Chief Medical Officer. Originally conceived by Star Trek producers as a thinly-drawn character named Dr. Amoros, Bashir grew as a character and developed a complex backstory throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's seven seasons. Bashir's journey took him from being a neophyte doctor who was a little too friendly with his crewmates—and definitely talked too much—into becoming a grounded, consummate medical professional with rich and layered friendships.

Born in 2341 to Richard Bashir (Brian George) and Amsha Bashir (Fadwa el Guindi), Julian Bashir was initially scared of doctors as a young child, but developed an interest in becoming a doctor, himself, after realizing medicine was a skill one could learn. Julian's stuffed bear, Kukalaka, was his first patient. Unfortunately, young Julian's mental and physical abilities would prove a hindrance to achieving the prestigious medical career that he dreamed of. To help their son succeed, Bashir's parents would have to break Federation laws banning genetic engineering.

Julian Bashir Was Genetically Engineered Before Becoming Star Trek: DS9’s Doctor (2348)

Bashir's Parents Illegally Rewrote His DNA When He Was A Child

Before becoming Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's doctor, Julian Bashir was genetically engineered. As a child, Julian struggled to perform academically and socially, and he quickly fell behind his peers. Fearing for his future, Richard and Amsha Bashir brought their six-year-old son Julian to Adigeon Prime to rewrite his DNA. The genetic engineering successfully accelerated the growth of Julian's neural pathways, which enhanced his intellectual processing speed, memory, hand-eye coordination, hearing, strength, and reflexes. Instead of lagging behind his classmates, young Julian Bashir was one of the best in his class.

Dr. Bashir's status as a genetically engineered human Augment is discovered in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 16, "Doctor Bashir, I Presume", when Dr. Lewis Zimmerman (Robert Picardo) researches Bashir's history to use him as the template for a new Long-Term Medical Hologram. To save Dr. Bashir's Starfleet career, Julian's father, Richard, took the blame for the crime.

Bashir's parents kept the genetic manipulation a secret and falsified his records since genetic augmentation had been illegal in the Federation since Star Trek's Eugenics Wars, centuries earlier. When Julian was fifteen years old, he found out about his enhancement, and resented his parents for trying to fix him. Bashir briefly considered a career as a professional tennis player, but pivoted to study at Starfleet Medical Academy, graduating as a salutatorian. After graduation, Dr. Bashir could pick any assignment, so he chose to practice "frontier medicine" on one of Starfleet's furthest outposts: Deep Space Nine.

Doctor Bashir’s Starfleet Career On DS9 (2369–2376)

Bashir's Medical Expertise Helped Friends And Starfleet's Dominion War Efforts

Dr. Julian Bashir served as the Chief Medical Officer on Deep Space Nine beginning in 2369. Besides treating residents' everyday maladies, Bashir eagerly pushed Starfleet medicine forward with innovative treatments and cutting-edge research. Bashir's medical achievements were often inspired by wanting to make a mark on history, such as when he tried to cure the Teplan blight or the Jem'Hadar's Ketracel White addiction. More often, Julian developed treatments to help personal friends, like Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson), Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), Melora Pazlar (Daphne Ashbrook), and Sarina Douglas (Faith C. Salie).

From 2373 to 2375, the Dominion War challenged Bashir's resilience as a Starfleet officer and a doctor. As the war brewed, a Changeling replaced Dr. Bashir on Deep Space Nine, while the real Bashir spent over a month in Dominion Internment Camp 371. After escaping from Dominion prison, Dr. Bashir's medical expertise and genetic enhancements made him an important asset for Starfleet. Bashir participated in Operation Takeback to return Starfleet control to DS9, defended AR-558 from Dominion forces, and advocated for other Augments when the Federation wanted to use them as tools to develop tactical strategies.

Section 31 Tried To Recruit Doctor Bashir (2374–2375)

Bashir Worked As A Double Agent For The Federation

Starfleet's covert intelligence agency, Section 31, tried to recruit Dr. Bashir in 2374. Posing as a representative of the more above-board Starfleet Intelligence, Section 31's Director Luther Sloan (William Sadler) put Bashir through a test to determine Julian's fitness as a Section 31 operative in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 18, "Inquisition". Bashir resisted ing the clandestine organization for moral reasons, because Section 31 explicitly defied Federation law, but he accepted Sloan's offer after Captain Sisko ordered Bashir to work as a double agent.

Seeds of Bashir being involved in espionage were planted as early as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's first season, when Bashir takes an interest in Elim Garak's (Andrew Robinson) stories that suggest Garak was a member of Cardassia's Obsidian Order. In Bashir's favorite holosuite programs, Julian takes on the role of a James Bond-style super-spy in Earth's 1960s.

Dr. Julian Bashir was put into service as a Section 31 agent the following year, during an operation to manipulate Romulan senator Kimara Cretak (Adrienne Barbeau), who ed a Romulan-Federation alliance, into committing treason. Bashir himself was also manipulated by Sloan into unwittingly doing what Section 31 wanted, since Sloan knew Bashir wouldn't simply follow orders. Later, Bashir discovered a Section 31 plot to commit Changeling genocide using a morphogenic virus. Bashir trapped Sloan to extract the cure, and implemented it to save Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois).

What Happened To Doctor Bashir After Star Trek: DS9

Dr. Bashir May Have Stayed On DS9 With Lieutenant Ezri Dax

Star Trek hasn't updated audiences on what happened to Dr. Julian Bashir after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's finale, Bashir was one of the few Starfleet officers who remained on the station. Presumably, Bashir and Lieutenant Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) continued their new relationship after DS9's ending. In Star Trek: Lower Decks' return to DS9 in season 3's "Hear All, Trust Nothing", Starfleet still had a presence on the Bajoran station under the command of Colonel Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), but there was no confirmation whether Bashir was still DS9's CMO.

Doctor Bashir Returned In Star Trek: Lower Decks (2382)

An Alternate Universe's Julian Bashir EMH Married Elim Garak

Doctor Bashir returned to Star Trek in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 9, "Fissure Quest", though it wasn't the same Julian Bashir that served on Deep Space Nine in Star Trek's Prime Universe. Lower Decks' version of Bashir was an Emergency Medical Hologram that was based on the Bashir of his home universe, and served on the multiversal starship Anaximander. Hologram Bashir served as one of the Anaximander's medical officers alongside his husband, an alternate reality's Dr. Elim Garak, who had ed Starfleet.

Although the version of Bashir that returned in Star Trek: Lower Decks' fifth season wasn't the Prime Universe's Julian Bashir, there's still hope that Star Trek can update audiences on Bashir's whereabouts in the late 24th century. Opportunities for new Star Trek stories set after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could be possible with potential Star Trek streaming movies, or a return to producing Star Trek: Short Trek's mini-episodes. Until that time, Bashir's tenure on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the best insight to the doctor's full timeline.