
I’ve just started watching the series again since it went off the air. I can see why us Trekkies complained about the series in the beginning, but am glad that the powers that be stuck it out and let it become the classic it is today.
I would love to see
It. One day in theatres makes that possibility unlikely.
I will watch DS9 on Netflix tonight. I only watched one episode. This documentary looks amazing. Congratulations on this awesome trailer.
DS9 in HD… dream come true. CBS, take my money.
Bought my ticket! So excited!
The cast have aged remarkably well and still look great!! They could definitely pull off a limited series, or a reunion movie or two…
Am looking very forward to this!
(please insert obligatory SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY! Futurama meme here; kthxbye)
Well said!
DS9 came out when I was 18 years old, and at the time, I couldn’t get into it and stopped watching sometime in the 2nd season. I came back to it in my mid-30s and found that I really enjoyed it, especially catching up on four seasons that I had missed. Now, I’m in my early 40s, and for me, DS9 is my favorite Trek. It’s rewatchability is on point with so many extraordinary characters to compliment the primary cast. Truly a remarkable show. I find it amazing that my appreciation for it developed as I matured and found my way in life.
So good to see DS9 back under the spotlight again. It was so over-looked during its day. It became my favorite show when the Dominion was introduced. The Dominion War clenched it for me…WWII in The Pacific, done as space opera. Continuing episodes would have Post-War Reconstruction, and multiple geopolitical faultlines and fractures, and rogue Warlord and Crimelord bands, as its continuous background, while the Federation, Klingon and Romulan Empires tried to hold the center, hold together.
Oh my god. Didn’t expect this. I have goosebumps all over my body!
And again i know: This is the best Star Trek series.
MAKE THE HD REMASTER!!!
And there it is in the trailer…
Avery Brooks saying “One of the things that attracted me to Star Trek was that I was black and human, completely human. See.”
Brooks is really clear that Sisko’s simple humanity was central to the question of representation.
I’ve mentioned several times in other threads that this was a major point at the time DS9 launched.
And while Sisko was revealed to have a complicated backstory relating to Bajor’s Prophets, Sisko’s being black and not an alien was a major step forward in the history of Trek.
As someone who followed the fan debate and public criticism of TNG’s limitation of strong women and people oif colour to ‘aliens with bumps on their heads”, this really stuck with me.
And so I was very surprised that this was lost sight of in the creation of the character of Burnham.
Yes, Burnham is black, female and human, but so much other ‘exceptionalness’ (Vulcan upbringing, Spock’s sister, mutineer, centre of fate of the entire galaxy etc.) has been layered on her character that, lack of ‘bumpson the head’ notwithstanding, her ‘specialness’ takes something away from SMG’s representation to me.
Maybe in an era of over the top Marvel heros, it isn’t the same issue as it was in the 90s.
But given the debate then, I really wonder why others aren’t bringing this up.
Do I count as those who ignore the poor nature of how the character has been treated? I hope not. I agree with you and I wish the Burnham character were better written.
At this point, she is to be compared with Spock, as if that were necessary. Never was that so.
Her character arc moves only to move the plot forward. This takes me away from the character. The plot is written to help her and she is written to help the plot. This is not in my view entertaining. It’s juvenile.
I love this series but I wish this could be helped.
I seem to remember seeing most people (that I saw) complain about how the cast and crew of Discovery were really pushing the “diverse” nature of their cast and crew, many (including myself) felt like they were short-changing all the previous shows that had diversity but didn’t hammer on it.
TOS’ legacy is brought up a lot, but that was groundbreaking television (or at least close to groundbreaking during that era). Sisko’s background is brought up, but it’s not one of the few things that defines him.
Theoden representation was a big public discussion point for all of the 90s series.
And TPTB hyped diversity in TNG when it launched – see we have a women, black men, and a person with a disability…
But fans looked to what wasn’t there in TNG’s representation.
Particularly, many voices wondered if people of colour and women needed to be distanced by alienness or prosthetics to be accepted in strong roles.
The discussion around black men was huge. Having Worf and Geordi played by black men was seen as groundbreaking, but there were people of colour who felt that having a black man in a position of power and leadership without any exceptionality was an important test of the franchise’s commitment to diversity.
Sisko playing a fully human commander without any disability or alienness met this important test.
In 1993, it WAS defining. And it sounds like it was a principal consideration in Brooks’ own decision to do the show.
But it was noted among fans and the media that the strong female characters – Ro Karen, Kira Nerys, Jadzia Dax – were all non human.
So, the call from fans wasn’t just for a female captain, but a human female captain – Janeway.
Many of those attempting to argue that representation wasn’t a big focus then, weren’t old enough to engage in fandom as it was then or following the media critiques.
Social media wasn’t a thing, but the discussions were very active in media, in official fan clubs, at cons, among communities of fans (e.g. university students) and the early bulletin board services.
I was fairly immersed. Brooks’ comment (previously recorded) addresses the debate of the time.
What if I may ask is your opinion of the Janeway character? I think she was inconsistently portrayed. I particularly did not find her portrayal as a participant in a fictional holodeck drama in one episode, with romantic overtones, of much appeal. Like the TNG episode, “Sub Rosa,” I found it rather boring.
I did think of her way of command significantly different from that of any other starship captain.
I have mixed feelings about Janeway.
First off, I’m convinced that the pressure to have Voyager ready to be the flagship for the launch of UPN created a lot of issues.
We know that Kate Mulgrew was a last minute casting change.
Early word from the creators included a storyline about the captain suffering from isolation and retreating to the holodeck.
We also heard that Mulgrew pushed back on some of these things, so there was definitely some back and forth on who the character was after production started.
Also, while it’s not clear who pushed this, Janeway represents a particular American idea of strong female leadership from that time period.
This isn’t what Europeans and Canadians viewed as a female leadership style in the 90s…but moving back and forth, I had enough perspective to recognize that.
All in all, not my first preference for the first female captain’s leadership style, but a very valid one.
Last thought, seeing Janeway through our kids’ eyes has given me a greater appreciation for the character.
One of our middle schoolers recently surprised me by identifying Janeway as their hero role model, and provided a great list of why they thought she was a great leader.
And that says to me that the Janeway legacy is real and much bigger than many of us realize.
Avery Brooks is a genius – he put that show on his back and carried it. It’s a little disappointing that the trailer of this documentary is focused more on the color of his skin as opposed to the content of his character. I really don’t think true Star Trek fans care about anything other than good writing, meaningful stories, and solid performances.