Mardah

Species:	Bajoran
Occupation:	Dabo girl
Status:	Alive (2370s)
Played by:	Jill Sayre

Mardah was a Bajoran female born in 2351. Her parents were killed during the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. Following their deaths, Mardah and her siblings, Sarjeno and Koran, were raised by neighbors. In 2364, at the age of thirteen, Mardah moved out to live on her own. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

In the late 2360s she moved from Bajor to live aboard Terok Nor, which later became known as Deep Space 9. There she worked at Quark's where she was employed as a dabo girl. Her career choice caused a rift between her and her siblings, who were not exactly thrilled with her job as a dabo girl. She found it amazing how much people judged others based on nothing more than their job. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

Despite working at Quark's, Mardah still pursued a full education, attending the station's school, where she was noticed for her writing talents. Keiko O'Brien frequently told Mardah that she should try to get some of her stories published. Despite the encouragement for her to pursue writing, she eventually chose to study in the field of entomology. (DS9: "The Abandoned", "Sanctuary")

In mid-2370, Mardah asked Jake Sisko to tutor her with some of her entomology homework - which was in reality, more of a "study date." Jake was forced to lie to his father, due to her profession, in order to ensure that the two could get together. (DS9: "Sanctuary")

During the early stages of their dating, Jake often wrote, what Mardah described as, "some of the most beautiful things [she had] ever read." It was this poetry that eventually won her over. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

A few weeks later, Jake accidentally told his father about Mardah, professing his love for her. He later admitted to his father that he was unsure how he would react to the fact that Mardah was a dabo girl. To prove to his father that she was more than just a "girl", Jake wanted to have her over so that his father could meet her. After receiving the 'go ahead', Jake ran off to inform Mardah of the good news. (DS9: "Playing God")

Despite disapproving of his son dating a dabo girl four years Jakes' senior, Ben Sisko finally invited Mardah over for dinner in early 2371 - with the intentions of seeing what he was up against. For dinner they had Creole shrimp with Mandalay sauce, which Mardah enjoyed, as she was partial to spicy food.

During dinner, while Jake was checking on dessert, Mardah confessed to Ben that although at first, Jake seemed like just another teenaged boy, she realized that there was more to him than that, that he was full of surprises, and that she cared about him very much.

After dinner, Commander Sisko's attitude towards Mardah became much more accepting, once he got a chance to know both her and Jake a little better. (DS9: "The Abandoned")

Shortly thereafter, Mardah got accepted to the Science Academy on Regulus III, forcing her to move 300 light years from DS9 – and Jake. She broke the news to Jake the day they had planned on hanging up decorations for the Bajoran Gratitude Festival – the same day Jake intended to give Mardah a Bajoran earring as a gift. The two subsequently broke up. (DS9: "Fascination")

Mardah, played by Jill Sayre, appeared only in the episode "The Abandoned". The role was originally to have gone to Chase Masterson; however, Masterson was informed that the age difference between herself and Cirroc Lofton would have made the relationship improbable. However, Avery Brooks (who directed "The Abandoned") has subsequently indicated at conventions that he felt Masterson was too sexy to play Jake's love interest and he hoped that Masterson would be introduced at a later time as a different character – possibly as his love interest. The role of Leeta was subsequently created for Masterson. ^{(citation needed • edit)} Another actress who auditioned for the role of Mardah was Tracy Middendorf, who was later cast as the second of three actresses to play Tora Ziyal. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 63)